Amateur Dawn Strohecker and her gelding, Illicit Intention, earned top honors in 2022 as 3-time AQHA National High Point Champions. They earned their place at the top of the year-end list for the highly competitive Level 3 Open Geldings, Open Junior Geldings, and Level 3 Amateur Geldings classes. In fact, as of May 2023 Ilicit Intention is now My Intention’s highest point earning progeny according to Q Stallions.
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Yearling longe line events are a wonderful way to showcase the conformation and potential of a young prospect for under-saddle events. But what does it take to bring along a talented youngster that may have the physical ability of an Olympic athlete combined with the brain of a young squirrel?
Continue reading …Chasing Dreams: How Top Trainers, Breeders, And Exhibitors Got Their Start
December 5, 2023 Comments Off on Chasing Dreams: How Top Trainers, Breeders, And Exhibitors Got Their Start
Click here to read the complete article 338 – July/August, 2023 By Sarah Welk Baynum A rider clutching a championship trophy smiles for the camera and gives their well-bred horse a pat on the neck. The trainer who stands next to them is no stranger to a championship win either. They are the best of […]
Continue reading …Full Circle: Childhood Friendships And The Barn That Built Them
December 4, 2023 Comments Off on Full Circle: Childhood Friendships And The Barn That Built Them
For some it might seem like déjà vu when they spot a little girl in a vibrant purple outfit on a stout, talented gray horse. Both dressed in purple nearly three decades ago, Melissa Wolf (now Melissa Bercaw) and Brynne Bassler had great success on the horse “The Gray Hustler.” He was one of three horses that connected them–in more than one way–throughout their Youth careers, and now into adulthood.
Continue reading …Practical And Legal Issues When Equine Businesses Raise Rates
December 3, 2023 Comments Off on Practical And Legal Issues When Equine Businesses Raise Rates
Professionals in the equine industry want to be accommodating and affordable, yet the increasing cost of doing business makes that difficult. Prices continue to climb for just about everything–fuel, hay, feed, and workers. Unfortunately, professionals are often reluctant to seek rate increases. The question is how to raise rates in a manner that is both fair and legal. This article offers some suggestions.
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Student-athletes preparing to go to college have big dreams. Some dream of playing in that big tournament in March. Others dream of hitting a home run and circling the diamond. It used to be that dreams like these–along with a few others–were the only ones available until the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) was formed as the governing body to advance the sport of equestrian as part of women’s collegiate athletics.
Continue reading …Leslie Hellman Of Hellman Therapeutics: Powered By Hands
December 1, 2023 Comments Off on Leslie Hellman Of Hellman Therapeutics: Powered By Hands
Leslie Hellman has a wonderful ability to heal painful bodies. Most riders have pain issues due to previous injuries, and many are now grateful for Hellman’s work. In 2002, Hellman was working with a chiropractor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but had no formal training. “The chiropractor said I had hands that would do amazingly well for message therapy and physical therapy. In 2006, I moved to Arizona, started working on my own and needed a license. I went back to school and began working with different message techniques. I took more than 3,000 hours of certifications in physical therapy and athletic training,” says Hellman.
Continue reading …Ann Woodruff – Back In The Pen After 40 Years
November 30, 2023 Comments Off on Ann Woodruff – Back In The Pen After 40 Years
After a 40-year break from the show pen, Ann Woodruff climbed back into a show saddle in 2021. She has enjoyed every moment since while showing her family’s horses.
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Held from March 22-25th in Lexington, Virginia, the 2023 Spring Breakout and the Virginia Maiden boasted over 6,000 entries and total payouts of $169,000. The show started off with a special event day for AQHA and VRH Ranch classes then moved into a split/combined 6-judge AQHA show. The judges for the show were April and Casey Devitt, Clay MacLeod, Sandy Curl, Rick Christy, and Dolly Chayer. Show management services were provided by Topline Event Management headed by Christian Jauntig.
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Perhaps no other maneuver is more overlooked when preparing for a pattern class than the back. Perfecting the challenging maneuvers –lead changes, square corners, transitions–is where exhibitors naturally focus their time and effort as those elements require more skill and strategy. But when it comes to the judges’ scoresheets, the back as its own maneuver is worth just as much as those more brow-raising pattern elements and is far too often an afterthought for exhibitors.
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