Rundown December 2013
Sire Incentive Program
Contents Sire Incentive Program 2 NRHA Eligibility Changes 3 Classic Show Secretary 3 2014 Reining Alberta Events 3 2014 Board of Directors 4 2013 Survey 5 North American Junior and Young Riders Rundown 5 Youth 5 2013 NRHA Futurity and 6 North American Affiliate Finals 6 10 Tips for First Time Spectators 7 Results 8 Experiences of a First Time Futurity Competitor 9 Ask the Judge 10 Thank you to all our 2013 Sponsors: 12 North Branch 14 Peace Branch 16 South Branch 18
Offspring Owners
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ust wanted to give you a quick reminder on the Sire Incentive program and some key dates.
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Offspring nomination forms have been mailed out, Yearling forms were due December 10, 2013; but we have decided to extend that to the end of the year. So if you haven’t had a chance please get your forms in by December 31, 2013 to get in on the $50 early enrollment fee. Offspring Deadline & Fees: 2012 Offspring - December 31, 2013, $50 2012 Offspring - April 30, 2014, $100 2011 Offspring - April 30, 2014, $200
Stallion Owners
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ith the roll out of our renewed newsletter, we are also going to prepare a Stallion Feature insert to be included in an early 2014 edition of the newsletter. Please watch your mailboxes for more information on that and our Sire Incentive enrollment forms for 2014. Enrollment Deadline - March 31, 2014 $500 - Stallion $250 - Junior Stallion
2014 Membership Forms are now available on the Reining Alberta website!
NRHA Eligibility Changes
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he NRHA has changed the eligibility requirements to show in the Rookie classes for 2014, please be sure to check the NRHA handbook or website to confirm which classes you are eligible to compete in.
Rookie Level 1 - $500 NRHA earnings Rookie Level 2 - $1,500 NRHA earnings Rookie Level 1 is now the Affiliate qualifier, and Rookie of the Year class. NRHA earnings can be checked under the members section of the NRHA website www.nrha1.com Lifetime earnings for Reining Alberta classes can be confirmed by purchasing a report from Equistat www.equistat.com
Classic Show Secretary
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he position of Show Secretary for the Classic shows has been posted on the Reining Alberta website. If you would like more details on the position or what the requirements are, please check out the website. Any applications should be sent to Ron at justhorsen51@yahoo.com The position will be open for tender until January 19, 2014.
2014 Reining Alberta Events February 15&16 Open Rider Clinic Calnash Ag Event Centre, Ponoka
May 31&June 1 - NB Clinic & Show Austin Seelhof Highthorne Arena, Stony Plain
March 29 - SB Trainers Showcase Silver Slate Arena, Nanton
June 5-8 - Spring Classic Westerner, Red Deer
April 5&6 - Regional Clinic Prairie Mountain Ranch, Madden
June 13-15 - PB Clinic & Show Cheryl Mitchell
April 12 - SB Show Silver Slate Arena, Nanton
June 14 - SB Show Prairie Mountain Ranch, Madden
August 23&24 - Show Ralph Ament Whitecourt Ag Arena, Whitecourt
April 12&13 - Youth Clinic Top Notch Performance Horses
July 19&20 - NB Clinic & Show Highthorne Arena, Stony Plain
September 4-7 - Fall Classic Westerner, Red Deer
May 3&4 - NB Judging Seminar & Show w/ Lyle Jackson Heatherdown Hills Arena, Onoway
July 19&20 - PB Judging Seminar, Show & NAJYRC Qualifier Lyle Jackson
September 13&14 - NB Clinic & Show w/ Cheryl Mitchell Heatherdown Hills Arena, Onoway
May 3 - SB Show Prairie Mountain Ranch, Madden
July 3-6 - Summer Classic Westerner, Red Deer
September 13 - SB Show & AGM Prairie Mountain Ranch, Madden
May 9-11 - PB Clinic & Show Jesse Beckley
July 19 - SB Show Silver Slate Arena, Nanton August 15-17 - PB Clinic & Show Ralph Ament August 16 - SB Show Prairie Mountain Ranch, Madden
2014 Board of Directors President - Ron Barnes Vice President - Craig Mannix Treasurer - Roxy Harbourne Secretary - Melanie Elliott NRHA Affiliate - Roxy Harbourne Sire Incentive Program - Melanie Elliott Youth - Theresa Dykes Communications & Advertising - Megan Ritchie Classic Shows - Leslie Noble-McCleave Open Rider Clinic - Austin Seelholf & Roxy Harbourne Sponsorship - Ron Barnes & Craig Mannix North Branch Chairperson - Daryla Friesen Peace Branch Chairperson - Dallas Schwerdt South Branch Chairperson - Megan Ritchie Staff Administrator - Kathie MacKenzie North Branch Committee: Daryla Friesen, Sandra Prosko, Tanya Hollasch, Derek DiCacca, Jackie Toma, Samantha Friesen, Jessica Verbeek, Keith Cake, Robert Hollasch, Geri Zimmel, Julie Morris, and Miranda Hassan Peace Branch Committee: Dallas Schwert, Wendy Boggs, Trina Snisarenko, Lindsey Henderson, Tanya Nagy, Judy Howarth, Trudy Fraser, Danielle Nagy, Lynn Evans, and John Evans South Branch Committee: Megan Ritchie, Karen Lowerison, Jessica Comstock, and Morgan Girletz
