arabian horse MODERN
The Official Voice of the Arabian Horse Industry
ISSUE #3 / 2016
LET’S CELEBRATE! Represent your Regional, Youth, Canadian and Sport Horse wins with a jacket purchase from The Hat Lady! Additional Sportswear, hats, and show necessities are always available as well!
VISIT US ON THE ROAD THIS SHOW SEASON: Region 5 Championships Monroe, WA • July 6-10 Youth National Championships Oklahoma City, OK • July 23-30 Canadian Nationals Brandon, MB • August 14-20 Arabian Sport Horse Nationals Nampa, ID • September 21-25 U.S. National Championships Tulsa, OK • October 21-29
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CONTENTS
On the cover:
arabian horse MODERN
AHA Youth of the Year Sydney Young with Texxas+
Issue #3 / 2016
Photo by Ashley Lauren
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IMPACT AHA Youth of the Year: Sydney Young
By Katie Navarra Sydney’s personal, academic and equestrian accomplishments have boosted her to this coveted honor.
The Man Who Makes a Difference: Markel’s Alan Kirshner
By Mary Kirkman Businessman, visionary, Arabian horse breeder, philanthropist — Alan Kirshner likes to make the world a better place, and he has.
GET INVOLVED Arabians Unplugged By Faye Ahneman-Rudsenske A group of six Minnesota Arabian horse clubs dedicated to the promotion of affordable, fun and familyfriendly shows has developed a successful model that works.
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Discovery Farms: Mystic Rose Arabians
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Versatility Leads to Victory for AHA High Point Winners
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By Mikayla Boge Discovery Farms serve AHA’s most important promotional function: introducing newcomers to the Arabian horse in a comfortable and informative way. By Sarah Evers Conrad One youth, one adult amateur and one special horse showed their hearts out last year to receive the highest ranking among their peers.
WHOA Take the Lead By Abigail Boatwright Ideal for beginners and experienced showmen alike, showmanship benefits all aspects of a horse and rider relationship.
EDITORIAL
Susan Bavaria. . . . . . . . . . x 581 Editor@ArabianHorses.org Design & Publication Blair Bennink. . . . . . . . . . . . x 582 Manager blair.bennink@ArabianHorses.org Design & Publication Dan Schwab Consultant dan.schwab@ArabianHorses.org Graphic Designers Liz Bilotta. . . . . . . . . . . . x 517 elizabeth.bilotta@ArabianHorses.org Jaime Johnson jaime.johnson@ArabianHorses.org Contributors Katie Navarra, Mary Kirkman Faye Ahneman-Rudsenske, Sarah Evers Conrad, Jessica Cole Abigail Boatwright, Patti Schofler L.A. Pomeroy, Natalee Defee Mendik To reach an individual, dial (303) 696-4(extension)
SALES arketing Supervisor Eri Hook M & Sales Coordinator (303) 696-4553 direct eri.hook@ArabianHorses.org General & Marge Dixon Commercial Ads (303) 597-8684 cell (815) 440-4035 marge.dixon@ArabianHorses.org General & Lee Courtney Commercial Ads (480) 296-5922 cell lee.courtney@ArabianHorses.org Commercial Ads Tracey Seals (720) 878-3510 tracey.seals@ArabianHorses.org Advertising Sales Jenn Trickey Consultant (805) 331-5946 Jenn@arabianhorseglobal.com Subscriptions
The Truth About Longeing
For subscription information or an address change, please call (303) 696-4500
By Jessica Cole You will hear lots of opinions, but here’s a no-nonsense look at why and how to longe a horse
ASSOCIATION
HERITAGE
Executive Executive Vice President
Youth Nationals: A Retrospective
Barn, bio and extended families pass horses from sibling to friend to the next generation as new children attain the thrill of entering their first walk-trot class, and it happens year after year after year.
THE NOW
Arabians at School
By Patti Schofler Cal Poly, Pomona, and Michigan State University share a passion for Arabians, thanks initially to the same person — cereal magnate, philanthropist and Arabian breeder Will Keith Kellogg.
5 EQ Sites Worth Their .Com By L.A. Pomeroy A myriad number of fun and entertaining blogs await the interested horse lover. Here are just a few to peruse.
