The 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress: Part II

When I woke up, I felt like Ana from Frozen realizing it’s “coronation day” but it’s my first full day as the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen! I started my day by reuniting with my horsemanship mount, Moonshine and my best friend Caleigh to visit the official Congress photographer, Shane Rux, for my backdrop photo. Prior to Congress I had looked back at my previous backdrop photos and am so excited to add this beautiful photo displaying my show saddle and crown by Miguel, medallions, and NSBA and Don Bell Trophies! Believe it or not, the next step was to teach me how to drive a golf cart! We all know how large the Ohio State Fairgrounds is and a golf cart is a Congress necessity! After that I met up with the winner of each contest category and runner ups at Schneiders Saddlery to design and of course add bling to the famous Congress Jacket! Along the way I loved getting to see old and new faces as we continued to celebrate my new role. Next to Schneider’s is the awards office which would be my home away from home for the remainder of the show. The team was so friendly and welcoming and is led by 2021 Congress Queen, Darcy Taurchan. Before I knew it I was in the ring for my first class and had all the emotions of putting the neck ribbon on my first Congress Champion.

Later that week, I helped present awards at the Youth and Collegiate Horse Judging Breakfast. Being in Voinovich was extra special as I remember being in those seats in 4H and getting to see my friends from Penn State. That group of talented youth and young adults are the future judges of our industry!

When the weekend came around, it was time for my vendor photos and official Congress Queen Photoshoot with Sarah Johnson. I loved being able to have one on one conversations with our sponsors and personally thank them for their generosity.

We loaded up the golf cart with some of my beautiful prizes and multiple outfits. Thank you to Sarah for capturing such stunning pictures during golden hour making my ideas come to life. Thank you to Jaymie Drury and Lexy Ziemak for helping me look my best and many great laughs.

A fun fact about me is that I am a horrible cook. However, I didn’t let this stop me from visiting the Ohio Amateur Association’s annual pancake breakfast fundraiser. The funds benefit Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. I enjoyed flipping pancakes and honoring a great cause which raised over $3,700!

Each day every medallion and picture I took was special in its own way. From the exhibitor experiencing their first congress to a young girl dreaming of being the next Congress Queen each interaction was unique. I also can’t forget getting to work with our press office team, National Sports Broadcasting, and Gordon Downey from The Equine Chronicle. I am so blessed thanks to the power of social media to be able to look back on these memories for years to come.

I was so excited to participate in the NYATT (National Youth Activities Team Tournament) awards ceremony. Not only did I get my own special introduction but rode in the back of a Coughlin truck tossing prizes into the stands. I love that NYATT recognizes each team representative and their team spirit for each other. The last Saturday night of the Congress was the anticipated Versatility event. Horse and rider teams would compete in Hunter under saddle, western pleasure, ranch riding, and pole bending. Not only was it so entertaining to see the actual versatility of these horses and their awesome pit crews but the crowd kept the energy up throughout the event!

When the last day came, there was definitely a somber feeling across the grounds. Many were packing up to go to the next show, but also looked back on the memories made in the last month. After I put the neck ribbon on the last champion of the 2024 Congress Champion I felt tears in my eyes for how fast time flew while having the time of my life. I knew this was just the start of an amazing year.

Next up will be attending the Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Tri-State Quarter Horse Association Year-End Banquets!

Much Love, Madison

The 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress: Part I

Where to begin when you get to spend 3 weeks at your happy place! When I arrived to the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress, I had my to do list which included visiting the new Congress Marketplace where the Queen’s booth looked amazing, get my hat’s shaped at Brinks Hattery, and look at this year’s Congress Jacket from Schneiders Saddlery which I hoped to win. However, before I started on my errands, I have a Congress tradition of getting some Chinese food and sitting in the Celeste to watch a class as a way to relax, and really sink in that I am here to hopefully make my dream a reality. As I walked around, I ran into a few of the other Queen contestants which was so nice to finally meet in person. After checking into our hotel, I found out my roommate would be Sidney Hawk, from Ohio Quarter Horse whom I had already met earlier this year at the Little Buckeye, so we clicked instantly! During orientation was learned more details about all the fun that was to come during the week and participated in a gift exchange. Each Queen’s gifts were so unique and showed the various ways we are all connected through the love of the Quarter Horse. We also got to open many gifts from Queen Contest sponsors. They certainly do know how to treat us like Queens. We all had many great laughs getting to know each other while filming Tik Toks. If you don’t already, be sure to follow (congressqueen_2024).

