Rundown: April 2014 by Reining Alberta Tech

1 AprilPage 2014

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Contents Message from the Board..............4 Wild Rose Reining Classic..............4 FEI Press Release ..............5 Kaylynn Malmberg Scholarship Fund..............6 Upcoming Events..............8 Recognition & Results..............9 Ask the Judge..............10 New Summer Classic Derby..............12 Black Gold Reining Show..............12 Trainers Corner..............14 North Branch..............16 Peace Branch..............19 South Branch..............20

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Message from the Board

how season is finally upon us! Our first show and clinic kick off this month. The Austin Seelhof youth clinic at Top Notch Performance Horses on April 12&13; and the first South Branch show on April 12th at Silver Slate arena. Time to learn a few more finishing touches and put some of the skills we’ve worked on all winter to the test!

Association to work in concert with our bids. So hopefully this will finally be the year we are able to bring the Affiliate Finals here to Alberta.

We will again be awarding a Kaylynn Malmberg Scholarship presented in memoriam of a very special young lady. For more information please check out page 6. The Award will be presented at the Spring The Board of Directors would also like to announce Classic, and nominations are due May 1st. the introduction of a new Derby that will be offered at the Summer Classic! We hope to see many of you Planning is now well underway for the Classic shows. there. More information can be found on page 14. The Judges have been confirmed for the Spring and Summer; and the schedule and forms have been sent Our Affiliate committee has also been working hard at to the NRHA. We have changed a few things around in preparing a bid to host the Western Canadian Affiliate the schedule to make it a little more exhibitor friendly Finals for the 2015 & 2016 shows. We have come to and to encourage riders of all levels to come and take an agreement with the Central Canada Reining Horse part. There are lots of exciting changes for 2014!

Wild Rose Reining Classic

e’d like to thank all the stallion owners, mare owners, sponsors, trainers, competitors and fans that have supported the Wild Rose Reining Classic over the past few years. Thanks to you, we grew from an idea around a kitchen table to one of the richest NRHA-approved Futurity shows in Canada.

Unfortunately, due to personal commitments made by our show organizers, the increased number of shows in western Canada (this is a good thing!), and increased competition from other stallion auctions, we’re unable to continue hosting the show. This was a difficult decision made within the last few weeks. We did explore a number of options that would allow the show to continue; however, we feel this is ultimately the best decision. Regarding the 2014 stallion auction: we’ve asked stallion owners to honour the breeding fees that were purchased. We’ve also offered to return the full amount of the winning bids to stallion owners, or make a donation on their behalf to the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We had a lot of fun with the show and deeply appreciate all the support we’ve received from the reining community and look forward to seeing everyone down the road! Jessica Comstock – jessicomstock@gmail.com Claudette Poncelet – claudette@wildrosereiningclassic.com Page 4

FEI Press Release International Reining

The FEI, NRHA, and AQHA issued the following press release regarding international Reining events. It was later confirmed by NRHA President Beth Himes that this will not affect NRHA events that have not applied to host an International class.

he FEI has signed a cooperation agreement with the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), formalizing the FEI’s relationship with the NRHA and AQHA that has been in place since Reining became an FEI discipline in 2002. The agreement covers areas of common interest including horse welfare, FEI Rules and Regulations, FEI Clean Sport, stewarding, education and FEI recognition.

“FEI Reining will again be under the global spotlight this summer at the world’s biggest equestrian event, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014, in the heart of Normandy. Just one month before, the FEI European Reining Championships for Young Riders and Juniors will take place in Switzerland at the beginning of July. Our busy Reining event calendar is a true reflection of just how popular Reining has become amongst athletes of all ages, and we’re looking forward to continuing our work with the NRHA and AQHA to foster further growth of Reining worldwide”.

