Prairie Paint Horse News Update

REPORT SUBMITTED BY RONNI NORDAL

Hard to believe (and even harder to accept) that summer has been and gone.  It is now September 6th and we received 1 ½ inches of rain last night.  I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but in ours trying to get up any hay without rain was next to impossible.  In fact, one quarter was so thick and wet that we have just finally got it down and baled.  The cows will have lots of feed – for the horses, we are a lot pickier, so although everyone is saying how much hay there is around, good hay for horses is in fairly short supply.  Perhaps that would be a good item to advertise on the Saskatchewan Paint Horse Club Classified page.  SPHC members can post classified advertisements for free – anything horse related fits the requirements.  Check out the classified page at www.saskpainthorseclub.com,

With the end of summer soon comes the end of show season.  The APHC Nisku show is next weekend with our Harvest of Colours on September 25/26, 2010.  Tammie will have lots of news to share in the October news letter!!

We (Gerry, Diana and I – and Sam & Dolly too) attended the Zone 10 Zone O Rama, August 5 – 8 in Calgary.  It was a good turn out with a number of new faces and horses.  Thanks have to go out to Kathy Donnelly and Jackie Harke for doing the lion’s share of work for this show.  Although there is a Zone 10 Horse Show Committee and three of our SPHC directors are on that committee, without Jackie and Kathy, there would not be a show.

2010 was the first year for the APHC/Zone 10/Big West Youth Scholarship.  The eight applicants entertained at the exhibitor’s supper on Friday night with the public speaking portion of the scholarship requirements.  These youth were AMAZING!  Tears of laughter and tears of sadness – useful information and scientific information came out of the eight unique presentations.  They say youth are our future, so the paint horse future is looking good.

Our President, Nicole Gauthier has once again worked hard in 2010 for the Saskatchewan Paint Horse Club.  I know that she and Henry and LaPlaine Quarter Horses and Paints had a great Zone show and I asked her for permission to share a bit about their yearling stallion “Only By Appointment”:

Nicole says, “We found ‘Wayne’ in Minnesota last fall and thought he would make a great stallion prospect for our broadmare band.  Sired by By Appointment Only (son of top 5 AQHA Leading Sire Invitation Only and out of a Paint Me Zippo daughter) and out of a daughter of Hot Roddin Zip, Wayne is turning out to be an incredible athlete.  He is slow legged with light floaty movement.  He should reach 16hh when he is done growing.  He is quiet and easy to handle.   With just two shows under his belt Wayne has several Grand and Reserves and is the Zone 10 yearling Stallion buckle winner, Zone 10 reserve Amateur Stallion and Zone 10 reserve longeline.  We are very excited to get him started under saddle next spring for the two year old Western Pleasure classes.  We plan on standing him up for stallion services in 2012.”

Keep your eyes on the website for information regarding the Saskatchewan Paint Horse Club foal raffle and booth at Canadian Western Agribition.  This is the major fundraiser for the club and also a chance to meet and greet old and new friends.  After all, friendship is almost as big a part of showing paint horses as the horses are.

~ Ronni Nordal