SDQHA Secretary Blog

2011 Annual Meeting and Banquet

2011-01-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to all the SDQHA members who helped make the SDQHA Annual Meeting, Banquet, and Auction a success. I so enjoyed seeing SDQHA members. It is always fun to see people in a completely different setting then the show ring and in a setting where you have a minute to just sit and visit. It is not that I don't like getting to see you all at the shows! Congratulations to our newly elected board of directors and our new officers for 2011. New directors- Kim Larson and Hope Hall- west; John Kabeiseman-east; Kim Fordham Lien and Vanessa Gravatt- Central; Roger Wilson- at large; officers President- Amy Krueger; Vice-President Penny Petersen.

Please share pictures and information with me for our website. I can only post on our website what I know and/or receive.

2010 Awards Banquet

2010-12-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

Make plans to attend the 2010 SDQHA Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet at Cedar Shores in Chamberlain on January 15, 2011. The annual meeting will be at 2:00 PM and social hour for the banquet begins at 5:30 PM. Don't forget to bring your item for the auction. Ann Marie Johnson has been working on getting the beautiful and well deserved awards. When you see Ann Marie be sure to thank her for all her hard work getting our award winners their fabulous prizes. Please get pictures for the slide show to Janet Hansen at jpslider@msn.com. Please send her trophy shots AND candid funny shots of SDQHA members and/or their horses.

I hope to keep the blog going more consistantly in 2011. I guess call it my new year's resolution. Maybe it is time to move SDQHA out of the blog on onto Facebook? Let me know be offering comments! Happy New Year and see you in Chamberlain January 15th!

Snow, Snow, Snow

2010-01-06T08:20:00.001-08:00

I am home in the morning in the middle of the week- snow day. The state of South Dakota seems to be taking a snow hit the past few weeks. First the Christmas blizzard and now the first week of January or Epiphany blizzard! I hope this trend does not continue. Caring for our four-legged friends just gets tougher and tougher as the snow piles up. Simple tasks become big time chores. For example watering. The continuous flow artesian well works great until temperatures drop below -10 and the cows and horses outside hunker down for the storm and quit coming up for water regularly. Now the water tank requires daily checking and ice breaking. One of the heated waterers in the barn actually froze up. Time for more heat tape I guess. It worked great all last year, but heat tape must "wear out" or something over time. Mares are due to foal early February so I guess it is time to bring them in the barn. Up until today they have been enjoying their outdoor lot and freedom. It is rather fun to watch a ten month pregnant mare kick up her heels playing. I am always surprised at how athletic they can be when they spend most of their time waddling around from hay bale, to oats feeder, to water. I hope all SDQHA members and their horses are staying warm and looking forward to the SDQHA Annual meeting January 16, 2010 at Chamberlain. The long term weather forcast is great for then!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2009-12-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings SDQHA members and visitors,
May you all have the richest blessings in the year to come. Please make plans to attend the 2010 SDQHA Annual Meeting and Banquet January 16th in Chamberlain, SD. Please reserve your tickets by January 1, 2010. This event should be a wonderful opportunity to meet with all your fellow horse friends in the middle of winter! I know I so look forward to some horse activity in January. It helps me to remember that winter must end sometime. All-Around winners please get you and your horse's picture to me as soon as possible for the website and banquet program. Also anyone who has earned a special award in 2009 such as a world show placing, an AQHA Championship, Superior... please send your horse's picture to info@sdqha.com. Also let me know what they have won.
Sincerely,
Kristen Gonsoir
SDQHA Secretary/Treasurer

Spring, where are't though?