2013 Survey
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s a wrap up to the 2013 season the Board of Directors has prepared a member survey to help it plan for the 2014-2015 season. The survey should take you about 15 minutes to fill out; all answers are confidential so please be candid. The information will be used to help us engage new sponsors, plan for upcoming shows and clinics, and to get a better idea of whether we are on the right track as an Association and what we can do to better meet our members needs. The survey will be open for responses until December 31st and we welcome you all to participate. If you haven’t had a chance to submit your survey please click on the following link to complete it: https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=SCGKzuuNT4ApRh-gK%2aMVgQ
Thank you to everyone who has already filled the survey out, some great suggestions already!
North American Junior and Young Riders
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he Peace Branch has scheduled a qualifier for the 2015 NAJYRC at its July show. If you are interested in more information or would like to try to qualify please watch the Peace Branch website and Facebook page for more information.
Reining Alberta currently has no qualifier scheduled for 2014 competition, if there are any youth riders who would like to try to qualify please contact Megan at rasouthchair@hotmail.ca. If there is enough interest we will try to arrange a qualifier.
Rundown
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eining Alberta has reintroduced its Rundown Newsletter, it is our intention to publish 10 newsletters this year. The Rundown will keep you up to date on all Reining Alberta events and results. Celebrating and recognizing the many accomplishments of our members. As well as provide valuable tips and advice from some of the best professionals in our industry. The Rundown will not be posted on the Reining Alberta website, but will instead be e-mailed out to our current members. So please make sure your membership is up to date so you don’t miss out! In addition to our regular monthly newsletter, we will also be publishing two special features: a Reining Alberta Stallion Feature, and a Trainers Directory. If you have any questions you would like to submit to our expert panel or Judges and Trainers please send them Megan at rasouthchair@hotmail.ca and we will try to get your question answered.
Youth
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ustin Seelhof will be doing Youth Clinic at TopNotch Performance Horses. It will be a 2 day clinic of 1/2 days. We will take a maximum of 8 youth. It is free and will be a first come first on the list basis. Austin has generously donated his time and Top Notch has donated the facility and a lunch for both days. The other half of the day will be a regular clinic and will take 8 people for that. Clinic will run on April 12 & 13, 2014. Please contact Theresa for more information or to book your spot in the clinic tnphorses@gmail.com
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2013 NRHA Futurity and North American Affiliate Finals
iders work hard all year to qualify for the North American Affiliate Finals. In Alberta in 2013 riders hoping to qualify had four qualifying shows they could attend. The Silver Slate Spring Reining Classic, Reining Alberta Spring Classic and Summer Classic, and the Black Gold Reining show. The top ten competitors in each eligible class qualify to compete at the Western Canadian Affiliate Finals held in Brandon. From there the top three riders are invited to compete at Oklahoma City. No easy feat!
The NRHA Futurity is the toughest Futurity in the world for Reining enthusiasts. Competitors from across the globe test there mettle in the show pen, with all the hard work, dreams and desires of the past two years coming down to two or three runs at the show. An exciting and nerve wracking test for all competitors.
