2024 OQHA Spring Newsletter

Ohio Amateur Quarter Horse Association

OAQHA hosted their annual meeting ahead of the OQHA Banquet. The newly elected officers (President: Heather Duer, Vice President: Lee Heighton, Second Vice President: Kelly Rauschenbach, Treasurer: Kaitlin Riker, Secretary: Sara Oler, Reporter: Hanna Hedderick) led the meeting. We enjoyed getting to see and hear from additional Ohio Amateurs.

The 2023 (“not so”) Little Buckeye, for the second year in a row, has been recognized as an AQHA Top Ten horse show!

The OAQHA Board has been working hard on preparations for the 2024 Little Buckeye. Stalls opened up on April 1st, and camping opened up on April 15th. Stall and camping checks will be cashed on June 1st, any changes need to be made prior to June 1st.

Exciting updates to Garwood Arena are expected ahead of our show to provide an even better exhibitor experience. These include a solution to the temporary stalls OAQHA rented in 2023, and some additional camping spots.

The entire OAQHA Team looks forward to

Ohio Quarter Horse Youth Association

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Another highlight was the announcement of Sidney Hawk as the 2024 Queen, who will represent OQHA at various events throughout the year, including affiliate shows, the AQHYA World Show, and the 2024 Congress Queen Contest.

A heartfelt thank you to all who contributed to making the evening a resounding success. Make plans to celebrate your 2024 achievements at next year’s banquet, scheduled for February 8, 2025.

OQHYA President Bella D’Onofrio, and OQHYA Vice President Colton Smith shared inspiring remarks. President George Seanor presented the annual President’s Award to Connie Vansickle, Pat Seanor, and Tom Orosz in recognition of their outstanding contributions.

A special tribute was paid to Dr. Scott Myers for his dedicated 24-year tenure serving OQHA as a director, president, and CEO.

The event also featured

charitable auction that raised over $15,000 for the Ohio Quarter Horse Foundation, thanks to the generous donation of 2 electric bikes by Tom Coughlin of Coughlin Auto. Special thank you to Shawn and Lisa Runyon, as well as Travis and Nicole Herron, for their generous support.

Northern Ohio Quarter Horse Association

Your NOQHA Officers and Directors are hard at work planning the 2024 shows. The Spring Extravaganza, Level 1 Show, and 6 Pack Circuit will all be held at University of Findlay. The Fall Extravaganza has added a day and will be held at Garwood Arena. Check the website for showbills and judges.

Congratulations to Madison Sigrist, 2024 NOQHA Queen. Madison is a sophomore at the University of Findlay with a double major in Animal Science and Equine Business Management. When not showing, she helps run the family beef and grain farm. Good Luck at Congress!

NOQHA Scholarship applications are due to Brittany Few by June 1, 2024. Forms and complete rules are available at www. noqha.com under scholarship or in the rulebook.

NOQHA is offering online memberships for 2024. Go to www. noqha.com/shop and follow the link to complete the application form and pay there with a credit card or you can also fill in the blanks online, print and mail completed application with check payment to Membership Chairman, Candi Fites. Memberships can also be paid at NOQHA sponsored shows.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for current news.

Mid-Ohio Dressage Association kicked off the year with a Winter Warm-Up Challenge for all current members. Those who participated were given a log to record any time spent with their horse. This could include riding, grooming, or attending clinics and shows. Ribbons were awarded to those participants who reached 25 logged entries before the challenge closed on March 31.

In an effort to address the growing interest in Western Dressage in Ohio, MODA began a Facebook campaign to provide helpful information and compare it to its Classical Dressage counterpart. Each week on Wednesday, an informative fact regarding Western Dressage is shared on the Mid-Ohio Facebook page. Additionally, MODA will be sponsoring three Western Dressage shows that are Western Dressage Association of America (WDAA) and AQHA recognized. #MODAWesternWednesday

A free, educational lecture entitled “Physical Therapy for the Equine Athlete” was sponsored by Mid-Ohio Dressage Association on March 16, featuring guest speaker Maureen Kelleher, DVM, DACVS, DACVSMR, CVA.

OQHA Queen - Sidney Hawk

Hello, my name is Sidney Hawk! I am 20 years old and I attend the University of Findlay. I am a double major in Equine Western Training and Equine Business Management, with a minor in Marketing. I’m from Massillon, Ohio and have been riding horses since I was around five years old. I started out doing 4-H when I was nine, and from then on I progressively got more into the Quarter Horse and NRHA world. I have been showing with OQHA since I was 13, doing extreme mountain trail. I have been showing more recently in reining.

I broke out my horse TJ Smokin Silverado when I was 14, and TJ has taken me to multiple championships throughout the years in surrounding affiliate shows and at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. During my youth years, I was part of YEDA from the time it started until I graduated, leaving my senior year as National Champion and Reserve Champion in the Diamond Reining division. Now that I am a sophomore at the University of Findlay, I show on their IHSA team as an open rider and was the 2023/2024 Region High Point overall winner, taking me to nationals this spring.

I am so incredibly thankful for this opportunity to be the 2024 Ohio Quarter Horse Association Queen. I hope to be an encouraging and positive role model to all youth in every organization. I want to help promote the organization in every way I can, even if that means going outside of my comfort zone and going to new places. I am thrilled to meet so many new people along the way, and to put myself out there to benefit the organization. Last, but not least, I want to say thank you to everyone that has helped me get to where I am today. I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my family and friends! I want to wish everyone good luck as they head into their 2024 show season!

Bullen Equestrian Center has had a pretty busy first quarter, starting the year with a cutting by McKinsey Cutting Horses and several Cowboy Mounted Shooting events. We then ended February with our first indoor rodeo, which was a huge success, with over 2,600 spectators in attendance! There were a total of 42 barrel racers; with 14 running in the perf Friday and 12 on Saturday. The rest ran in the slack Saturday afternoon.

We then ended March with another 3-day cutting by Shaw Farm Productions.

There will be a multitude of cutting, sorting, mounted shooting, and pleasure shows held at Bullen Equestrian Center throughout the remainder of 2024. For a full schedule, check out @Bullen Equestrian Center on Facebook!

would like to thank all those that attended our shows in 2023.

The June Summer SunSation show is June 7-9, and will be held at Garwood Arena in Columbiana, Ohio. This show is gearing up to be a good size show, and we are also offering $100 class sponsorships for this show. A sponsorship form can be utilized, or it is offered on the reservation form as well. You will have your name announced as a class sponsor as the class enters the arena, along with recognition on the Class Sponsors banner.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their continued support!

Sincerely,

The OMIQHA Officers and Directors

Mid-Ohio Dressage Association

Ohio Michigan Indiana Quarter Horse Association

OMIQHA

Southern Ohio Quarter Horse Association

Photos from the SOQHA The Challenge Show, held February 23-25 at the Champions Center in Springfield, Ohio.