2009-04-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

I think spring finally showed up this past week. Just in time for Easter. It seems like the 08-9 winter was long. Really long. Really, really long. Really snowy. Really cloudy. Really windy. Really long. The horses must have thought so too because the outdoor boys are girls sported some really intense winter coats this year. Every time I thought, "here comes spring!" Wham, more snow. Get your hopes up and the door came slamming shut. Spring? "Ha ha ha! You shall be doomed to another blizzard!" That is why I am not getting too confident that this week of nice weather is the potential start of spring. What a pessimist I am being. That glass is sure half empty. April showers bring May flowers, but all that March and April snow has brought April mud. Muddy ruts, muddy dogs, muddy boots, muddy garages, muddy entry ways, muddy clothes, muddy horses, muddy stirrups, muddy trailer, muddy truck (inside and out) surround me. Some of the normally simplest tasks have become dreaded chores. Filling the mineral feeder. Normally, throw two bags of mineral on the 4-wheeler and ride on out to the feeder and fill it. Pretty simple. Not so the other day. Load the bags on the 4-wheeler. Get the 4-wheeler half way to the feeder driving on what looked like muddy but would work ground only to sink the 4-wheeler in over half way. Now, not only do you have to fill a mineral feeder yet, you also have to try to get the 4-wheeler out. Get off 4-wheeler, pick up bag of mineral and try to walk to feeder without losing your high rubber boots to the quagmire. Don't forget there are two mineral bags. The more you carry the deeper you sink. You have to make two 4-wheeler to mineral feeder trips. Feeder full. You still have both your boots, even though you are breathing like a winded defensive lineman. You can take a breather on the stuck 4-wheeler. It does not seem to be sinking yet as you throw yourself across the seat. It is at this point, rather than set out on my own journey for the tractor, I phone for help. After all it is going to take two people to unstuck the 4-wheeler. Son brings tractor to edge of lot. Son throws chain. Chain lands half way between tractor and 4-wheeler. Son points out you are already covered in mud. You walk and get chain. Carry chain back to 4-wheeler. You dig in mud, and you dig in more mud, and you dig in even more mud to finally uncover a place to hook the chain. You sit on 4-wheeler as it digs its way out of the lot like a spatula in chocolate cake batter. Okay, that is just bad imagery and I don't think I can bring myself to bake a chocolate cake until it dries up a bit outside. You wash mud off of 4-wheeler. Only one hour has passed and you have completed a normally 5 minute task. Don't forget that after it dries up some you will still have that awful rut you just created to level off. So much for a quick chore and then going to ride. Where did I think I was going to ride anyway? Happy Spring!

Congratulations Dr. RM Christensen!

2009-04-17T21:59:00.001-07:00

If you weren't at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds on Friday, April 10th, you missed a wonderful surprise celebration of Dr. RM Christensen's 40 years (give or take a year- since 1968- a personal favorite year of my own) of hosting of the Sioux Falls Quarter Horse Shows. Following the completion of Friday's halter classes, Doc and his wife Linda were lured to the arena, under false pretenses I am told, to receive his award. Doc was presented with a beautiful plaque commemorating his years of dedication. SDQHA would like to thank Doc for all his work and dedication in making the Sioux Falls April shows a success. Following the award presentation everyone enjoyed cake in Doc and Linda's honor. Thank you Dr. RM Christensen!

Poudest Moments

2008-10-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

If you are a parent you probably can relate that your proudest moments involve your children. Things your children do greatly out shadow anything you may have done in your glory days, like throwing the winning touch down, placing at the AJQHA (American Junior Quarter Horse Association- the name AQHYA used to be called, I still have the coat with the old acronym) World Show, going to the National High School Rodeo. None of these things can compare to the pride that wells inside us from the actions of our children. It isn’t that their feats are so much greater than ours, but viewed through the rose colored glasses of parenthood, nothing can compare to what they do. The proud parents’ buttons burst at the first steps, the first words, the first games, the first prom, the first grandchild. Our hearts swell in pride at the smallest things our children do. On the flip side, yes, our children do embarrass us too and when they become teenagers we suddenly embarrass them beyond belief, and our intelligence greatly decreases, but that is another story.

The proudest memories I have of my children did not occur in public events, however. My proudest moments are quiet events that few people know about. These moments are often shared only between a few people, but that doesn’t make them any less memorable, rather they are even more memorable. The proudest moments are not winning rides in the show pen, graceful dance performances, or breathtaking bull rides, even though I must say I have swelled with pride watching my kids do these things. My proudest moments with my children have been watching them interact with others showing the utmost compassion and empathy. Finding out that my college age son took the time to call and visit with a family friend whose father had just died. As he told me, “I didn’t really know what to say, but knew I should call and say something.” Welcome to adulthood. As he learned, it is not what you say, but the fact that you took the time to show you care. Finding out your preteen daughter offered to help someone that looked like they needed help. While it wasn’t building a house for Habitat For Humanity, it was the recognition of a fellow human being in need of a helping hand and doing something about it. It certainly would have been easy to just walk on by, but she took the initiative to see if help was needed. Her heart was certainly in the right place. These are not just isolated examples, but two that really made me proud. Only a handful of people know about these events. Nobody won a belt buckle, a state champion trophy, or a full ride scholarship, but they still top my proudest moments. These are the kind of actions that go unseen most of the time, yet are the source of my greatest pride in my children.