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Eat, Drink & Be Horsey
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AHYA
By Natalee DeFee Mendik Some tried and true recipes to take on the road this summer and fall to share with your barn family. By Brenna Whitlock YNL Special Events, upcoming deadlines, and How to Afford College by Emily Barker, AHYA Vice President.
DEPARTMENTS
BUY & SELL
16
President’s Letter
12
18
EVP Letter
102 Marketplace
20 AHA News
Managing Editor
Glenn Petty. . . . . . . . . . . x 551
Marketing Director of Marketing Julian McPeak . . Marketing Specialist Dana Bechtel . . . Marketing Specialist Mikayla Boge. . . Marketing & Ad Sales Uriah Quezada. . Programs Coordinator Youth & Family Brenna Whitlock . Programs Coordinator
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
x 580 x 584 x 569 x 559 .
. . . . . . . x 505
Customer Service Registrar Debbie Fuentes. . . . . . . . . x 518
Competitions Senior Director, Leslie Lockard. . . . . . . . . . x 521 Competitions National Events irector of National Events Kelsey Berglund . . . . . . . . x 541 D U.S. Nationals Canadian Nationals Sport Horse Youth Nationals National Ride Coord. Paige Lockard. . . . . . . . . . . x 509 Judges & Stewards Commissioner R. Stanton Morey . . . . . . . x 538 Administrative Assistant Pat Thompson. . . . . . . . . . x 539
Corporate Partners
103 Advertisers Index
90 AHA Listings 6
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For expanded coverage of Recognition Spotlight, Board Minutes, Event Calendar, etc., please visit our web site at ArabianHorses.org
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Modernization is Essential
24/7 Customer Service is the Goal Dear AHA Member and Friends, In my last letter, I mentioned that we were in the process of changing over to a new financial package. This is a huge process to redesign our old structure into a modern package to improve staff efficiency and ultimately make it easier, faster and just more fun to do business with AHA. A major part of any modernization of this type is to be able to do business 24/7 and 365 days a year. You need to be able to do business with AHA any time that you wish, and we want to communicate with you fast when we need to. That’s why I encourage everyone to provide an email address to AHA. Our electronic communication is fast and provides a platform for us to get information out to you quickly. For example, think of a disease outbreak. Even if your horse never leaves your property, you will want to know there is
You need to be able to do business with AHA any time that you wish, and we want to communicate with you fast when we need to. a problem in your area and what you can do to keep your horses healthy. If you are on the road with your horses, it can become even more important as to where you might want to stop and unload. All of us get junk email. Because AHA member interests cover racing, pleasure, competitions, breeding, and more, the office does create a number of emails that may not pertain to you. If so, simply delete them. If you have opted out of receiving our emails, then please contact the Customer Service 10
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Reps at (303) 696-4500 option 2, to get reinstated. In order for AHA to provide good service, we need a way to reach you quickly so please get those emails in as soon as possible. As you may notice, we had you change from a 4 digit code to a longer alpha-numeric code to log in to AHA. This was the first step to make your login more secure, and many other companies have done the same thing (airlines, banks, car rentals, etc.). Yes, it is harder to remember yet one more login code, but it is a safety tool for you. In the future, you will be able to do many more transactions through your email account. United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is changing as well. They are in the process of designing a new strategic plan. One of the things that they have been doing for the last several years is providing a grant to their affiliates (breeds and disciplines) based on the number of members that declare a particular breed or discipline as their primary affiliation. This year, we have used some of those funds to create our new Arabian tri-fold brochure. I’m sure you will love it and it is now available for promotional events. I’m excited to be going to Youth Nationals in Oklahoma City and Canadian Nationals in Brandon. Best wishes to all our exhibitors and good luck to our U.S.A. and Canadian Olympic athletes as they prepare to represent their countries in the Olympics in Brazil in August. Regards,
Cynthia M. Richardson AHA President cynthia.richardson@arabianhorses.org
Arabian Horse Association
CORPORATE PARTNERS AHA Corporate Partners support expanded opportunities for all who participate in Arabian horse activities. AHA would like to thank our 2016 Corporate Partners. By purchasing products and services provided by these companies you are supporting the horse you love—the Arabian!