10 Tips for First Time Spectators 1. Get a map for the grounds, at some point you will get lost! 2. The Shootout, Celebrity Slide, and Prospect Sale Preview are must sees 3. Spend the extra money to buy the box seats to save your bottom 4. Don’t sit in the first couple rows during the finals-unless you like wearing dirt 5. Save some pocket money for the great tack vendors
6. Try to make it off the grounds for at least one good meals, Trappers is a good bet for a great meal 7. The Stall Front decorations are bigger and more intricate then they appear in pictures 8. Research your hotel before booking, look for something “newer” 9. Get a guest pass for quick access onto the grounds and for all the events 10. Be sure to cheer on our Canadian reiners!
Results
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espite the chilly temperatures, Canadian reiners laid down some hot runs in Oklahoma City at the NRHA Futurity and Adequan North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) show.
Canada was well-represented in the Adequan Arena. The action began with the NAAC open classes. Canadian trainer Kyle Weston snagged fifth place in the NAAC Intermediate Open, riding Cheryl Thomson’s Chic N Starlight. He narrowly snuck in front of fellow Weston Reiner teammate Shayla Malmberg, one of Canada’s rising young trainers, who placed sixth riding Starbucks Freckle, owned by Kaitlyn Nagy. Next up was the NAAC Limited Non Pro. Madison Steed and her mount, the trusty Jumpin Jac Trash, capped off a truly spectacular show season by earning the reserve championship. To follow up, fellow Canadian Danielle Nagy earned fourth place in the NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro L1 and was in the top 10 in the L2, riding Shiver N Shake. Things really heated up in the hunt for the prestigious NAAC Silver Spurs Equine Rookie of the Year title. Western Canada was well-represented, with Kaitlyn (Starbucks Freckle) and Julie Olenyk-Wong (Tagged Mia Boomer) both running for the honour. When the dust settled, Kaitlyn made it to fifth place. JP Forget rode Carol Sellin’s 6 year old stallion Shiney and Smart to great success in the Novice Horse classes, placing 4th in the Level 1 and 9th in the Level 2. Kaitlyn kept her hot streak going, capturing top spot in the NAAC Youth 13 & Under. Clay Thiessen and his mount, Chics Best Light, ended up tied for fourth in the class while Hannah Steed and Nic Chic Olena locked up the eighth spot. In the NAAC Youth 14-18, both Danielle and Madison made it into the top 10. Over in the Coliseum, a number of Canadians made their way through the Gateway of Champions. The young three year olds held onto their “tricky” reputation. In the end, Colleen Gardiner and Lotta Wrangler earned the reserve championship in the NRHA Cinch Non Pro Futurity L1, while Bailey Kolsun and Rowdy Reeses Pieces slid their way into fifth place.
Reining Alberta would like to congratulate everyone who qualified for and competed in their respective NRHA Affiliate classes, and who took those fateful steps into the Coliseum.
Experiences of a First Time Futurity Competitor With Colleen Gardiner
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o early! In addition to allotting greater time for travel in case of poor road conditions, it allows both horse and rider to calm down and rest prior to moving into the show grounds. Believe it or not, my horse was a bucking maniac for the first four days we were in Oklahoma because he was so fresh following the long drive! Also, I was SO excited to be there that sleep did not come easily. We moved into the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds as early as we could, which allowed us to ride in the Coliseum a week before we showed. Don’t believe all postings as to available riding times, as the Coliseum was open to riders an extra day after move-in, when it was technically posted as “unavailable.” Even though it’s a long walk to the Coliseum, it’s worth it to verify availability in person. Along the same lines, it is wise to have a dedicated person watching the board outside the Coliseum for scratches on the day you show. This way you won’t be surprised or stressed later when they are announced. Otherwise, riding in the newly-covered outdoor pen was fantastic (when the weather was good), and it’s great for sharpening your timing on rundowns, as there is no scheduled circling or stopping times in this pen.
Some of the best advice given to me prior to leaving for Oklahoma, was to “Get away from the grounds as much as possible, especially the first week, as it’s a long two weeks.” This proved to be very helpful as it can easily become stimulus overload at the grounds, with riding, watching and rooting for friends, browsing the vendors, etc. In trying to calm nerves, some coaches and trainers will say, “It’s just another show,” and in a lot of regards this is really accurate. Once you recover from the thrill of riding alongside some of your idols, the preparation is very much the same as for any show, just with a much longer walk to the arena. I would highly encourage anyone wishing to show in the futurity to “go for it”. 2013 was Colleens first appearance at the NRHA Futurity. Her and her horse Lotta Wrangler tied for Reserve Champion in the Level 1 Futurity; following a successful futurity year here at home winning the Wild Rose Reining Classic Level 4 & Level 1 Futurity.