While we should feel proud of our children’s and our own special accomplishments, we should remember that how we interact with each other, whether winning or losing, is what is really important. Twenty years from now very few people will remember who won the class, the state championship, or even the world championship, but people will remember how you treated other people. People will remember the phone call, or the offer of help. That is why I am a proud parent.

The Wind Down

2008-09-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

For South Dakota, all of our "regular season" games have come to an end. The kids are back in school, the days are getting shorter, and the broodmares are getting fatter. The pastures are starting to show their wear and the insects are holding out for their last hurrah until the frost will officially shift us into another season. The end of horse show season finds me thankful for the break and yet a bit restless for more. Ready to pack away the show stuff, yet itching to have just one more ride in the show pen. When you take a break from an activity tired, but thirsting for more, you know you have hit the right blend of still loving what you are doing, but being comfortable sitting out some games. Normally I don't pack away the show season quite so soon, but surgery put a little hitch in my plans for this year. Now I have just been searching October, like an addict, for maybe one more show in a neighboring state because I have been given the go ahead to resume riding the middle of October. For me the horse show "post season" is a great time to reflect on the year by identifying the areas of weakness of my riding, my horse, and my training plan, celebrating the accomplishments of the season, and setting my goals for the next year. Fall is also the time where I like to hit the wet saddle blankets the hardest in trying to work on something new like adding a new class or maybe even starting to learn new riding style such as dressage. In the fall it is easier for me to focus on the training. No worries about keeping horsey coats ready for the weekend (folks I have that especially tough showing the nearly white horse), cleaning the chaps, shaping the hat, packing the trailer. With none of those things to worry about I can concentrate on the training and my riding. I love going out to ride in the fall when the air is just starting to become crisp and the insects have gone away. It is only sad that in South Dakota those conditions for riding sometimes don't last very long until the snow falls and we are forced back into our four walled artifically lit riding spaces. I hope everyone at SDQHA enjoys their wind down to fall. Good luck to all the SDQHA members competing in the "post season" events and I hope to see you all at the January annual meeting and banquet.

New Show Research Committee Report

2008-07-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

June 27, 2008

Dear Members, Exhibitors, and potential new exhibitors and members of SDQHA Shows,

The SDQHA Directors take a strong interest in our South Dakota Quarter Horse Shows. As an organization, we want our shows to appeal to our membership, as well as new potential exhibitors and members.

Many members and exhibitors of SDQHA are not aware that South Dakota Quarter Horse Association has only 2 shows that they “own” or have management rights to. These shows are the Huron Show in June, and the Brookings Show, held this year in May. All other South Dakota shows are managed by outside entities, and control their own shows and the management of those shows.

At our March Board of Directors Meeting, our board discussed our current economy and ways that we could keep our two shows strong during difficult economic times. Much discussion took place on the potential advantages of combining the Huron Show and the Brookings Show.

As a result of the discussions, a committee was formed. The purpose of the committee was to look into the possibility of combining the two existing SDQHA shows for the purpose of;

Reducing transportation costs, stalling costs, and bedding costs associated with traveling to multiple shows by holding 1 larger and more lengthy show.
Adding additional cattle classes for the purpose of expanding our current class offering as well as allowing for additional income from the volume of exhibitors that attend these classes.
Opening up opportunities for other organizations (i.e. reining, roping, cutting, working cow, etc.) to become more involved with SDQHA events.
Reducing the costs of holding 2 shows versus 1.
Creating an event that will, at a minimum, break even on expenses, thus protecting the assets of SDQHA.
Creating a fun event that family’s will enjoy attending year after year.