Under the agreement, the FEI will have sole jurisdiction over Reining competitions for horses aged seven The NRHA, based in Oklahoma City (USA), was formed years and over, and the NRHA and AQHA will manage in 1966 and brings together over 19,000 members, all competitions for horses of six years and under. including 1,400 youngsters. An exception has been made for the Alltech FEI World The AQHA, located in Amarillo, Texas (USA), was Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy, where six- created in 1940 and is the world’s largest equine year-old horses will be eligible to compete. breed registry and membership organization. It first recognized Reining as a sport in 1949. “The FEI, NRHA and AQHA, while separate and distinct organizations, have recognized as the major “The NRHA is very excited to be moving forward stakeholders in the Reining world that together they with its relationship with the FEI, and to growing the can foster the growth of our sport globally, and this sport of Reining worldwide”, said Beth Himes, NRHA agreement is a major milestone in the expansion of President. Reining”, said Bob Thompson, FEI Reining Committee Chairman, who played a crucial role in formalizing Don Treadway, Executive Vice President of the AQHA this agreement. added: “Since Reining became an FEI discipline in 2002, we have seen the sport introduced to several “Since Reining became an FEI discipline in 2002, new countries, and we look forward to working closely we have worked closely with the NRHA and AQHA together with the FEI to advance the worldwide to grow the sport worldwide, and the expansion growth of Reining well into the future.” has been huge, with 115 Reining events last year compared to just five in 2002”, said Bettina de Rham, Issued: March 20, 2014 FEI Director Reining, Driving & Vaulting. h t t p : / / w w w. f e i . o r g / n e w s / f e i - c o o p e r a t i o n agreement-nrha-and-aqha-foster-growth-reining

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Kaylynn Malmberg Scholarshi

n memory of a very special young lady, Reining Alberta has established the Kaylynn Malmberg Scholarship Fund to a member of the reining community that exemplifies Kaylynnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extraordinary courage, determination, her love inspiration.

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ip Fund

d to be presented annually e of horses, will power and

Kaylynn displayed tremendous courage and inner strength fighting a life threatening disease to accomplish her goal of representing Alberta at the North American Young Riders in Lexington, Kentucky. Kaylynn never gave up and fought hard right to the very end. Kaylynn was always willing to help others, especially younger riders regardless of her personal battle. She was a tremendous inspiration to her teammates in Lexington and to all those who knew her. Nominations will be accepted by RA until May 1, 2014. Nominations should include a description of the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attributes that closely resemble Kaylynnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character. Please forward nominations to Kathie MacKenzie @ ra_staffsecretary@yahoo.ca or via mail @ Reining Alberta PO Box 10279 Airdrie AB T4A 0H6 . The award will be presented at the 2014 Spring Classic.

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Upcoming Events April 12&13 – Youth Clinic April 12 – SB Show May 3&4 – NB Clinic & Show May 3&4 – Regional Clinic w/ Ruben Vandorp May 9-11 – PB Clinic & Show May 31 & June 1 – NB Clinic & Show June 5-8 – Spring Classic June 14-16 – PB Clinic & Show June 14 – SB Show July 3-6 – Summer Classic July 19 – SB Show July 19&20 – PB Clinic & Show August 15-17 – NB Clinic & Show August 16 – SB Show August 23&24 – NB Show September 4-7 – Fall Classic September 13&14 – NB Clinic & Show

Lyle Jackson Quarter Horses Training Coaching Judging

403.542.6913 www.lylejackson.com Page 8

September 13 – PB Show September 13 - SB Show

Recognition & Results

Reining Alberta would like to congratulate all our members who made the trek to Arizona to compete at the Cactus Classic!!! Wendy Nelson piloted her own horse That Chics Flashy to a 3rd place finish in the Intermediate Open. Team Nelson represented Alberta well, with Youth rider Alexandra Hibberd picking up a 2nd place in the AQHA Youth Ranch Horse Pleasure Class, and a 5th in the Rookie Youth. Janice Hepburn and her flashy mare – My Skirt In The Dirt – had a fantastic show picking up a respectable 8th place finish in the AQHA Amateur Ranch Horse Pleasure class, a hard earned 9th place in the Rookie Level 2, and topped it off with a 3rd in the Prime Time Rookie. Jessica Comstock did exceptionally well with her mount Jacs Electric Star, making the long haul well worth it to earn a 17th place in the Level 4 Non Pro Derby, 12th in the Level 3, 7th in the Level 2, and 4th in the Level 1. Congratulations to all the riders who placed so well, and all the others that achieved personal bests! Quarter Horse News magazine announced their rankings of the Top 100 Breeders of 3 year old Reining Horses, Reining Alberta would like to take a moment to recognize Southline Quarter Horses for making the Top 100 list. A great recognition of their passion for reining and dedication to bettering the sport. Quarter Horse News Volume 36, Number 3, February 1, 2014

QHN also recognized the Top 100 Up and Coming Reining Owners for 2008-2013, and Reining Alberta would like to congratulate Ken & Margaret Johnson on making the Top 50!!! Quite an accomplishment! Quarter Horse News Volume 36, Number 4, February 12, 2014

