The Ohio Amateurs had a great 2025 ‘not so’ Little Buckeye! This year we had 670 horses and 2,100 entries under each judge. We want to say thank you to the continued support of our generous sponsors, this show truly remains exhibitor focused.
What was new to The Little Buckeye this year:
• Exhibitor meals: Five meals served throughout the show
• Free arena photos by Lisa Anderson Photography
• Circuit awards for overall class winners
• $2,000 NSBA Non-Pro Trail & $2,000 NSBA L1/Green HUS
• Level 1 and Rookie classes run separately
Our largest classes were the horsemanship, with over 380 entries, followed by showmanship, with over 350 entries. Here at the Little Buckeye, we hosted our largest leadline class to date with 35 exhibitors; we would like to thank Dewey Smith and Jerry Robinson Quarter Horses and Beth from Markel Insurance for sponsoring the penguins and neck ribbons awarded to our leadliners!
On Saturday evening we had a Cheesecake Cheers in honor of Toni Bloom, an Ohio amateur we lost this year.
See you in 2026 for The ‘not so’ Little Buckeye!
We look forward to attending the AQHYA World Show this August in Oklahoma City. We will be taking 49 horses and 35 youth. We are all very excited to see one another and represent the great state of O-H-I-O!
Last month, we took 10 youth members to the YES Conference in Amarillo, Texas, and had a great experience. Ohio had the largest number of youth in attendance, representing our outstanding affiliate.
We would like to congratulate our youth directors of Region 4:
Olivia Defranco of Montville, Ohio
Colton Smith of Bellefontaine, Ohio
Lizzie Smith of Burton, Michigan
Our Ohio youth fundraiser for the golf cart giveaway is going very well—we’re selling lots of tickets and will continue sales up until the drawing at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
The Congress Cup that raises money for the youth scholarships just finished up. We also had a wonderful turn out for it as well, with 24 teams and 6 youth in attendance to assist.
OQHA Annual Trail Ride
The 18th annual OQHA All Breed Trail Ride and Mt Trail Challenge was held June 12-15 at Creek Side Horse Park, and boasted over 645 entries, making it one of the largest to date. A family-focused event, the event features an impressive Mt Trail course with options for exhibitors of all levels. Creek Side is a premier destination, with riders from all over Ohio and the surrounding states traveling to compete. Creek Side and OQHA would like to thank all of the generous sponsors who make this event possible!
The 2025 OQHA Annual Picnic was hosted by J.L. Robinson and Dewey Smith Quarter Horses, and we greatly appreciate their generosity in welcoming OQHA to their gorgeous facility. The event was well-attended, with guests enjoying an amazing BBQ menu prepared by Boo’s Kitchen, that paired perfectly with the delicious side dishes and desserts brought by our members. It was wonderful to see our directors and youth members come together and connect before heading into their individual meetings to discuss summer activities.
The Congress Cup: Battle for
The weather started off rainy for the 5th annual Congress Cup charity golf outing, but quickly turned into a beautiful day for participants to Battle for the Buckle. The Congress Cup event was generously supported by title sponsor the Martz Family and many other generous donors.
the Buckle
The Congress Cup’s overarching goal of supporting the Ohio Quarter Horse youth members is what drives organizers, supporters, and players alike. This year’s event raised a record $38,000 and will provide scholarships to many OQHYA members pursuing higher education in the upcoming years.
Congress Updates
Saddle up - Congress season is here. Entries opened July 15 and are due online by August 25, so get yours in early. Special event tickets went live July 1 - secure your seats for the Freestyle Reining and Professional Bull Riding. Freestyle Reining, presented by dac Vitamins & Minerals, is scheduled for October 3 and PBR, presented by Western Edge, is scheduled for October 10, both beginning at 7pm. For insider tips and more, scan this QR code and head over to the Congress Insider Info webpage at www.quarterhorsecongress.com/insider-info
Mid-Ohio Dressage Association
www.midohiodressage.com
Mid-Ohio Dressage show season is in full swing! The show committee has worked hard to create a calendar for riders of every level in central Ohio, featuring schooling shows, recognized shows, and western dressage shows sanctioned by both WDAA and AQHA. Our largest recognized event—the Mid-Ohio Classic, July 11–13—will once again be held at Brave Horse Equestrian Center. An ice cream social and raffle are planned during the show, with all proceeds benefitting Not One More Vet. If you’re not quite ready to compete at a recognized show, volunteering is an excellent way to gain knowledge and experience at that level. We are always grateful for extra help, as a show of this scale requires many hands. Another crowd-pleaser is the East Meets West Show, returning to Brave Horse on September 6–7. It will showcase both western and classical dressage and includes a team competition plus a few fun Saturday classes. Full details on upcoming events are available on the Mid-Ohio Dressage Association website, and prize lists can be found at ShowSecretary.com.