www.arctrophy.com
www.Adequan.com
www.thehatlady.com
www.arabianhorseinsurance.com
www.marriott.com
Corporate Sponsors www.bennettfinejewelry.com
www.deverinc.com
www.arabianhorseglobal.com
www.farmvet.com
www.friersonssuits.com
www.montanasilversmiths.com
www.showseason.com
www.visittulsa.com
www.arabianresults.com
Affinity Partners
www.arabianhorses.org/affinitypartners For more information, please contact: Arabian Horse Association • 10805 East Bethany Drive Aurora, CO 80014 • 303.696.4500 • 303.696.4599 fax ArabianHorses.org • info@ArabianHorses.org
AHA NEWS
Inside the Association
IN MEMORIAM Two renowned breeders of Arabian horses died on May 10, 2016, with the passing of Sigi Siller and Wendell Hansen. Both bred Arabian stallions of significance to the breed, with Germany’s Siller of Om El Arab stud breeding El Shaklan, and the USA’s Hansen the breeder of WH Justice. Hansen died at the age of 92 on his 72nd wedding anniversary. Siller died after a battle with cancer at the age of 65. Both died on May 10.
Wendell Pulley Hansen
(1924-2016)
He was born March 20, 1924, in American Fork, Utah, to Ruth Pulley Hansen and John Albert Hansen, who were divorced a month before he was born. He and his only brother, Cecil, were raised by his mother and their grandfather, Andrew W. Pulley. Grandpa Pulley was a tremendous influence on Wendell’s life and taught him the value of hard work. Wendell married his high school sweetheart, and only true love, LaVon Harrington Bennett, May 10, 1944. They are the parents of 13 children and have 60 grandchildren and 99 great grandchildren with three on the way. Wendell picked up on the family business of raising turkeys and grew it to the point of raising a quarter of a million turkeys a year. He built the first feed mill in American Fork. He also had a car dealership, a trucking business, a title company and developed real estate. However, his greatest love was his Arabian horse business, Wen Hansen Arabians. The biggest challenge was to breed top foals, and he soon became a world renowned Arabian horse breeder. Throughout his lifetime, he bred more than 450 horses which have won many national titles.
Sigi Siller
(1951-2016)
German-born Siller ran the Om El Arab stud founded by her parents from 1974, and between 1975 and the early 1980s horses she and her then husband, Heinz-Ruediger Merz, had bred conquered the show rings of Europe, with many national, international and world champions. The breeding of El Shaklan brought the “golden cross” to Arabian breeding — the mix of Spanish and Egyptian lines. In 1983, the stud sent El Shaklan to the United States, and 12
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later that year bought land in the Santa Ynez Valley in California. The couple moved to the U.S. in 1984 with their two children, but divorced in 1985, resulting in the sale of El Shaklan to Brazil. Later, Siller formed Om El Arab International on the same California farm. Siller is also credited with “rescuing from obscurity” El Shaklan’s dam, Estopa, when buying her from Spain in 1970. Friend and breeder Aislinn Brander Ford said: “Just like Sheila Varian, Sigi changed the world, she left it a better place, and left us a legacy that touches so many lives. I am so grateful to her, and I hope she is riding with Sheila now on El Shaklan!” Darryl Larson said: “There are volumes that can be written on the loss of one of the greatest contributors to our beautiful Arabian horses. Sigi shared an infectious vibrant quest for life — a radiant and passionate spirit that lives on. She will indeed be missed but her legacy lives — through her family and her horses.” Credit: www.horsetalk.co.nz/2016/05/12/passing-arabianhorse-breeders-sigi-siller-wendell-hansen/#ixzz49s5h0cfI
Arabian Wins CHA Horse of the Year It wasn’t just people that won at this year’s Certified Horsemanship Association Awards Banquet during the CHA International Conference in Amarillo, Texas. Out of the five school horses nominated for the CHA School Horse of the Year Award sponsored by Stone Model Horses, it was SirDar Sahib who captured the final honors for Experience Equus of Aledo, Texas. The award was presented to owner Darla Ryder, who is a CHA Master Instructor and Level 4 IRD Instructor, Clinic Staff, and CHA Lifetime member. She received a Stone Horse statue of Sir Dar created by the Peter Stone Company. Sir Dar has been used in Western, English, jumping up to three-foot fences, dressage up to Training Level, longe line, lead line, ground work, and with able-bodied and therapeutic riders from beginner to advanced. In addition, he has been used in CHA Certification Clinics and was known to have the ability to adapt to several types of riders at various levels and was great at role playing during the clinics. “Having Sir Dar win the CHA School Horse of the Year validates the 19 years we have spent together serving ablebodied riders, riders with special needs, and mentoring equestrian programs doing what we were both meant to do,” said Ryder. Sir Dar was recently retired from the program at Experience Equus, and many will miss working with this extra-special lesson horse who has impacted so many.