Congratulations to Open Rider Shawna Sapergia on making the NRHA’s 2013 Top 100 Open Riders!!! We would also like to congratulate Reining Alberta Open Rider Jim Anderson on his win at the 2014 Road To The Horse Competition! Jim earned his spot in the Finals by winning the Wild Card challenge on his 6666 Ranch Horse, Maverick. Congratulations Jim, we look forward to seeing you and Smokey in action! The Board would like to take a moment to thank all of our members, competitors, and sponsors for making 2013 such a successful year! Thanks to you Reining Alberta’s Spring Classic was ranked a top 50 NRHA show! Reining Alberta members also made up 335 of Canada’s 1,214 NRHA members. Making Alberta the largest Affiliate in Canada. Looking at other International NRHA Affiliates Alberta would have ranked 4th in the world in terms of membership numbers – behind the USA, Germany, Italy, and Austria. No small feat!

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Ask the Judge With Lyle Jackson

Judging the Stop The stop is judged in two or three parts, all are given equal weight. Depending on the pattern, the maneuver is broken down as: • The approach, the stop, and the back. • The approach, the stop and the rollback. • The approach and the stop. For example the second stop in pattern 5 begins with the first stride following the preceding Roll Back. The approach includes loping down the side of the arena, a half circle on the end of the arena and the straight run down to the stop. The second part of the maneuver is the Stop itself and the third part is the Roll Back. The maneuver ends with the first lope stride following the Roll Back. Trot penalties in exiting the roll back are part of the stop maneuver. These are half (1/2) point for a trot of 2 strides or less and two (2) points for a trot of more than two strides. If the horse exits the roll back with at least one lope stride and then trots, it is a break of gait two point penalty but its part of the next maneuver. If you have a “correct” approach (Maneuver Score Zero), a “correct” stop (Maneuver Score Zero), and a “very poor” roll back (Maneuver Score Minus One); then your score for the maneuver will be the average of those three numbers = - ½. • In the “Approach” to the stop we look for a gradual and consistent increase in speed. A horse obviously willing and under control. • In the “Stop” we look for a horse that commits and stays in the ground, meaning does not lift a hind leg. Is relaxed and loose in the front legs, does not brace but bends at the knees. Is willing with no sign of resistance, such as an open mouth. • In the “Back” we want straight, fluid and with no sign of resistance. • In the “Roll Back” we want no resistance, no hesitation, fluid and for the horse to turn 180 degrees, pivoting on his hocks, coming out on his own tracks. On a “run in” pattern there is no penalty for starting at a trot. You must only be loping by the first marker or you are accessed a 2 Point Penalty. So you can trot a step or two and use this to carefully line up and collect your horse for a good approach. On “run in” patterns like Pattern 10, that require a stop followed by spins in the arena centre it is important to be careful about the accuracy and location of that stop. This is because you must finish the “Back” in the exact center of the arena, if you do not, your spins will be in the wrong location and your circles will also start in the wrong location. In patterns that require a run around the end of the arena, like pattern 5, “pattern placement” is a concern. To be correct the pattern should have a half circle at the end of the arena and a straight line to the stop Page 10

down the side of the arena staying a minimum of 20 feet from the wall. A Â˝ point penalty is accessed if the horse gets within 20 feet of the wall as it approaches the stop. This penalty is not accessed on the side of the arena following the preceding roll back, however using the wall to guide the horse lowers the degree of difficulty and the score is reduced. Degree of difficulty is also reduced by squaring the corners and approaching the stop down the center of the arena. This poor pattern placement also reduces the score. Cutting the arena off, not using the whole arena for the run-around and also is poor pattern placement. In all parts of the maneuver speed increases the degree of difficulty and increases maneuver score only if correctness is not sacrificed. Lyle is a carded judge for the NRHA, FEI, AQHA, APHA, NRCHA, and NSBA. In addition to his judging expertise he also has over 30 years of experience training horses for reining and most western events; with multiple championships to his name.

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New Summer Classic Derby

eining Alberta is pleased to announce we will be introducing a new derby class at the Summer Classic.!!

Sapergia Performance Horses “Live, Laugh, Love To Ride”

Training Lessons Sales

Sage – (587) 785-6465 Terry Lee – (780) 293-7999 sapergiaperformancehorses@gmail.com

www.sapergiaperformancehorses.com

This will be an NRHA class for 4, 5 & 6 year old horses. We will be offering a Level 1 and Level 4 Non Pro Derby with $1,200 added for the Level 1, and $2,400 for the Level 4. As well as a Level 2 and Level 4 Open Derby with $1,200 added for the Level 2, and $2,400 added for the Level 4. The NRHA and RA Sire Incentive Derby`s will continue to run at the Spring Classic as they have in the past, there will be no impact to those classes due to the addition of the Summer Derby.