The New Show Research Committee began meeting April 12, 2008 and finalized their research On May 12th, 2008. The committee compared costs of 3 potential sites. These sites included Huron, Sioux Falls, and Brookings.

A committee tracked the positives and negatives of each potential site. After some investigation, and discussion around the sites, Huron was eliminated from the discussion due to several objectives that the committee felt were more suitably offered through the Brookings and Sioux Falls sites.

As discussion continued, the Sioux Falls site was eliminated due to several factors that the committee felt could be potential problems in the future. These items included;

The cost of the Sioux Falls site continues to go up. Along with the cost of the facility, additional set up costs, clean up costs and adhoc costs which make the facility a larger expense for any show.
In working with the facility, and explaining our committee mission, and the length of our potential show, there were no offers to reduce expenses to make the facility option more cost affective or equal in cost to the Brookings site. These offers could have included reduction of expense for stall set up, additional set up or clean up fees that were being charged by the Sioux Falls site. The lack of these offers made this facility a less desirable option due to costs and manpower that would be needed to cover these duties by utilizing our own people in non-paid/volunteer roles.
The future of the site was also in question. Little is being done to improve the site. It continues to not be well maintained. The committee discussed the issue of starting a large show at this site only to have the site become not available for these types of events, thus causing the need to discontinue or move the event after it had been established. This was considered by the board to be a risk to the longevity of the event.

On May 12th, the committee met at the Brookings Show. The committee discussed in depth what they felt it would take to make the potential new show break even in today’s current economy.

During the discussion, the committee discussed potential risks of starting this type of a show in today’s economy. Some of those factors include;

forecasted costs of fuel
cost of judges
cost of airline travel for judges
cost of facility
future cost of dirt work for the Brookings arena
stalling capacity/limitations in Brookings may not offer enough income potential or space for a growing show.

The committee proposed dates of the new show to be June 15, 2009 through June 21, 2009.

What’s next? Most of the research is complete, however, the opinions of our membership, exhibitors and potential new members/exhibitors is very important in order to make this change. In order to act quickly, we have set up a link at our website to gain your feedback of this proposal. We appreciate your feedback as your opinion weighs heavily on our decision to move forward.

Here’s how you can provide your feedback…….

SDQHA Members & SDQHYA Members-
Please leave comments on this blog thread. Your comments can be left anonymously or with an email address. This is an open blog so comments posted can be read by anyone. You may also email or call anyone on the committee directly. Their email addresses and phone numbers are at the end of this blog. Things to consider in your comments are the questions below. We also welcome any other comments.

Do you believe that this show is a benefit to you?
Do you see a longer show as a cost savings?
How many days of showing would make this beneficial?
Would you attend?
Why or why not?

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Neighboring states and friends we also value your input.

We appreciate all of our friends from neighboring states that attend our South Dakota Shows. When it comes to roping events and reining, we have appreciated the fact that your attendance at Dr. Christensen’s Sioux Falls Show in April has made it a great show for everyone trying to gain points. In South Dakota, we would like to offer additional roping events, cattle events and reining events, and this venue offers that possibility. Please leave comments on this blog thread. Your comments can be left anonymously or with an email address. This is an open blog so comments posted can be read by anyone. You may also email or call a committee member directly. Their emails and phone numbers are listed at the end of this post. Things to consider in your comments are the questions below. We also welcome any other comments.

Would this be an event that you would/could support?
How many days of showing would make this show a benefit?
Are there any major events in your area that would conflict with these dates? (June 15, 2009 through June 21, 2009)
If these dates are a conflict, are there other dates that we should consider?

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Potential new exhibitors and members we also value your input. Please leave your comments on this blog thread. Things to consider in your comments are the questions below.

If you have never attended one of our South Dakota Shows or been a member of SDQHA, would this be an event that would bring you our way?
What things do you look for in the shows that you attend?
What would bring you our way?

On behalf of the New Show Research Committee, we appreciate everyone’s speedy input. Your ideas will pave the way for our future SDQHA shows. Please contact any of us with any questions or comments you may have regarding this proposal.

We look forward to getting the feedback by August 1, 2008, so that we can make plans for our 2009 shows.

