COURTESY OF RONNI NORDAL
Welcome to Winter!! Here in Saskatchewan we have had two stormy days of winter already, each starting with rain and ending with a good bit of snow. It was a bitter reminder that winter is a part of life and it makes us enjoy all the other seasons so much more.
The SPHC has started making plans for its 2011 show season, yet we haven’t even finished reporting on all the events that occurred at the Harvest of Colours show. One of the highlights in 2010 was the $1000.00 Exhibitor Draw. For each horse that entered a class (paid an office fee) and whose owner was a SPHC member, a number was put in the draw. When the draw was held, the lucky winner was Lynsay Atchison. The SPHC wants to congratulate Lynsay on her win, but also wants to thank Lynsay for coming out to the Show. For anyone that doesn’t know her, Lynsay is a dedicated exhibitor of her beautiful Solid Paint Bred horses. It takes a lot of dedication to haul to shows not knowing whether there will be a point class. Lynsay and her mares are a shining example of why more people need to get out there and show those solids. I asked Lynsay for a bit of a write up and here is what she sent. I thought Lynsay’s comments regarding SPBs were bang on, so have included her entire note:
\”Finishing off my third year of showing of Paints, I\’ve realized have been very blessed to show two great horses who have helped me learn and make me look good. I have known Lynda and the late Ken Smith for over ten years, and our friendship ironically started when I asked if I could board my Arabian gelding at their place to ride (since it was conveniently close to home). I began learning about their horses and started appreciating a new breed. Over the years I swore one day I would have a Sierra kid. The years went by, things changed and my husband Mark and I went to look at two mares Lynda thought might fit for us. Nevertheless both mares came home with us, and we started this new adventure. Z1 A Supreme Solution \’Aspen\’ and Z1 A Supreme Sequence \’Lexy\’ are both Solid Paint Breds by Sierra Supreme and out of the matriarch Ms Hympressive Coy.
To date, Aspen has won: the Zone 10 year end High Point SPB in 2008, Zone 10 Show High Point SPB 2009, achieved 22 Grands, 10 Reserves, listed in the top 5 for Honor Roll SPB Halter Mares, and listed in the Top 10 for the APHA Top 20 SPB. The grand finale was this year though. We drove to the Saskatoon show to finish off her Superior in SPB Mare halter after her sister won under a judge at Nisku. Not only did she get her 1 point needed, she got 4 points and also won the exhibitor draw for $1000. Her sister Lexy has a pretty good record as well to date: 5 Grands, 7 Reserves, ROM, 3 showmanship points. I had the two mares at almost every show, for fear there were not going to be enough mares to make a class, and it is easier to find one SPB mare than two.
Showing Solid Bred Paints has been a great experience to learn about the breed and the people who show. Unfortunately, SPB horses are small in number at the shows, and it was very disappointing to not have enough entries for a class that you paid for, the same as everyone else. Its has been a very long journey for our horses to achieve what they have. Horses in the regular registry can achieve what we did in one year, sometimes in one show. SPB horses are of the same calibre, quality, and wish to be presented in the same limelight as those in the \”regular classes\”. I\’ve come to appreciate those who show their SPB horses proudly, and pleased APHA has added more classes to the World Show lineup. I guess you could say I\’ve become an advocate for the SPB: we\’re small in number, big at heart, and just want to be able to have some competition with us in the ring\”.