One nominee wrote, “In my 45 years of teaching I have never worked with a horse as mentally stable, physically capable, and as willing of a spirit as Sir Dar. In the countless lessons given on him by myself, the programs he has been loaned to, and the multiple instructors who have worked with him, there has never been a word of concern spoken about him. I am one of his many fans.”
Sir Dar
Vesty Photo Chosen for 75th Anniversary Release of The Black Stallion
First printed in 1941, THE BLACK STALLION was the very first novel written by 26 year old Walter Farley. It soon became one of the most treasured stories for young horse lovers around
the world. This book changed the lives of the young author, as well as the lives of many who read it. To celebrate the 75th anniversary, Random House has re-issued The Black Stallion this year, and a photograph by Stuart Vesty has been chosen for the cover. “It would be impossible to describe the honor I felt when told that one of my images would be used for the new cover of the 75th anniversary printing,” he said. “Thank you Random House, but more importantly, THANK YOU MR. FARLEY! WOW!” When asked “What horse is it?” the inscrutable Vesty said, “My answer remains — ‘It’s The Black Stallion, the most famous fictional horse of the 20th Century!”
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By Mikayla Boge
Mystic Rose Arabians Mystic Rose Arabians is a Discovery Farm located in Eads, Tennessee, and has been spreading their love of the Arabian horse breed since 1996. Mystic Rose Arabians is the brainchild of Jennifer Whittaker. Whittaker’s first experience with the Arabian horse was from the Black Stallion book series by Walter Farley where she became hooked on the breed. She soon bought her own Arabian horse, Summer Savannah, which became her endurance partner for many years. Mystic Rose Arabians was an evolving idea that grew from a colt, Summer Saga+, which Whittaker raised and competed in endurance with. Summer Saga+ was the foundation horse used to grow Mystic
Rose Arabians to where it is today. With a full barn and busy schedule, Whittaker still finds time to be an active AHA Discovery Farm and be involved in numerous outreach programs. In the past, Mystic Rose Arabians has been involved in several community/neighborhood fairs where they took an Arabian horse out to the public to do a meet and greet. They have also ridden in numerous parades and even did a photo shoot for St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital where a young boy with cancer had his wish come true by getting to spend the day on the horse farm, riding an Arabian horse and running through the fields. Whittaker says the horses do their own ambassador work without any human help too.
WendyBurkPhotography.com
GET INVOLVED
DISCOVERY FARM HIGHLIGHT
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Summer Saga+ has a friend who stops by every week to feed him carrots and love on him. The woman is deaf and struggles with communication but she and Saga share a secret bond that needs no words. Whittaker points out she not only does outreach programs but offers a full riding lesson program ranging from beginner to intermediate that keeps her quite busy. Her main concern is to offer affordable riding lessons to entice beginners and keep individuals coming back to the Arabian horse without an expensive price tag. Many people have bought their first Arabian horse after they started riding lessons in her program. Including being a Discovery Farm added to an already busy work schedule can be hard but for Whittaker the decision was easy. Her reason was, “I love these horses and believe that everyone else should have the opportunity to meet them and fall in love as well.” With that goal in mind, Whittaker is making it her mission to have her Arabian horses available to the public so they have a chance to come meet a real horse and learn about the breed. We look forward to hearing what else Mystic Rose Arabians does as an ambassador of the Arabian horse breed! Discovery Farms is an outreach program created to help those wanting to share their Arabian horses with the general public. To learn more, find a Discovery Farm or to become one, visit ArabianHorses.org/ discoveryfarms.