Ask the Judge
The NRHA Futurity Non Pro & Open Finals Pattern NRHA Pattern 10
Written by Dori Schwartzenberger NRHA Judges Committee Republished from the 2013 NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show Official Show Program
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uring Non Pro and Open Futurity Finals, finalist riders will be tested by NRHA Pattern 10. It’s a dynamic and exciting pattern with some inherent difficulty built in. Certain unique characteristics and details of this pattern lend it well to the task of showcasing the extraordinary talents of the NRHA Futurity finalist horses and their riders. The pattern demands exact communication between horse and rider to effectively and correctly navigate its challenges.
will deduct from the quality of the spin. The judges will be looking for the horse to be stopped in correct alignment at the completion of the spin.
As the judges watch the finalists perform they’ll be looking at various details from each maneuver. These include:
Maneuver 4: “Beginning on the right lead, complete three circles to the right; the first two circles large and fast, the third circle small and slow. Change leads at the center of the arena.” Initially, the judges will look at the quality of the lead departure, giving credit for authority of execution, straightness, and finesse. Any “quartering,” pushing over of the hip or extra preparation is deemed as a reduction in degree of difficulty. The judges will watch for a clean lead departure to the lope without any trotting steps. The large fast circles give the rider the opportunity to demonstrate how well his or her horse guides. Ideally, the horse should be up to speed in the first quarter of the circle, guide off the walls approximately 15 to 20 feet with speed that is controlled and pleasing to watch. Poor movement, slipping, stumbling, leaning anywhere in the circle but especially across center are all common faults of circles. The circles, by definition, need to have a common center point, this failure to find center will also be seen as a fault or failure to guide. The transition to the small, slow circle from the large, fast should take place, for maximum credit, at center and as smoothly as possible. Deductions are assessed for assuming the sliding position or a loss of cadence of the lope. The best transition is one where the horse reacts to the rider’s cue to slow by rounding his back and slowing in a few strides with no apparent resistance, steering in quietly and smoothly. The circles are completed by the lead change, where the horse executes a change of leading legs, both front and back, within one stride either side of geographical center. Collectively, the judges must consider all of these components in their final maneuver score.
Maneuver 1” “Run past the center marker and do a sliding stop. Back up to the center of the arena or at least ten feet (three meters). Hesitate.” The judges will be looking for a dynamic rundown, with speed, finesse, and authority. Any extra pulling or checking (of the reins) by the rider or anticipation (scotching) or loss of control (lack of guide) by the horse will be considered faults. In a stop, the horse must exhibit a cadence with his front-end and lift his back while sliding over his hocks in a straight line. Thus, any bracing, pegging, twisting, or failure to “hold” the ground/picking up of hind feet during the stop will be reason for deduction. A back up of at least 10 feet (three meters) follows the stop. The judges will look for a back up that demonstrates athleticism, lightness, power, and control. Dragging the front feet, resistance or stiffness through the body or neck, and slowness are all traits that will detract from the overall evaluation. The judges will consider all three of the component parts in the final maneuver score. Maneuver 2: “Complete four spins to the right. Hesitate.” The judges will generally consider the overall spinning cadence, smoothness, attitude, finesse, and form at a fixed position in the arena. By “form” we refer to the balance of the spin, over the hocks, crossing the front legs while the outside hind leg provides propulsion. Any hopping, break of cadence, traveling/loss of position, or resistance through the neck and body
Maneuver 3: “Complete four and one-quarter spins to the left, so that the horse is facing the left wall or fence. Hesitate.” The judges will look for the same general characteristics as in Maneuver 2, only the spins must align facing the left wall (Judges 1,2, & 3).