Sincerely,

The New Show Research Committee

Jim Hootman (605) 368-5826 email- jhoo721874@aol.com
Mike Clites (605)-690-1279 email -weqh@brookings.net
Rhonda Nussbaum (605) 359-9911 email- rhonda.nussbaum@citi.com
Shawn Jaacks (605) 351-8007 email- sjaacks@cedaramerican.com
Misty Schaunaman (605) 226-5927 email- schauncm@nvc.net
Janet Hansen (605) 223-9949 email- jpslider@msn.com
Dean Johnson (605) 456-1176 email- drywellranch@sdplainswb.com
JD Lauing (605) 962-6372 email- lauing@venturecomm.net

Huron SDQHA Shows

2008-06-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

I so enjoyed being at my first South Dakota AQHA show of the year and seeing my old friends and making new friends. I wish I could have taken in the novice show on Thursday, but I did greatly enjoy attending the 2008 Johnny Cavelle Aberdeen Dance Recital and watching my daughter dance. Welcome to all the new and returning members to the SDQHA. I hope you enjoy your ride with the SDQHA.

The Huron shows were blessed with beautiful weekend weather (I did hear that Thursday was a bit wet). The South Dakota State Fair grounds was bursting with activity all weekend. In addition to the SDQHA shows, the fair grounds hosted a dressage show, stock car racing, Wheel Jam, and many music shows. Nobody should have ever found themselves board over the weekend. The novice youth division was the largest division, seeing many classes with double digit entries. It is nice to see such an active SDQHYA group. If anyone has any pictures from shows throughout the season feel free to email them to me (info@sdqha.com) and I will try to post what I can on the website.

Please watch http://www.sdqha.com/ and this blog for more information and discussion to come regarding the future of SDQHA sponsored shows. The SDQHA would like to know what you would like to see in future for 2009 SDQHA sponsored shows.

Hard Decisions II

2008-06-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

FYI- Trigger is doing great, and even accompanied me to the SDQHA Huron shows. Sparky is doing great! She has resumed her habit of pawing (with the injured leg) while eating her grain. Both will fully recover with just a slight limp. I now know my hard decisions were the right ones, even though I will be making some monthly payments for them:)

Hard Decisions

2008-05-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

This has been a week filled with those "hard decisions". Trying to decide what efforts do you take to save your four legged friends. My week started with my rat terrier taking a trip to the vet clinic. "Trigger" was helping me clean barn as he always does, trotting beside me each wheel barrow load when he got distracted with all the incredible smells the manure pile has to offer. He just could not resist taking a roll in this incredible stash when a playing horse ran by and kicked up his heels. From my angle it looked like the horse missed the dog, but as the horse exited stage right the dog was reeling with the sting of the contact of a hoof. He didn't let out any cry but quickly ran back to the previously cleaned and rebedded stall to check his wounds in a three legged hop. I finished cleaning the stall waiting for Trigger to rejoin me at any time once the sting of his encounter was gone, but I finished the stall and Trigger still had not appeared so I went looking for him. I found him sitting in the fresh bedding with a leg starting to swell. When he saw me he did the three legged hop as he came to the stall door.

I called the vet clinic and gave them the heads up of our soon arrival. One x-ray later, it was obvious to even my untrained eyes that Trigger had a broken femur that was so far out of place there was no chance of it healing together without some sort of intervention. My options were given along with their expected price tags. Trigger is not a registered award winning rat terrier, as a matter of fact he was a free dog that my son got, but Trigger picked me to be his owner, not my son. Trigger also really does not like my husband. I know Tim is on his way to the barn because Trigger lets out a low growl any time Tim comes close. Tim has never given Trigger any reason to dislike him, he has even tried to befriend him with food and treats, but Trigger still lets out a primative low rumble every time Tim approaches. Every other dog on our farm (we have four more, the dogs do out number the humans) love Tim, but not Trigger. I could not make the decision about fixing Trigger without consulting Tim and it was after hours so the clinic would not do anything with Trigger until morning anyway so I could sleep on my decision.