THIS PHOTO: Visitor from Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. TOP TO BOTTOM: A variety of activities await visitors to Mystic Rose Arabians
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THE NOW
D
riving through Los Angeles County where heavy traffic clogs the streets most times of the day, you might grumble at the numbers of cars and the boredom of the cement and asphalt scenery. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, fields of green grass meet the road and Arabian horses are heads down on the grass. And yet you’re still in L.A. County. Welcome to the campus of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, once home to avocado groves and Arabian breeder W.K. Kellogg. In 1949, Kellogg donated 813 acres to California’s state college system, with 22 covenants to the deed, among them the stipulations that: the university had to, at all times maintain horses of “pure Arabian breed, to meet the highest standards, and of the best type, conformation and bloodlines,” and to “educate scientists, students, and the public” about Arabian horses. He also stipulated that the operation maintain an advisory council of Arabian experts.
W.K. KELLOGG ARABIAN HORSE CENTER AT CAL POLY, POMONA Throughout the years, the Arabian program at Cal Poly has been privy to advice from breed leaders such as Dr. Eugene LaCroix, Leland Mekeel, Linda Mekeel Madsen, Rob Bick, Gary Dearth, Bob Buell, Margaret Rich, Lewis McKim, and Scott Dunn. Today, with the 91-year history of Kellogg breeding program behind it, the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center in Pomona is the oldest continuous breeding program in the country with its 35 green acres welcoming
CP Brash Move being presented to the audience by Justine.
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visitors, students and faculty onto the campus. The school was built around the farm, making agriculture a part of campus life for all 22,000 students in eight different academic colleges. Many of the employees at the Kellogg Center are current students or alumni. Five live at the center dorms and feed, clean, and provide after hours care and support for the 100 Arabians on campus. To fulfill Kellogg’s education mission, students from all majors are encouraged to “come to the center to groom horses, join the drill team, and take riding lessons,” explains Jéanne Brooks-Abernathy, director of the center. “The polytechnic or ‘hands on learning’ philosophy is a big part of what we do. The students are very involved in our day to day operations I had a student who was a hospitality major who said he couldn’t believe he had never touched a horse before coming here, and now he could ride pretty good, and gets paid to clean stalls.” Essentially, students have the opportunity to learn all elements of horse life. “In addition to their class work, they’re working with a world class staff with an exceptional knowledge base and commitment to quality care. We are building horsemen, who learn the full cycle of what it is to take care of a horse. Even if you don’t want to run a horse farm, or if you want to be an engineer and have a farm with two horses, you can learn critical life skills.” Most coveted in the curriculum is the credited foal watch class. To follow the breeding process, students are assigned in groups of four or five
Arabians SCHOOL at
At two American universities the Arabian horse has for decades, and continues to be, central to teaching about all things horse. They both have remarkable long standing breeding programs that have long proven that the best way to learn about horses is from horses. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and Michigan State University share a passion for Arabians, thanks initially to the same person — cereal magnate, philanthropist and Arabian breeder Will Keith Kellogg — a man whose own infatuation with the breed contributed to these colleges’ successful equine programs and to the Arabian horse in the United States.
LEFT: CalPoly Breeding manager Norm Dunn in 1960 at the Foal Pole which is a long-standing tradition used to announce births ABOVE: MSU students during a presentation
BY PATTI SCHOFLER
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THE NOW
to a mare that has been bred or is foaling this year. More than 100 students signed up for the class this year. A foal watch group can submit for the staff’s consideration up to three names for its foal. Naming guidelines point out AHA naming rules, and each foal’s name begins with the “CP” prefix. “We suggest that cultural references that are cute today may not be cute in 25 years, like flavor of the month pop singers may not matter later. Also, we suggest envisioning yourself in the show ring. Can the announcer pronounce the name?” Foal watch has celebrity status, with students, staff and the university president, Soraya Coley, after the job of watching the births of highly prized Arabians. For two years in a row, Coley has chosen “her” broodmare and awaited the call alerting her to the pending birth. As she lives on campus in a house built for Kellogg’s son, she came to the barn at night and with the foal watch team watched over her foal’s birth. With each birth, the foal’s gender is announced