Maneuver 5: “Complete three circles to the left, the first circle small and slow, the next two circles large and fast. Change leads at the center of the arena.” These circles are the mirror image of those on the right, with the first circle small and slow followed by two large, fast circles. This is unique to this pattern in that the circles are not in the same sequence on both sides. Thus, the judges will be looking for a smooth, slow circle to slow circle lead change from right to left with a continuation of similar cadence and stride from the two sides. The same characteristics considered on the right circles will be important on the left also. These circles are completed by a change in lead from the left to right that is, once again, smooth and resistance-free. Maneuver 6: After completion of the change, Pattern 10 dictates, “Begin a large fast circle to the right but do not close this circle. Run down the right side of the arena past the center marker and do a left rollback at least 20 feet (six meters) from the wall or fence-no hesitation.” The judges will therefore be looking for a smooth transition to a right large, fast circle out of a fast-to-fast lead change. The horse should guide around the end of the pen smoothly and with authority, without any extra holding or positioning. The rundown on the right side of the pen should demonstrate a gradual increase in the speed, followed by a square, straight stop over the hocks, followed by a 180° turn over the hocks (rollback). Bolting, scotching, fading to or away from the wall, and any apparent loss of control are faults in the rundown. The stop should meet the parameters of the stop described for Maneuver 1 but will be followed by a left rollback. Even though the pattern states “no hesitation,” maneuver description notes that “a slight pause” is allowed to enable the horse to regain footing and balance. Rolling back before the completion of the stop or before asked, failing to respond to lateral shoulder movement when asked, stepping forward or back prior to the rollback, “looping out” or over-rotating the rollback (more than 180°) are all faults you may see in this maneuver group. The horse should exit in a straight line at a lope, with no trot steps, to avoid penalty. Maneuver 7: “Continue back around the previous circle, but do not close the circle. Run down the left side of the arena past the center and do a right rollback at least 20 feet (six meters) from the wall or fence-no hesitation.” This maneuver is a rundown,
run around the end of the pen, run down the left side of the arena to a stop and right rollback. The analysis is the same as the previous maneuver only a different lead. Once on the straight, the horse is allowed to be in any lead he chooses, but must be on the correct lead around the ends of the arena. Maneuver 8: “Continue back around previous circle but do not close this circle. Run down the right side of the arena past the center marker and do a sliding stop at least 20 feet (six meters) from the wall or fence. Hesitate to demonstrate completion of the pattern.” The final maneuver for this pattern consists of a rundown, run around and another right side approach to a stop. The judges will consider all of the components of the previous two maneuvers; however, the horse should stop and show hesitation. Following the stop, the horse should settle while the rider must demonstrate completion of pattern by dropping the hand or addressing the judges.
Thank you to all our 2013 Sponsors: Sandra & Curtis Prosko Hollasch Quarter Horses Bar Industries Marc & Suzanne Thomson Keith Cake Jackie Toma - Dushoma Ventures Wy Horses - Erin Young Lazy D Diamond Quarter Horses Frontier Western Shop Showcase Blanket Repair Megan Ritchie Bonnie Youngs D.A.D. Sales Prairie Mountain Ranch Laura Jesso Outrider Ranch-Nick Swagor Irene Hecht Nexen Inc Thomson Family Whiteside Family Barb Reinders Wendy Williams Don Leach Gib & Rhonda Thompson Giesele Callaway Twin Star Quarter Horses Wagman Ranch 10 Mile Ranch Don & Arlene Hepburn Delaney Vet Services Geri & Garry Zimmel Showcase Blankets Marnie Hamilton Moore Equine Clinic
Days Inn Red Deer Motel 6 Red Deer Woody’s RV World Red Deer Hoof & Nail Farrier Supplies Beckley Reining Horses & Three Bars Guest Ranch Jones Boys Saddlery & Western Wear Swartzy Performance Horses Heide Veterinary Services Westland Machine The Kolsun Family Cannon Industries 2 Chicks In A Stitch Legal Alfalfa Products BioEquine Sunglade Ranch Bulletproof Bumpers Orkin Pest Control Horse Creek Chiropractic Tree Top Quester Horses Gary Moe Mazda Northbase Ranch Tails Forever Horse Jewelery Shirreff Farms MC Quarter Horses Blackmans Butcher Shop
Focus Group Greenhawk Keddies Reinders Logging Advanced Paramedic Hauger Equipment Lindsey Henderson Impact Rock Bits MC Quarterhorses Peace River Agricultural Society Roy & Lillas Thompson Rycroft Ranch Supplies TW Construction Trudy Fraser U.F.A. Thomas Homes & RV Skookum Tack Kyle Weston Shayla Malmberg Mayday Resources Ltd. Elaine Besuijen Besuijen Performance Horses Janice Hepburn Marnie Hamilton Shelley Jones Terry Olineck Nancy Dibben Jennifer Shirreff Greg Michelson Danielle Nagy Carola Friesen Lindsay Henderson Peace Country Reining Associtation
Branch News
North Branch Chairpersons Greetings
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e would like to welcome everyone to a new year of Reining in the North. Our committee has been working hard putting together shows, clinics and fun events and classes for our 2014 show season. We are currently seeking sponsors for our Special Classes that we are offering this year so if you or a business you know is interested in sponsoring please feel free to contact us. We are always looking for volunteers to help out at the shows and our scribes we would like to have booked in advance so if you are interested please contact us.