Of course Tim told me to do whatever I thought best with Trigger. I had to make the decision. The clinic gave me a more detailed plan of how he could be fixed, along with a more detailed cost analysis. We decided, I mean I decided, to get Trigger's leg fixed. Guess what part of my economic stimulus check is going for? Trigger is still hopping around on three legs, but the broken leg has been pinned. The swelling is nearly gone and it does not seem to hurt him anymore. His staples will come out in a few days and he should gradually start to use the leg more and more. He is still growling at Tim and he now gets kenneled when I clean stalls. As he laid on the couch with me tonight (he did get a pre-surgery bath because of his pre-accident activities) with his head on my lap as he slept I know I made the right decision.

Trigger wasn't my only hard decision of the week though, Sparky, my old barrel and pole horse took a trip to the vet this week too. There went the rest of my economic stimulus check. Tonight I am not sure yet if I made the right decision for her.

I woke up Tuesday morning to my husband calling in from the garage that I had better get outside. Sparky had gotten out and was in the slough. Her three month old foal was still in the pen they were in the night before, but Sparky was out. I grabbed a halter from the barn and headed out to retrieve the wayward mare, but after I haltered her and walked around her my heart sank. Her right leg was badly cut between her forearm and shoulder. Her forearm looked like a huge roast hanging out. She wasn't bleeding badly and started to hop with me back towards the barn. As we walked by the pen she and her foal were in her foal paced what used to be the east fence line. The entire east side of the fence was laid down. Six fence posts, the woven wire, and the top board all flat. Nothing really disturbed about them, just flattened down. I am still not sure what she found to hurt herself so badly on and she just won't tell me.

Tim hooked up the trailer for me and we talked about what to do with her body after we would have her euthanized and off I went with Sparky and my daughter Joellen to the vet clinic again. Once again I found myself hearing of the options I had for fixing my four legged friend. Sparky was the horse I bought with part of my first paycheck after graduating from college. I am sure my parents didn't think that was the wisest spending of my first paycheck, but Sparky proved to be a super purchase. My husband and I both used her with our cattle. Our son Stan later rode her to her AQHA ROM in barrels and poles, and Sparky was the first horse our daughter Joellen rode. The last few years she had spent as our favorite broodmare producing some nice colts and fillies.

Sparky's radial nerve was completely severed and her leg was cut around the forearm to the bone. With the severed nerve she does not have control of bringing her leg ahead of the other front leg and the ability to flip her hoof down to step, however she was walking and putting her hoof down when she stepped by using her body weight. The vet said he has seen many broodmares get around and do okay with such limitations. I decided to try to save Sparky. Her pain level did not seem too great. Ten suture packets, a drainage tube, a BIG bottle of penicillin, banamine, and two hours of stitching Sparky was ready to go home. My Sparky schedule includes twice a day removing support bandages from both front legs that extend from the coronet band to the forearm, slow hand walking outside, 20 minutes of cold water treatment, rewrapping both front legs, and the administration of penicillin. I have become a top notch leg wrapper.

Yesterday as I treated Sparky's injuries I really wondered if I had made the right decision. She hadn't eaten all her hay and seemed listless. This morning I feel better about my decision. Sparky had cleaned up all her hay and greated me with her normal big whinny demanding her grain. She called to her prematurely weaned foal as we went out to hose her legs. And when I left her standing outside as I shut off the water hydrant she started following me back to the barn wanting to get back to her feed. My old Sparky seemed back. Tonight, however, swelling that had seemed to have left her shoulder, had started to go down her cannon bone. I guess time will only tell. We have started the journey for her recovery. I know a "tough decision" may still have to be made, but we will take it a day at a time.

There are so many considerations one has to go through making these tough decisions for our animals. The financial costs, the quality of life for the animal, the later usefulness of the animal all are important. Trigger will probably go on to have a pretty normal rat terrier life when he is all healed and I will have a smaller checking balance. Sparky, I don't know yet. If infection stays at bay, if she continues to use the injured leg, then she may be able to continue to be a broodmare. It will be a while before I know if I made the right decision for her.

Brookings 2008

2008-05-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Brookings Spring Shootout is in the books now. Congratulations to all the successful showpersons at these SDQHA sponsored shows. While I was not able to attend because I was sharing in my close friends' wedding (Congratulations Lynn and Kenny!) I did hear that it was a success and a lot of fun. If anyone has any comments or stories to share about this event please let me know. I would also love to post current show season pictures on the web if you would like to send them to me (info@sdqha.com). I hope to see all of you at the next SDQHA event, the shows in Huron. Until then may you have many good rides.

