My name is Heidi Nelson, and I am a charismatic 24 year old who is honoured to be representing the Ontario Quarter Horse Association as their 2019 Queen. I grew up in rural, southwestern Ontario with my parents, Scott and Colleen, and my younger sister, Madeleine. My mom is a dental hygeinist, while my dad owns and operates an electrical contracting business. My childhood centered around strong family values, an appreciation of the outdoors, and an early love of horses. By the age of seven, I proudly started horseback riding lessons as a Christmas gift from my family and I have never looked back. Since then, both of my parents have gotten into horses to varying degrees as well: my mom enjoys trail riding and obstacle courses, while my dad has recently gotten into cutting. We are fortunate enough to spend every day alongside our horses as we keep them on our own 100 acre property. We appreciate riding together as a family whenever our busy schedules allow, both in the arena and out on the local conservation area trails. As for myself, I enjoy a diverse selection of events, which is why I am so drawn to the American Quarter Horse. I initally began riding western pleasure and all around horses, eventually moving from the walk-trot classes to the more advanced Youth classes at my local Quarter Horse shows. As an spirited and ambitious youth rider I entered everything event I could, amassing points in 11 different events, all on one type of horse! As I grew as a horsewoman, I began to favour classes that include patterns to showcase the partnership of horse and rider, as I felt these were most fitting to display the bond I work to achieve with my teammates. Recently, I’ve been focusing on the reining as I had an opportunity to breed and raise a colt while I studied at university. I now have a wonderful gelding who I not only get to feed treats to on a daily basis, but a teammate who I know inside and out of the showpen. I love to spend my time creating truely versatile horses; more than once I have been known to throw an english saddle on my reiner to practice my hunt seat equitation. I have competed at some of the major shows, including the IHSA Nationals, the All American Quarter Horse Congress, the AQHA World Show, and the AQHYA World Show on multiple different horses and in multiple categories of events. The elegance of the competition at these high-level shows never ceases to amaze me. The horses, the horsemen and women, dedication, and knowledge is inspiring and humbling at the same time. I graduated in the spring of 2018 from Western University (London, Ontario) with a Bachelor of Science, a Specialization in Food and Nutrition, and a minor in Psychology. During my time at Western, I competed enthusiastically with the university’s IHSA Stock Seat Team, making lifelong friends while being able to compete throughout my education. Furthermore, I was a member of the Western Triathlon Team, completing daily workouts and determined to stay strong for when I would be able to spend more time in the saddle. In June of 2015, I started as a summer student at Parmalat Canada, a large dairy processing facility in Mitchell, Ontario. I have spent the past 4 years taking on every opportunity in the packaging and quality departments, most recently accepted a position as the HACCP and Quality Systems Coordinator. On a daily basis I act as a representative for the Company during regulatory and customer inspections, develop quality systems, keep food safe and delicious for consumers, and lead research studies for the continued improvement of dairy products in Canada and abroad. The close-knit atmosphere and core values of the dairy industry mirror the values I was raised on: ambition, engagement, and simplicity. While horses have always been my main hobby, I also enjoy spending time with my family and being around all sorts of animals. I have always been an energetic individual, which undoubtedly suits the Canadian lifestyle. In the summer months, I can often be found riding a bike, hiking a gorge, out for a run, or playing in a waterfall with my canine best friend, Meg. In winter months, I like to cross-country ski, snowshoe, snowmobile and build snowmen with carrot noses. I feel strongly about giving back to my local horse community, often volunteering at local saddle club shows on Saturdays to help the members prepare and support them in their classes. I save up old show clothes, ribbons, tack and equipment to donate, as well as assist in fundraisers to give back to the youth in these clubs who might need help getting their start in the horse industry. As the 2019 Ontario Quarter Horse Association Queen, I have strived to continue being an inspiring spokesperson and role model for the Quarter Horse industry in Ontario. I hope to spread love, passion, and respect for the Quarter Horse, its diversity, and its association to as many people as possible.