Ohio State Buckskin Association
www.ohiobuckskins.org
The Ohio State Buckskin Association kicked off their show season in style! The Buckskin Memorial Classic (May 31-June 1) lit up Bullen Equestrian Center in Eaton, Ohio - large turnout, sunny skies, and nonstop arena action. We kept the momentum rolling with the Red, White, and Gold show (July 6-7) at Champions Center in Springfield, and it was a crowd-pleaser from the first class to the last. For schedules, results, and more OSBA fun, follow us on Facebook or visit www.ohiobuckskins.org.
OQHA Queen - Morgan Adkins
www.oqha.com/ohio-queen-contest
As your 2025 Ohio Quarter Horse Queen, I’ve been hard at work diving into the AQHA Rule Book—there’s always something new to learn, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to grow in knowledge and leadership within this amazing organization. It was such a joy to see so many of you at the AQHA Level 1 East Championships in April. From cheering in the stands to congratulating each other in the barns, the camaraderie and enthusiasm on display reminded me just how special our Quarter Horse community truly is. I was also thrilled to see many of you at the OAQHA Little Buckeye Horse Show, one of our most cherished Ohio events, and again at the NSBA World Championships! These shows are a wonderful celebration of the hard work, talent, and sportsmanship that define our industry. A huge congratulations to everyone who has competed at the summer majors so far—your dedication and passion are truly inspiring. Whether you’re in the show pen, supporting ringside, or working tirelessly behind the scenes, your efforts make our community shine. Thank you for allowing me the honor of representing Ohio and the American Quarter Horse.
Ohio Michigan Indiana Quarter Horse Association
www.omiquarterhorseassn.com
Here at OMIQHA, we had a very successful and very large Summer SunSation Show at Garwood Arena June 6-8! Our stall count was 440, with 1,728 entries. We had many classes offered that had huge numbers. The summer show would not have been complete without our famous water ballon toss, as we had 45 teams! The top 3 teams spilt the $250.00 sponsored by the OMIQHA Officers and Directors.
Our Queen, Leah Blay, had a successful craft table for the younger exhibitors and siblings. Leah also held a silent auction to help raise funds for her travel expenses, as she travels to promote OMIQHA and help with Congress!
Our youth team also had a very large and successful silent auction. Their funds will also help support them when participating at Congress in the NYATT competition.
We took a break on Saturday prior to the water balloon toss to recognize a very special person in all our lives and staffing our shows for so many years; presenting a retirement gift to Walt Tuttle! He may not be retired yet for the year, but it was his last show with us. We presented him with an engraved decanter set, made by a director and her business Paisleys and Daisies.
Thank you to all of our office staff, ring stewards, judges and announcer for making it a smooth show! Thank you to all our show sponsors and class sponsors; we appreciate the generosity shown at this show!
Looking forward to seeing everyone throughout the rest of the show season and the 2025 All American Quarter Horse Congress!
Our Spring Extravaganza and L1 show were a huge success. Congratulations to our saddle winners from the L1 Extravaganza; High Point L1 Amateur was Jennefer Taufmann riding Firsttimeforevrything and Reserve L1 Amateur High Point was Lauren Hall riding The Final Bandit. High Point L1 Youth was Harper Zaremski riding Good To Be Strutin and Reserve L1 Youth was Skylar Herrnstein riding Only Lazy Lopin.
Thank you to the many sponsors that hosted breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at our Six Pack Circuit, we appreciate you! For a complete list of all around awards and circuit awards, check www.noqha.com under shows or NOQHA on Facebook.
Looking forward to our Fall Extravaganza show to be held at Garwood Arena, Columbiana, Ohio on Friday, August 22 through Sunday, August 24, 2025. Judges are Clint Fullerton, Carmen Mayabb, and Nancie Wright. Stalls and RV hook-ups are still available through the website. Congratulations to our 2025 scholarship winners; Tate Gill-Midway University Maclayne Warner-University of Findlay
NOQHA is looking for 2026 Queen applicants, contact Michelle Ceschan at 440-669-2295 if interested. We are also looking for new directors, contact Shannon Call at 330-5249384 for more information.
As always, check the website, www.noqha.com and Facebook for current happenings.
Equestrian Center www.preblecountyfair.com/bullen
these brave and tough young cowgirls and cowboys. The Youth Rodeo offers a full rodeo - bulls, broncs, goat tying, gymkhana, team roping, dummy roping, and so much more. It is definitely one to check out! During the youth rodeos, a team roping is held that evening. There was a team roping clinic recently by Total Team Roping.
Other events were a BCSHA open show, 4H Fun Show helping exhibitors get ready for fair, 1st Ohio Cowboy Mounted Shooting, Shaw Farm Cutting and Ohio Buckskin Association. A little bit of anything and everything!