Memories

2008-02-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

I would like to offer my condolences to all who have lost loved ones this past year. It is hard to lose a loved one, but their spirit and memories live on in our hearts and souls. This time of year always saddens me as I mark the anniversary of my dad’s death. My dad was my partner in the horse world. While he wasn’t a rider, a showman, or a trainer, he shared my love of our horses. He allowed his horse crazy daughter to convert part of his very nice machine shop into a horse stall. A few years later it was two stalls. The next year four stalls. At this point he built a divider wall about two-thirds across the shop. Two-thirds was for horses and the front one-third remained as a shop. He was a top rate groom who insisted our horses be brushed until they shined. His grooming standards far exceeded my teenage ambition. I heard on many occasions, “you go wash that horse again, and this time use some elbow grease.” Spring would find him in the barn diligently working on getting the winter hair coats ready as I would still be participating in school events and not getting to the barn as often as I should. He was the best truck and trailer operator. He could park a horse trailer anywhere. He could deal with a pick up full of teen-age girls, a trailer full of horses, and a blown pick up tire with the greatest of ease. He was my greatest show ring critic, always offering ways to improve and progress in my performance. He could be counted on to bring the greatest treats to my horse and me as we waited at the arena gait. And the nights that found me at the school until far too late, he could be found at home mucking stalls. He loved our horses, but foremost he loved his little girl. He also loved his grand kids. As I grew up and started my own family still with horses, my dad could still be found at the horse shows, but now in a little different role- Grandpa.

My fondest memory of him with our horses is of his six foot two frame standing with his arm around a horse’s neck with their head in his big hands against his chest. All our horses loved to strike this pose since it meant a scratch on the poll or the cheek. I could never get the same response that he could from the horse. Maybe it is that I simply am not tall enough to wrap my arms around.

When my dad died my horses’ manes captured many of my tears. Everyday activities in the barn flood my mind with memories of Dad. Every time I struggle to park the horse trailer at the Central States Fairgrounds I think of my dad’s driving skills and remember to use my rearview mirrors. As the mares have foals I remember him calling me in the house saying "you better get out here quick if you want to see this." As my allergies make my eyes turn red and me sneeze I remember all the hours he spent brushing my horses for me. I remember the pride that showed in his face as he watched his grandkids circle the arena in leadline.

It is these memories of our times with horses, our family, and our friends that are forever in our hearts that cannot be erased with death. While the love of horses brings us together, it is the love of each other that bonds us together.

Poop Scoopin' Boogie

2008-01-25T14:01:00.001-08:00

“Here we go, dosey-do, come on baby push that wheel barrow. Cadillac, Black-Jack, baby meet me out back we’re goin’ muckin’. Doin’ the poop scoopin’ boogie.” I have read that the average horse excretes about fifty pounds of waste each and every day. I really think that my horses have found a way to defy the scientific law of conservation of mass. They somehow create matter that I am obligated to scoop up and remove in a timely fashion. Output seems to exceed input, or have I just forgotten all the input? Let’s see, five pounds of oats and corn, twelve pounds of hay, ten gallons of water that is about seven pounds per gallon, half the straw bale I bedded the stall with the night before that it felt compelled to eat during the night, and half a wooden plank (not sure if all of the plank was consumed or if some was destroyed in a tiff with our neighbor during the night) makes up most of the input. Output consists of two wheelbarrows full of muck, one wheelbarrow full of wooden splinters, and half a water bucket of a stinky mixture of water, oats, hay, and a road apple or two.
Input equals output? Either way, it is my and my family’s sweat that has hauled it in, oats, straw, wooden planks, water buckets, water; and it is my sweat along with my two indentured servants (that’s the catchy name my kids like to call themselves in the barn) that have hauled it out. Oh, I can’t forget my husband’s contribution to this endeavor. He drives the tractor baling hay. He uses the loader tractor to scoop up the manure I have hauled out of the barn by hand and dumps it into the manure spreader. And he then has to drive the tractor and spreader across the field. His manual labor consists of running the hydraulic levers and engaging the PTO lever. I worry he may get carpal tunnel.
The poop scoopin boogie requires the right tools- wheel barrow, five tine fork, and rake; the right attitude- just think of the fine workout I am getting without paying the health club price; and the right company- quality time with my friends and family where we talk while scoopin’ muck and pushin’ wheel barrows. Want to get to know your what your teen is thinking? Clean eight stalls regularly with them. They initially protest and decide not to speak to you, but by stall two the silence is broken and you soon learn about their day at school, how things are going with their friends, and what their plans are. It is even okay for a hug because you both smell like horse manure so neither notice.
Sometimes the poop scoopin’ boogie is done as a solo act, usually in the middle of rodeo season or right before the big dance recital. But poop scoopin’ solo is okay too. After a long day at work that is more mind tiring than body tiring, poop scoopin can be therapeutic. You fall into a rhythm of scoopin’, raking, and pushing and soon your mind wanders since not a lot of thinking goes into stall mucking. You have time to reflect and think. You can contemplate what you have done or need to do. If you need to release some anger or frustration you can throw the scoop a little harder on the wheelbarrow. You can practice that tough talk you need to have with your boss out loud. Horses make great listeners. Or you can turn up the radio and sing out loud while you work. The horses won’t mind, but if the dog starts to whine you may need to tone it down a bit.
I guess I should thank my horses for the 50 pounds a day. It allows me to bond with my kids, get a work out, and contemplate life. And my dear husband, thank you too. I know there is far more that you do then just run the tractor. Thank you to my kids, sister-in-law, and brother for all your help doin’ the poop scoopin’ boogie.