Events May 3 & 4 - Judging Seminar & Show Never Won A Buckle - Year End Dapple Grey - Year End Heatherdown Hills Arena, Onoway Lyle Jackson May 31 & June 1 - Clinic & Show Never Won A Buckle - Year End Dapple Grey - Year End Freestyle Class Highthorne Arena, Stony Plain Austin Seelhof July 19 & 20 - Clinic & Show Never Won A Buckle - Year End Dapple Grey - Year End Longest Slide Highthorne Arena, Stony Plain TBA August 23 & 24 - 2 Day Show Never Won A Buckle - Year End Dapple Grey - Year End Team Tournament Whitecourt Ag Arena, Whitecourt Ralph Ament September 13 & 14 - Clinic & Show Never Won A Buckle - Year End Dapple Grey - Year End Heatherdown Hills Arena, Onoway Cheryl Mitchell
High Point Award Results Green Reiner Champion: Raelyn Pollard Reserve: Chrystal Ference Youth 13 & Under Champion: Montana Morris Youth 14-18 Champion: Raelyn Pollard Ranch Reiner Champion: Chrystal Ference Reserve: Erin Young Never Won A Buckle Champion: Samantha Friesen Reserve: Jessica Verbeek Beginner Horse Non Pro Champion: Julie Cook Reserve: Samantha Friesen Beginner Horse Open Champion: Sandra Prosko Reserve: Derek DiCiacca Ltd. Non Pro Champion: Daryla Friesen Co-Reserve: Julie Cook & Nicole Flood Non Pro Champion: Daryla Friesen Reserve: Nicole Flood Ltd Open Co-Champions: Celine Gobet & Samantha Friesen Open Champion: Derek DiCiacca Reserve: Celine Gobet
Peace Branch Chairpersons Greetings
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he Reining Alberta Peace Branch is excited about the upcoming new year! We are anticipating lots of new faces and are making a concerted effort to get our great sport in front of new audiences. Our first meeting occurred in October with plans for clinicians and shows solidified. The November meeting was cancelled due to less than adequate road conditions and ultimately a December meeting wasn’t an option with everyone’s busy schedule. We started off the fall with a reining demo at the Peace Country Pet & Equine Expo. At the same event the Peace Branch also had a booth that showed videos from the NRHA reining futurity and derby. Numerous people stopped to watch which gave us the opportunity to hand out our “Understanding Reining” pamphlets and promote our upcoming events. Following the Peace Country Pet & Equine Expo many of the RAPC members were off to watch some of our other members compete at the NRHA NAAC in Oklahoma City. It was great for the Peace Country having local competitors Kaitlyn and Danielle Nagy competing successfully in OKC. Ultimately they showed the rest of us that we can be competitive even in a less than ideal training situation. We don’t have any high level competitive reining trainers/coaches living and working in the Peace Country but they proved it isn’t a requirement for success. All that it takes is drive and motivation to make dreams come true!! (and a great support team like a super duper mom!!).
