Level 1 East
The AQHA Level 1 Championships East spanned seven exciting days at the incredible World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio. Former All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen, Darcy Woods and her mother, Jaqueline, headed the awards for the entire show. Thanks to their expertise, I was able to navigate many busy days of awards presentations spanning across three show pens. Later in the week, current state association queens not only joined me in presenting awards, but we enjoyed other aspects of the show like an ice cream social, visiting with vendors, and chatting with Gordon Downey of the Equine Chronicle. I was also delighted by a visit from Jaymie Drury, the Chair of the Congress Queen Committee a.k.a. the “Queen Team”. When the largest number of queens were present, we took a lovely photo with Michael from Shane Rux at the backdrop. Friday included what was arguably the most important class of the show, the leadline. The class had 35 adorable participants and drew the largest crowd of joyful spectators. I was impressed at how well the show was run, making for a very enjoyable experience for participants and spectators alike!
SOQHA’s The Madness
Almost two weeks later, I arrived at SOQHA’s “The Madness” back at the WEC, a show that holds the honor of being an AQHA Top Ten Show Circuit. Not only did the AQHA classes boast large numbers with incredible quality, but there were also many exciting futurities like the Maiden Horse Slot class and Novice Horse class. It was such a pleasure to award the top placings in those classes to such talented horses and riders. I also enjoyed presenting awards for the Non-Pro Trail Challenge to those who navigated such a difficult course with ease. Perhaps my favorite class was the Dad’s Walk-Trot. Dads, husbands, and brothers that do not normally ride were bid on calcutta style before the class - what a truly fun class to watch! To wrap up my visit at the show, on the final day, I spent time with my lovely mom on Mother’s Day. Enjoying a horse show together was the perfect way to celebrate the holiday!
Level 1 West
After a very quick turnaround from The Madness, I flew to Las Vegas and arrived at the iconic South Point Hotel, Casino, and Equestrian Center for the AQHA Level 1 Championships West. The show was held in conjunction with the AZQHA Pinnacle Circuit and was the largest Level 1 West show to date. It was great to be reunited with many friends from Arizona Quarter Horse that I made during the Sun Circuit and especially with the ladies of the awards, Penny King and Anica Reddick. We had the best time giving awards presentations each day to the grateful class winners. During the Level 1 Amateur Western Riding, I had the pleasure of awarding a top ten placing to former Congress Queen, Meghan Murphy. It was such a joy chatting with her after the presentation - I felt so blessed to follow in the footsteps of so many great former Congress Queens. I saw many incredible horses inside the show pen, but I also met some other interesting animals outside of the pen as well, like a sweet dog named Carl that wore goggles and two traveling goats. On the final two days of the show, I was joined by local royalty in Mrs. Agriculture America Southwestern States, Cheyenne Bertrand. She had excellent timing in that she made it in time to watch and award a great leadline class. We could not stop talking about how cute the participants would look with the adorable buckle they won for entering.
After such a fun-filled stretch of shows, I couldn't help but think about the busy AQHA staff members and SOQHA show staff that worked tirelessly to make each of these shows so incredible. Our industry is so blessed!