Horse Owners Must Be Crazy

2008-01-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me a quote she found on the Internet-
"Surgeon General’s Warning: Horses have been found to be expensive and addictive and have further been shown to impair the use of common sense in humans."
I found the timing of this email to be rather ironic as I opened it while yawning after night three of broodmare checks. It is only my precious American Quarter Horses that I will wake up for and check in the middle of a night of blissful slumber. Okay, that is not entirely true. I have also been known to wake up when my kids or husband are sick during the night or when our cat proceeds to knock something down as he does whatever it is cats do at night besides sleep. The past three nights have found me waking up at 2:00 AM to put on my stinky barn coveralls, wool socks, stocking cap, and gloves, all over my very attractive Pj's of a t-shirt and long johns, grabbing a flashlight as to not disturb the horses by turning on the barn lights, walking to the barn in the negative temperatures of a South Dakota winter, quietly opening the barn door (only to step on a sleeping barn cat that shrieks in terror defeating my sneaking), carefully shining the flashlight on the mares to find them still in blissful slumber able to ignore the shriek from the cat as it climbed my leg like a tree (thank God I had on coveralls), and finally then going in each mare's stall to feel their udder to check for waxing. A form of a horsey grope that only a horse lover and breeder can appreciate because we have carefully monitored our mares through the years and have recorded the length of time we have noticed between when the wax first appears and the mare foals. My kid's baby book may still be unassembled in a box, but meticulous records can be found on a spreadsheet noting the foaling histories of each mare. Horses and addictive behavior? Nah! It is amazing how the uneventful checks that take only about 15 minutes can leave me yawning, but the nights I lose hours of sleep watching a foal be born, watching it try to stand, and then watching it successfully nurse I can rise and face the day with vigor and excitement. I wish to add a line to the fictitious Surgeon General warning, "Horses have also been know to make one feel incredible and alive!" Happy foaling to everyone making those checks to the broodmare barn in the months to come. Watch out for those barn cats!

SDQHA Secretary Greeting

2008-01-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the SDQHA! I am going to try something new for the SDQHA website- a blog- to help relay important information and updates of the SDQHA. I invite SDQHA members and fellow American Quarter Horse enthusiasts to join in this blog. If anyone has a specific thread they would like to see started on this blog send me an email- info@sdqha.com. Please join in with comments as you would like.

The South Dakota Quarter Horse Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and providing beneficial services and opportunities for all horse enthusiasts. Our goal is to develop our membership through educational programs, recognition programs, recreational opportunities, the monitoring of equine public policy, the fostering of industry relations, and the marketing , promotion, and publicity of the American Quarter Horse.

If you are not a member and would like to join visit www.sdqha.com