by a pink or blue flag raised on the “foal pole” which can be seen outside the center’s walls. For the past few years, 10 to 15 mares have been bred. “We want to increase the number because we have important mares making a contribution to the breed. Our program serves a great educational purpose and we have room for more. Ten is too small for us to maintain the diverse facets of our program like the annual sale, the Sunday shows, and the drill team,” explains Brooks-Abernathy. Initially, Kellogg’s breeding was built on horses he imported from the Crabbet stud. The current breeding philosophy took its course when Norman K. Dunn was appointed manager of the horse department in 1964. Professor Dunn felt that the Arabian breed was surpassing the closed breed program of the Kellogg Center and 18
Cal Poly Pomona CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Twins Calsabi and Calsabiyat are by *Raseyn out of Rifdah) CP Luminaire with foal and students Cp Spell Bound with her foal watchers and foal
Derby day bottom row from left: Sarah Graham, Karen Dunn Graham and Katie Dunn Sergent. Back row from left: Jéanne Brooks-Abernathy, Scott Dunn, John Lambert and Lynette Muscio Kirsten Luedde and CP Guncyn Roses —2015 Youth National Champion in Arabian Hunter Pleasure JO and JTR and Sidesaddle English as well as USEF Horse of the Year for Arabian Hunter Pleasure Junior Exhibitor
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Fourth graders reading to mares as part of the Wild Horse Tales program
began pairing Cal Poly mares with outside stallions including *Bajram, *Bask, Fadjur, and The Real McCoy. Today, the Cal Poly program has the support of several prominent breeders and receives breeding donations valued at $40,000 a year. “We have a good American mix today. The majority of the mares do trace in the tail female line to the original Kellogg herd.” Brooks-Abernathy brings her considerable breeding and promotion knowledge to a job seemingly designed for her. With an MBA in marketing from the University of Tennessee, she joined Xerox Corporation in sales and management. In 2003 she opened her Brookhill Farm in Franklin, Tennessee. Shortly, the farm grew from a home for three personal horses to a full service breeding and training operation with more than fifty Arabians and sales on five continents. She was an active member of and volunteer for The Pyramid Society, and served as president of the Middle Tennessee Arabian Horse Association. In keeping with Kellogg’s wishes, the center is obliged to publicize the Arabian horse to the general public. Back in the day, Kellogg opened his farm to the public on Sundays and showed off his horses. Today, that tradition continues on the first Sunday of the month from October to May with an open house for hundreds of spectators. There they watch the student trainers put the Arabians through 10 to 12 demonstrations. At least 50 visitors come by weekly for a student-guided tour of the facility which includes three large arenas, five barns, a fully-equipped breeding lab, and two foaling stalls with an observation room. The horses are available to the animal science program and other schools. This year a local 4th grade class participated in the Wild Horse Tales program through a grant funded by Cal Poly Pomona.
Three of the four employees are Cal Poly graduates. The exception is trainer John Lambert, equine operations program manager, who graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. degree in Animal Science with an emphasis in equine exercise, physiology and nutrition. He is in charge of the day to day operations, and preparing the three-year olds for the annual August production sale. “He carries out all his training with a student by his side. So he’s teaching a 20 year-old student while he’s teaching a two-year-old horse. It’s pretty remarkable,” says Brooks-Abernathy. The annual sale is the only fundraising arm of the budget because the endowment from the Kellogg Foundation pays most of the bills. Salaries are funded by the State. “That helps support the operation. But that money goes up and down depending on investments. I do see going forward that all organizations will have to get creative on how we continue,” she says. n
operation with his donation in 1932 of the breeding stallion Amadore. Arabian mares came to the farm in 1942 and the first Arabian foal arrived in 1944. Today, the breeding and teaching center has 79 Arabians and a reputation for producing the next generation of Arabian industry leaders. Paula Hitzler has lead the MSU Horse Teaching and Research Center (HTRC) and its Arabian Horse Breeding Program since 1989 and has overseen the center’s continued transformation with the graduation of such influential Arabian leaders as judge, breeder, show manager, author and Arabian ambassador Scott Benjamin, Lambert, trainers Brooke Fuchs and Abe Cotton, bloodstock manager Josh Biron, and breeding manager Emily Devers. When they came to MSU, Cotton was into Quarter Horses, and Devers into the hunter jumper world of Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods. Like them, many future professionals
MSU mares and foals
HORSE TEACHING & RESEARCH CENTER AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
W.