So with the renewed enthusiasm derived from the Nagy’s success, plans for 2014 are coming together. All of the clinics and shows are being held at the Grande Prairie Regional College’s Hawker Pavilion, located in Fairview Alberta. The location is fairly central to the Peace Country and ultimately makes it easier on the organizers as everything is ready to go from a sound system, ground, stalling and warm up areas! The following is the scheduled clinics & shows: May 9/10 clinic with Jesse Beckley May 11 show June 13/14 clinic with Cheryl Mitchell June 15 show July 19 judging seminar with Lyle Jackson July 20 show (tentative NAJYRC Qualifier for 2015 may be the only one that is available for the 2015 year - This is for youth to qualify for Kentucky) Aug 15/16 clinic with Ralph Ament Aug 17 show September show - date to be determined
High Point Award Winners
Never Won a Buckle – Non Pro Champion: Darcie Yaremko Reserve: Darlene Budal
Ranch Reiner Champion: Darcie Yaremko Reserve: Sidney Thomas
Never Won a Buckle – Open Champion: Darcie Yaremko Reserve: Nathalie Randall
Youth 13 and Under Champion: Sidney Thomas Reserve: Kaitlyn Nagy
Freestyle – Open Champion: Becky Schell Reserve: Darcie Yaremko
Youth 14-18 Champion: Darcie Yaremko Reserve: Annie Mackenzie
Limited Non Pro Champion: Kaitlyn Nagy Reserve: Barb Morris
Non Pro Champion: Kaitlyn Nagy Reserve: Kelley Sorer
Beginner Youth 13 and under Champion: Zoey Schwieger Beginner Youth 14-18 Champion: Annie Mackenzie Green Reiner Champion: Naomi Schwieger Reserve: Darlene Budal Beginner Horse – Open Champion: Nathalie Randall Reserve: Barb Morris
Open Champion: Nathalie Randall
South Branch Chairpersons Greetings
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lanning is well underway for 2014, it’s hard to believe but arenas have been booked and Judges are starting to be confirmed for the season as well. The Committee is definitely gearing up for the show season. As we move towards Christmas and the end of the year I can’t help but reflect on the year we had as a Branch and Committee, I can’t be more pleased with how things went. Surely there are things to improve upon, but we truly have such a great group of people to show with. I think I can speak for the whole Committee when I say we had a lot of fun and all our participants really made it worthwhile. So from the South Branch Committee, I’d like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to seeing you next year!
High Point Award Winners
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ongratulations to all our High Point Award winners for 2014, look forward to seeing you all at the Awards Banquet in February! Green Reiner Champion: Stephanie Partridge Reserve: Sasha Lewis Beginner Youth 13&Under Champion: Katie Moyes Reserve: Heather Burchnall Beginner Youth 14-18 Champion: Sasha Lewis Ranch Champion: Megan Ritchie Reserve: Alexandra Hibberd Youth 13&Under Champion: Alexandra Hibberd Reserve: Emily Moyes Open Beginner Horse Champion: Nickers For Chex (Barbara Jo Lutley) Reserve: Hoo Doo Ya Tag (Danielle Armstrong) Ltd Non Pro Champion: Andrea Peters Reserve: Janice Hepburn Ltd. Open Champion: Danielle Armstrong Non Pro Champion: Andrea Peters Reserve: Suzanne Fletcher
Survey Results
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hank you again to everyone who filled out the Branch Survey and sent in your comments and thoughts. Overall I can’t say there was much that surprised us in the results but I’d like to take a moment and cover off a few things you might find of interest. I guess we should start with the positive. Generally speaking the comments about the Trainers Showcase in March were very encouraging - with 76% of you saying you’d be interested in participating again if the opportunity came up. So I was pleased to hear most of you think we are on the right track with that clinic. For that reason we will be running it again in 2014 with a few minor tweaks. The online forms also received positive comments; it probably isn’t really a big concern to most of the members how they submit their entries but it sure made our lives easier. So we do plan to use them again next year and they should remain pretty similar to what you saw this year. We are looking into the option to pay with PayPal when you submit them, but we are still working out the details and feasibility since we want you to be able to get a refund if you can’t make it.
Again, the comments on the newsletter were pretty positive and very helpful. They gave us a bit of an idea on what your favorite types of articles was so that will definitely help us include more of what you liked. As you can see it has had a bit of an overhaul. A new format and nice to include the rest of the Association. So now maybe the not so good news. It wasn’t included in the survey but we saw about at 13% decrease in the number of runs from this year to last. That seems to be about the same trend as prior years. So it’s a little discouraging to see that we are not seeing a steadying or increase in the size of our shows. From the survey results we also saw a slight decrease in the number of shows people attended. From an average of 3.1 last year, to 2.6 in 2013. My guess is this is largely due to moving some of the shows to Silver Slate.
