NAPHA Annual Conference Time

Need a break from the frosty winter weather? Head south next month for the NAPHA Annual Conference in New Orleans Feb. 24-26.

Discussion topics include marketing, funding, member engagement, making the most of your volunteers and more. There’s also a special judge’s panel planned to discuss trends in the show ring, gait, conformation and other good info.

You can sign up for the  2012_Conference via that PDF, or call Arlynda Castro at  707-544-5807.

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Picture This

No, I did not forget to send you a Christmas card this year. I just forgot to make Christmas cards important enough to get them done. If I catch a magic shot of my kids with my horses over the next few days, I might get some out. But I’m not holding my breath. I know me too well.

But I will share some of my favorite seasonal shots of Peruvians:

DB Romance Joven — or Jr., as his friends call him — is doing a great job putting up with his owner Emily Knight’s Christmas spirit.

Here’s a fun one of Lisa Bialy’s horse — I believe that’s Vista del Dragon. Scroll through and see some other fun snowy pics from Rancho Paso Fuego.

This is my favorite. I love the way the horse is framed through the wire — never seen anything quite like it. It’s from Mer-Girl Gardens, which grows fabulous organic goodies alongside the horses of La Estancia Alegre. You can see more beautiful shots from LEA here.

Happy holidays, everyone!

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‘Tis the Season

Fall is my favorite time of year. It’s one of three seasons I missed growing up in the endless summers of South Texas. So I get positively giddy over the changing leaves and cooling temps.

I’m also thrilled that so many of us are getting out there and enjoying the wonderful weather, our fabulous horses and our good friends. The CSPHC had a great time in September as guests of Terri Miller and Amanda Speaker at their family homestead near Buffalo Creek. There’s also a ton of great pictures from the group who enjoyed Dawson’s Butte Oct. 22, and the Rio Grande Peruvian Horse Club had more than a few Colorado folks in their ranks that same day as they rode along Rio Chama.  Several of us are looking forward to a ride in Cañon City on Bobbi Taylor’s ranch on Oct. 29. And if you’re a Facebook friend of club member Emily Knight, you’ll see fabulous new trail photos just about every week.

Garden of the Gods is one of my favorite spots to ride in Colorado Springs.

At the moment, our first real snow of the year is coming down hard enough that I didn’t quite make it out to the barn this morning as I hoped I might. But it will be gone before we carve our pumpkins, and we’ll have more scenic trail shots to share.

Send me yours or links to your albums if you’d like to add your photos to our site.

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The Latest on EHV-1

Well, by the time I hit “publish,” this won’t be the latest. I signed up for email updates from my vet, I’m wearing cyber tracks into Google and haunting the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s site. Friends send me updates — some legit, some questionable. So I’m doing what I can to stay informed and to share what I know.

And I’m doing what I can to keep my horse safe. Even before my barn manager here in Colorado Springs decided to quarantine the animals, I decided to leave Wonder Pony here rather than trailer him down to La Estancia Alegre for this weekend’s clinic. (Thanks so much to Barbara Windom for offering up her horses to those of us who can’t bring our own.) I’m canceling next week’s vet appointment — teeth floating and Coggins can wait at this point.

But I’m also not freaking out. Six infected horses — two euthanized —  in Colorado is concerning, for sure. But I’m grateful that the flow of info is so quick, so thorough and so constant. I’m optimistic that this has been caught early, and the measures horse owners and professionals are taking will minimize the disease’s impact.

Here’s hopin’.

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Southwestern Hospitality

Just want to say thanks to everyone who participated in and supported the Southwest Peruvian Horse Show. I enjoyed fantastic horses, exceptional people and nonstop laughs for the entire weekend. It was great to catch up with old friends and make new ones down in Glen Rose, Texas. Check out some of the great photos here.

I’ve decided I definitely want to be a ring steward when I grow up. My first time down there on the arena floor was a phenomenal chance to learn more about our breed and see the show from the judge’s perspective.

It was also helpful to see the inner-workings of a well-established, well-run show. Hats off to the entire show committee, volunteers and Southwest Peruvian Horse Club board for all their hard work. And special thanks to Judge Nazario Villafuerte to putting up with and answering my nonstop questions. I know I talk too much.

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Show Time

I’m about to have the best Mother’s Day ever.

Tomorrow I’m heading down to Texas to be a part of the Southwest Peruvian Horse Show. Wonder Pony will not be joining me, sadly. But I’ll still get three days to enjoy great horses and friends as my kids get quality time with my mom. It’s the perfect Mother’s Day weekend for us both, actually.

I’ve been looking forward to this for almost a year. I was invited to be ring steward (really I prefer the title “ring leader”) by a friend who’d made the long drive to Denver for last year’s Denver Queen City Horse Show — a fantastic combo show with the Colorado American Saddlebred Horse Association.

Texas shows are always a blast. I have deep roots in the Lone Star State. It’s where I grew up, and it’s where I first fell in love with our breed. So many wonderful people down there have offered me help, advice and encouragement — I’m really happy I can contribute to their efforts to showcase and show off their horses.

When we cross state and club lines, we’re supporting our breed and our friends. I hope my Texas pals will haul north to take part in our show July 21-23. Or out to Vegas for the Gold Rush Classic June 24-26. The full NAPHA show schedule can keep us busy from February to October.

You don’t have to cringe as your child gets patted down by the TSA because he insists on wearing overalls that trip the sensors to make it to distant shows. (I won’t, either. Those overalls magically disappeared after the last pat-down.) Do what’s easy, fun and practical for you. Cheer for friends at your closest show. Volunteer to hand out ribbons or work the gate. Sponsor a class. Enter your 50 finest animals in every show on the calendar.