K. Kellogg kicked off the transformation of Michigan State University’s breeding focus from a Belgian and Percheron to an Arabian
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found their way to the Arabian horse because of their MSU experience. Key to this growth has been adherence to its mission to breed the highest quality Arabian horses in order to provide students with the experience of working with the best. “The breeding program supports the teaching program we have there. The horses we have bred are our teaching tools, and we want our students to
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Michigan State University CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: *Ghalii, a 1960 import by MSU of the stallion bred by the Egyptian Agricultural Organization Old photo, Arabians Karley VanWormer, Torie Liniarski, SHN Champion MSU Strike A Pose, Paige Bittner, and Paula Hitzler 2010 Breeders Conference at MSU Students practicing body clipping *Silfretta and foal imported in 1957 from Wentworth Crabbet Park and Burton Stud
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work with the best Arabians,” explains Hitzler, manager of the HTRC. “We are the grass roots. We introduce kids to Arabians. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity. That’s why we want our students to understand what it’s like to work with high quality Arabians.” At the third oldest consecutive Arabian breeding program, 79 horses live on a 100 acre facility three miles from the MSU campus. Most are Polish breeding with Crabbet influence. Eight are straight Al-Marah mares. Five stallions stand at the farm including Hucks Legacy owned by Jeff Anspach, Ensignia and MSU Serzeem, owned by MSU, *Emanor owned by Ron Hart, and Eon O, owned by Hennessey Arabians. The property includes 80 acres of pasture, three barns, two with 24 and 22 stalls, an indoor arena, classroom, breeding laboratory, and six stocks, a breeding dummy and foaling stalls. “The mares live outside 24/7 until January of their third year when they are brought in to get ready for the sale. The kids go out in their snow boots and parkas to catch and ride them. We’re not here to tack up your horse and have you pet the pretty ponies. We’re here to teach students how to be hard working horse persons,” says Hitzler. Students experience every aspect of the horse industry, from stallion collection, to breeding, to foaling, to working with weanlings, yearlings and two year olds in halter breaking, leading, and trailer training. Every fall, 12 to 15 two-year-olds are started by the students under her tutelage. In another class, they learn training, sales conditioning and competition. Last year at Sport Horse Nationals, the MSU group brought home a national championship, two reserve championships, and four Top Tens on horses bred and trained by students. These experiences are available through two programs. First, a student can obtain a two-year certification
from the Institute of Agriculture Technology in horse management. The three intensive semesters include course work in physiology, nutrition and horse handling designed to develop the skill set for an entry level horse position such as assistant breeding manager. MSU also offers a B.S. degree from the Animal Science Department Equine Program. “If we don’t teach them how to train horses, who is going to teach them how to train horses?” asks Hitzler, herself a product of the MSU animal science department. After she began riding on a pony, she soon graduated to a Half-Arabian she bought for $350 with her own savings. She trained the horse herself and together they won four national Western Pleasure championships. When it was time for college, the Michigan native told her parents she would pass on college because she wanted to be an assistant to Arabian trainer Gene LaCroix. Her parents disagreed and prevailed, sending her to MSU for a B.S. degree in Animal Science. For eight years she worked as breeding manager at various farms including Dr. Dee Whittlesey’s Zodiac Farm in Dallas, Texas, and Bill Van der Meer’s Saddle Rock Ranch in Sonoma, California. She went on to teach equine classes at California’s San Joaquin Junior College and Santa Rosa Junior College until 1989 when a call from MSU brought her back to her alma mater to manage the farm for the expanding horse management courses. Finding the farm with 40 horses, only one broke to ride, no arena and no classes, she took the first year to transform the program with new barns, riding classes, and the first MSU Spartan Spectacular Sale. Today the sale is the culmination of the students’ work, and the only direct source of income for the farm and the program. The university does not share
student tuition with the farm, though on yearly average the program generates around $240,000 in tuition from the nearly 250 students who are earmarked for degrees with horse emphasis. “It’s very expensive to teach this program. The Spartan sale revenue is a pittance.” In an attempt to provide more funding, the university has established the Endowment for the Preservation of the Arabian Horse Breeding Program at Michigan State University. “While we’ve had incredibly generous stallion owners who have donated breedings to fabulous stallions, we need the income from the endowment to offset breeding costs such as semen shipping.” Further, Hitzler established the Friends of the Horse Teaching Research Center, a nonprofit formed to raise money for student show expenses. “We want the students to have the horse show experience on Arabian horses and the farm can’t pay these expenses any more. If the Arabian horse community thinks preservation of MSU’s Arabian horses is important, we need them to help. A lot of these farms and university programs are dying, and if they die, they are not coming back. Where are the kids from suburban backgrounds going to be exposed to the horse industry, or to get an equine experience so they can become large animal vets or trainers?” Exposure to the public serves to remind the university of the importance of the Arabian program. The yearly Horsing Around at MSU Day last year introduced 1300 visitors to horses, and the Horse Tails Literacy Project saw 170 first graders reading to the MSU pregnant mares. The name Kellogg might live on a box of cereal, but more importantly the W.K. Kellogg legacy lives in the hearts and minds of the students of Cal Poly and MSU, and the six and seven year olds telling stories to entranced Arabian mares.