It wasn’t a huge shift but we will continue to watch this trend and see if adjustments need to be made for 2015. I think it is important to continue to offer shows at different locations to try to meet the needs of the different regions within our branch, and to have a variety of locations for schooling so for that reason we decided to continue hosting some Silver Slate shows. Overall responses were very supportive to continue with the new Dapple Grey and Beginner Reiner class; but we have made the difficult decision to not offer them in 2014. The class size just did not justify continuing with them. We are continuing to look for new ways to encourage new reiners to participate. The results for your preferred method of contact suggested that many of you prefer e-mail over other forms of communication so we will make more of an attempt to send out e-mail blasts with entry information, etc. Many still valued the Facebook page and website, so we will continue to update those as we did last year. Some of your suggestions that stuck with us were that you would like to see more announcements of prizes and sponsorship during the classes, as well as win pictures. We couldn’t agree more! Our committee runs pretty lean so if you have some time and would be willing to announce at the show or take win pictures please let us know. We will try to make more of an effort to do this ourselves but some extra hands never hurts! You also requested Year End High Point standings be posted during the season so you can see where you stand. We will implement that for 2014. Another item on your wish list was to know the number of entries or draw list for the classes be posted prior to the show. We understand that this would make it much easier for you to plan when you have to arrive and warm up, but our entry deadline is very close to the show making this pretty difficult to do. I know Jessica was often up until very late Saturday night pulling the draw schedule together so posting early isn’t always an option; sometimes life and real jobs get in the way. So for now I think this will probably have to stay on the wish list.
New for 2014
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e are excited about what we are offering in 2014, so here is a sneak peek.
We have applied to host a NRHyA Regional Clinic, we have requested the date of April 5 & 6th. We requested a few well known trainers from the USA who have strong Non Pro programs and hope we are successful with our application. Funds raised from this program go towards the NRHA’s Youth Program and the Reining Alberta Affiliate will also see some of the proceeds go towards our Youth Programs. While this benefits Youth Programs anyone can attend; adult, youth, or open rider. Costs are very reasonable and it sounds like a wonderful program. As we learn more and go through the NRHA approval process we will announce more information.
For our shows from June-September we are not running a ring smart session, but instead are bringing back the Pattern Class. The Pattern Class will be the first class in the morning, and will give our competitors the opportunity to run a pattern then ride over to the Judge for feedback on what they could do differently to improve their score. I think for many of us this is a great opportunity to see our showing skills and horse through fresh eyes and get valuable insight.
We are bringing back many of our Premier Classes from last season. You will see a return of the Team Challenge, Longest Slide, Freestyle and Never Won A Buckle. We are also planning on hosting a Team Challenge throughout the year, participation is voluntary and we will track team points and award the winners with their prizes at the September show. This is shapAs mentioned before we are bringing back the Trainer’s ing up to be a really fun challenge so we hope to see many of you involved. Showcase. Due to the feedback we received we will be limiting participants to 3 riders per group to alThe survey showed some interest in some seminars as low for more time per person. So you will need to get well, so we are trying to organize a few. Carola Friesen your entries in early to ensure a spot. We have started booking Trainers for sessions, and will announce more has kindly agreed to host a Scribe Seminar at our April Show. So a big thanks to Carola. That will be a great as we get closer to the event. There will be 6 sessions chance to come see what is involved and how to do it. again. We hope to keep the participant costs to about If I can learn anyone can! the same as last year, but we will likely see an increase in the spectator fee. We are also working on a Show Pen Primer, to give some hints and tips to anyone new to showing. Tips As you have probably seen on the website we have defrom what to wear, how to prepare, what memberships cided to move to a 1 day show. After some discussion we thought Saturday was best to allow people a “recov- you need, to whatever else you have burning questions about. So again stay tuned for more details. ery day” after the show and to allow some people to attend who can’t do Sundays. Our busiest shows for ring smart bookings are April and May, so we are planning on running ring smart in the morning for those two shows. That will give our competitors a chance to get a few schooling runs in prior to the Classic or Silver Slate shows if they would like to. Our regular class schedule will follow in the afternoon.
HAPPY REINING!