Black Gold Reining Show

t is with deep regret that we are going to need to close the Black Gold Reining show. The combination of a 50% increase in costs along with the lack of a commitment to provide adequate reining ground by the facility has resulted in this decision. We took a great deal of pride in this show and are sorry to see it laid to rest. Dallas Schwert

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Youth Clinic with Austin Seelhof

April 12 & 13

at Top Notch Performance Horses

Austin Seelhof and Top Notch Performance Horses are sponsoring a youth clinic on April 12&13. The clinic is full, but spectators are welcome. Austin has a wealth of knowledge in the show pen, and has coached numerous non pro and youth riders to success.

Please contact Theresa for more information tnphorses@gmail.com Sponsored by:

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Trainers Corner With Sage Sapergia

fter spending all winter reflecting on last year’s show season many riders find themselves searching for that “next step” horse. There are many factors to consider when buying a new horse. As a trainer I get asked all the time “What do I look for?” “How do I know?”

First think about your riding level and which skills you need to improve on, be honest! Look for a horse that will help you improve in those specific areas. For example, if you have a hard time sitting or holding a brace while doing a sliding stop you want to look at horses that are easy stoppers, that are “light” and “glide” when going into the ground, not a horse that hits the ground “hard” and “deep” which can bounce you out of the saddle. If you are a more timid rider you need to look for a quiet, honest horse that will help you build up your confidence. A sensitive horse with a “big motor” is more for a confident and experienced rider. You want to make sure you have the help of a reputable trainer when looking for a horse. A trainer may know things about your riding that you might not. When trying out horses, a trainer can feel things about a horse that you might not. Sit down with your trainer and write out a list of what you want in a horse: height, gender, age, previous show experience, temperament, etc. However, once you start looking don’t limit yourself only to horses that fit your criteria. This is an opportunity to try out other horses and feel the differences but you must also make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself with to many choices. When setting your budget it is important that you feel comfortable with the amount of money that you are going to spend. I often find that some people aren’t realistic about what quality of horse they can get for the price they set. Once you have an idea what kind of horse your looking for talk to your trainer, use the internet, talk to local breeders… use every means available to you to educate yourself on prices horses are selling for. Also consider whether or not you will want to re-sell this horse in the future, if so then you must educate yourself on bloodlines and which ones people are looking for but be sure not to limit yourself as bloodlines are a subjective preference. Once you have a budget set and you know what you want talk to your trainer, to people in your barn, to other competitors, to other local trainers, breeders and use local horse sale websites to find some horses to try out. You must get out and try different horses in order for you to not only know what you want but feel what you want. Once you’ve found the horse you want the last step is to get a pre-purchase exam done. Even if the owner or trainer tells you the horse has no issues, there may be underlying problems that no one can see without an x-ray or flexion test. I hope you find this information helpful in your search for your next champion. Wishing you the best of luck in your search and in this year’s show season!

Sage and her mother Terry Lee Sapergia operate Sapergia Performance Horses out of Diamond A Equestrian Centre 15 minutes outside of Stoney Plain, Alberta.

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Branch News

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North Branch Chairpersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greetings

Show & Clinic Schedule

The North Branch Committee has been working hard to create a fun filled schedule of shows and clinics for the North membership. We are anxiously awaiting spring as we look forward to our first show and clinic with Lyle Jackson. Please get your paperwork in to Sandra asap as the clinic will fill up fast. Show entries are due to Sandra the Thursday before the show to avoid late fees! All forms are up on the Reining Alberta website under North Branch and also on the Reining Alberta North Branch Facebook Page. Concession will be available at Heatherdown Hills Arena, thanks to Darlene for helping us out with that. If you need to arrange stabling you can contact Darlene at darstanley@xplornet.com.

Heatherdown Hills Arena, Onoway May 3 Judging Seminar Lyle Jackson May 4 Show

Hope to see you there!! Daryla

Highthorn Arena, Stony Plain May 31 Clinic Austin Seelhof June 1 Show Highthorn Arena, Stony Plain July 19 Clinic Amanda Antifaev July 20 Show Whitecourt Ag Arena, Whitecourt Aug 23 Show Ralph Ament Aug 24 Show Ralph Ament Heatherdown Hills Arena, Onoway Sept 13 Clinic Cheryl Mitchell Sept 14 Show

Contact Information