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Issue 3 2016 • MODERN arabian horse
THE NOW
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How to Afford College
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t’s never too early to start thinking about college. Thinking about college comes with many questions, however the biggest question that crosses everyone’s mind is how am I going to pay for college? I am now just starting my second semester as a freshman at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. I had known since I was a sophomore in high school that William Woods was my dream college, however being a private university and the fact that I am a resident of California and not a resident of the state of Missouri means that I would have the extra cost of paying out of state tuition. I started doing research about scholarships and found several scholarship opportunities through the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) and the Arabian Horse Foundation! The Arabian Horse Foundation has a general scholarship application form that is due April 1st every year. These organizations have both regional and national scholarships to offer to their youth. I found that I could obtain a scholarship through my region and even some of my region’s clubs. I also discovered that I could win scholarships through AHA’s regional and national level judging competitions. I joined my region’s youth judging team and competed at the national and regional level and earned over $4,000 in scholarships! AHA also offers a very prestigious scholarship called Youth of the Year. Youth of the Year recognizes a very special individual who has gone above and beyond to help the Arabian Horse Association. The United States Equestrian
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Federation (USEF) also offers several different scholarships. USEF has their own version of the Youth of the Year award called the USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year. USEF also offers a Sportsmanship scholarship and a very unique scholarship for those individuals planning to pursue an equestrian degree in college. Scholarships can also be obtained by going to many different websites and researching what scholarships best suit your needs. Colleges often offer their own unique scholarships that you may be applicable for. William Woods offers a $5,000.00 a year scholarship program called LEAD. Over the course of four years it is a $20,000.00 savings off my tuition bill. If you want more info on that please go to their
website for more info or send me an email. First start by asking your region and region’s clubs to see if they offer scholarships and if you meet the requirements, however if you are stuck and are unsure of where to start looking for scholarships whether it’s through AHA, USEF, scholarship websites, or through your desired college, please feel free to contact me and I will assist you to the best of my abilities. I will be more than willing to help you find scholarships that will best fit your needs! Thank you so much, Emily Barker AHYA Vice President barkeremilyann@gmail.com
AHYA SCHOLARSHIPS
Helping youth fulfill educational goals
Youth of the Year
AHYA members are eligible to apply for the annual Youth of the Year competition, which awards scholarships to both the winner and the first runner up. The application deadline is September 1 of the given year; find applications and more info at ArabianHorses.org/youth/activities.
National Arabian Horse Judging Contest
Contestants in the National Arabian Horse Judging Contest at U.S. Nationals in October have the opportunity to win $7,000 in total individual and team scholarship awards across the three divisions: 4-H/FFA, Junior AHA, and Senior AHA/Collegiate. Learn more about the judging contest and download an entry form, due September 22.
Club & Affliliate Scholarships
Check out ArabianHorses.org/youth/activities for a list of all the scholarships available from our local clubs and affiliate equine associations. n
• Issue 3 I 2016
AHYA
RAFFLE
Tickets only $50 Support AHYA
Buy your ticket now for a chance to own this all-terrain vehicle Contact Brenna at 303.696.4505 or youth@ArabianHorses.org Only 400 tickets will be sold
QR Marc x Magnums Angel JD+
Patricia M. Dempsey | Lady Lake, Florida | 352-430-3456 WWW.BELOVEDSFARM.COM Standing at Ted Carson Training Center | White Oak, NC | 910-876-7332 WWW.TEDCARSON.COM