The next day we hit the ground running in our new Durango boots to visit our vendors and hand out autograph cards. The vendors were so excited that Queen Week was here, and it was so special to personally thank them for their generosity. I would be remiss to not thank The Sweet Shop for keeping us well fed throughout the week! We then went back to the hotel to prepare for our welcome dinner with invited guests, Ohio Quarter Horse officials, sponsor representatives and our interview judges. I was joined by Mariah Sherer-McClain and Nikki Bailey who are both great supporters during my reign. We started with an ice breaker of two truths and a lie to get to know everyone. After a sweet welcome message from 2023 Congress Queen, Jessica Blevins, we got to answer a fun impromptu question and reveal the stories behind our ice breakers. As queens we have each other's backs… literally, if it wasn’t for Audrey Barnes, the Michigan Queen, I would have worn my showmanship number on my jacket for dinner!

The following day we waited for our allotted interview time. Since I competed in the Queen’s Contest last year, I knew how quickly those 10 minutes flew by. However, I hoped that the judge’s saw my passion and each judge was so welcoming to talk to. We got to continue our discussions with the judges at lunch. After heading back to the show for more vendor photos the Queen Team had not one but two surprises for us! First we went to the nature center with our very own Queen photographer, Sarah Johnson, for individual mini-photo shoots. This was a perfect way to capture each Queen’s individual beauty. Next, we went over to All That Show Clothing to their custom Trucker Hat Bar! This was so fun to show our individual personalities, and I noticed many throughout the Congress wearing their Trucker Hats!

The day of the written exam was here. I had hoped that my two years of studying would pay off. The exam is often compared to the same test those who want to be AQHA judges take. However, along with any material found in the rulebook there also is a portion on the history and facts of the Congress and Queen’s Contest. I felt like my pencil was writing a mile a minute and there certainly were questions that stumped me but overall felt proud of my effort. Afterward we had some time on the grounds before heading to our Experience Columbus Trip. That was the day our horsemanship horses were allowed to move it so it was nice to say hello to my mount “Moonshine” then visit with more vendors. We had crowing practice before our trip which made the realization feel so much closer that tomorrow, we would know who the next Congress Queen would be. Our surprise Experience Columbus trip was to Top Golf! I was so excited as I had never been before, and we all had such a great time! That day was also Riata the Ohio Michigan Indiana Queen’s birthday, and it was special to celebrate her! Ended the night by getting to ride in the Celeste with the other queens. You could tell we were all happy to be riding.

Horsemanship is definitely not my strongest class, but I told myself to do the best I can and try to be penalty free. The first maneuver of right lead lope up the straight away made me the most nervous but after getting through that maneuver the rest felt smooth. I loved knowing people could watch on the livestream and getting to wave at my fans as I jogged out of the lineup. Then it was time to get ready for the anticipated crowing. The Queen’s booth was transformed into a beautiful stage, and I had friends and family that were in the crowd and viewing from home. As we went through each category, we all would receive medals, but they announced the top 6. Regardless of how the placings worked out, I know that each contestant put their heart into this contest and made lifelong friendships and memories. I was 5th in the interview and won the test which made me beam with pride. Karsyn Green from Virgina won Miss Congeniality, which was perfect for her bubbly and caring personality. Ashton Snow from Southern Ohio was 2nd Runner Up and Mateer Strong from Iowa was 1st Runner Up. Then they announced my name as the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen. My eyes filled up with tears of joy as Jessica put the tiara, Congress Queen Sash, and ring on me. The crowd was electric and in that moment my dream came true!

After Face-timing my family to share the good news, we took many pictures with our loved ones and all celebrated our individual accomplishments. After the Queen contestants were able to review the scores and feedback from each category, then they got to take home even more amazing prizes! It was then time for me to get ready for my official introduction as the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen! I went to the VS Code Red Coliseum during the PBR Event. I was first greeted by many of the OQHA Officials congratulating and welcoming me to my new title. Then I was escorted by Mr. Justin Billings, AAQHC CEO, around the arena waving to fans while an introduction was read. At the end of the night, I got to meet Queen Contest sponsor and owner of VS Code Red, Katie Van Slyke. My adrenaline was still so high soaking in each moment. My head quickly hit the pillow that night as I knew the next day would be the start of not only 2 more weeks of memories, but a whole year!

Stay tuned for my next blog capturing the rest of the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress!

Much Love, Madison