Or get out on the trails and answer strangers’ questions about what’s wrong with your horse’s legs. Mount up for a parade. Take your horse to a local 4H class. Perform in equine festivals and other events.

It’s up to us to preserve and promote our historic breed. It’s an animal well-worth sharing.

What can you do?

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Looking Ahead

New year, new start.

Every January we step on the scale, make our lists of resolutions and look ahead.

As a club, CSPHC is looking forward to a lot. The Rocky Mountain Horse Expo, The Denver Queen City Horse Show and the Colorado State Fair are circled on the calendar right now.

As much as I love shows, I’m putting a gold star next to the Expo; it’s the first on the list (March 11-13). This is a fantastic venue for promoting our breed. Tens of thousands of horse lovers from throughout the region will converge on the National Western Complex in Denver to ride with experts, hit the trade show floor and enjoy equine performances in the Mane Event.

I really believe we have to reach out to the larger horse community to help sustain our breed. As much as I love hanging out with other Peruvian aficionados, we need to make connections with other horse lovers. We have a lot to offer, and a lot to learn.

Last year’s Queen City show is proof of that. It was a beautifully run weekend, we had a great turnout and enjoyed sharing the facility with the Saddlebred folks. I’m looking forward to more of the same this year (July 21-23).

So from where we stand as a club, we have lots of opportunities to make the most of our horses and our equine connections.

From where you’re standing today, what do you see?

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Where are the Young’uns?

At our recent Denver Queen City Show, my pals and I scratched our heads. We enviously watched juniors and 20-somethings mount their Saddlebreds to compete and wondered, where are our young folks? 

At 37, I was the youngest Peruvian exhibitor there. And while I’m thrilled to be considered sprightly, the sad truth is I’m waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay closer to the privileges of AARP membership than I am to the proud day I earned my horseback riding badge in Girl Scouts. 

I know our horses are a great option for achey Baby Boomers. But I also know I got hooked on the smooth ride when I was 22. I was drawn to the welcoming community, the trail riding, exhibitions and shows. And I’m even a Texas native who grew up with the unofficial state breed — Quarter Horses. 

I also wonder why our breed doesn’t have a more prominent presence on the competetive trail circuit. I know there are several breeders who make a proud showing at those events, but I think those are mostly Peruvian owners who find the sport rather than competitors who find our breed. Here in Colorado, there’s no better way to enjoy the stunning beauty of our state than on the back of a Peruvian. But I’ve never come across one on hikes or rides. 

So how do we expand our breed’s popularity? More exhibitions? A competetive trail team? An ambassador program to do exhibitions at multi-breed shows? I know this is going on in pockets across the country already, but do we need a more organized approach, and who’s going to step up to lead that? 

I also firmly believe we need to be more aggressively pursuing new riders via social media. We need to follow the example of the Quarter Horse folks whose tweets I follow and whose Facebook page has more than 100,000 likes.  Or the National Reining Horse Association with their 800-plus Twitter followers (at least our club has a custom background) and more than 7,000 likes on Facebook. 

I’m always on the lookout for more Peruvian nuts out here in cyberspace, and I’m so glad the National Show and several other clubs have Facebook pages. If you have a Twitter account, Facebook page,  YouTube channel — whatever — please send me a link. Building our reach isn’t a quick or easy process, but I really think it’s key to sharing our fantastic breed with an untapped audience.

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State Fair Show is Canceled This Year

I’m quite bummed to report that this year’s Peruvian Horse Show at the Colorado State Fair has been canceled.

We really appreciate all the hard work that went into the show and the folks who registered, but we just didn’t get enough entries to justify the show from the fair’s perspective. They’ve offered us a spot during the actual fair next year, which is a good thing. Some exhibitors told us they only wanted to show during the actual fair. This year, we were scheduled for the week before the fair. Typically we can only snag a time during the actual fair every other year.

I also heard from folks who said they were willing to travel to Colorado from out of state once, but not twice.  We had a great turnout at the Denver Queen City Horse Show, and several ranches promised to return next year.

So we’ll see how things pan out for next summer. I’d love to hear feedback that would help us plan for next year.

Out-of-staters: What would bring you to Colorado? Would you come to two shows in Colorado? If you only come to one, would you rather show in Denver at the National Western Complex (indoor arena/nice facility, joint show with Saddlebreds, larger city), or in Pueblo (no indoor but covered outdoor, less expensive classes, cash payouts for winners)?

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Plantation Hat in Hand

I hate asking people for money, even when I know it’s for a good cause. I work for a nonprofit that helps military families  in real life, so should be better at drumming up sponsorships for shows.

I know we’re in a recession. I know even in the best of times, horses are an expensive hobby. And that Colorado is a long way from Texas, California, Tennessee, Alabama, Missippi, Louisiana and so many other states that are home to nice horses and the good people who own them. I also know it’s asking a lot for people to support our shows with either sponsorships (from $25 to $1,500) or entries, but I really hope we’ll have good turnout this year. We’ve got two great venues: the National Western Complex for the Denver Queen City Horse Show July 22-24and the State Fair Grounds in Pueblo Aug. 20-22.

Even better, we’ve got a great group of people out here who enjoy hanging out, talking horses and having a good time. And yes, I will be bringing frozen spiked basil lemonade again this year.  I really hope we get some more great folks to join us.

So here I am, plantation hat in hand asking for help. We deeply appreciate whatever you can do to support our efforts to showcase the Peruvian horse and celebrate our friendships. For more information, e-mail me at kerrymcg@aol.com  or Mark Renn at mrenn@gcm-careers.com.

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