Youth
Horse of the Month Winners - 2008
Sponsored by Breyer Animal Creations
December
C STREET
Meet my wonderful 16 year old Arabian Gelding, C Street (Backstreet x Windkist Cie.) He is the most amazing horse with the biggest personality. He is the funniest horse and the best riding horse in the universe. C Street (C-B as he is known around the barn) is the greatest horse there is. C-B is not only a great horse but a great friend!
As I was saying, C-B is an admirable horse but he also has an amazing personality! My wonderful Arabian's disposition is great. C-B is so good I can sit in his stall while he is eating or anytime. This handsome little gelding is funnier that a comedian. My honorable horse is so friendly to both two-legged and four-legged. C-Street is like my own personal babysitter because he takes care of me.
My perky little Arabian is hard to outrun at riding. To start off he listens so well, and C-B is rarely bad. When C-Street was 5, the western saddle slid under him and he got his foot caught in the stirrup. He thankfully doesn't mind the western saddle now because he is such a beautiful mover both hunt seat and western. My wonderful equine companion has the ability to show locally and regionally. Even though he isn't a big show horse he is everything you would want in a horse.
I adore my Arabian because he is so fun. When I go trail riding he is awesome, he doesn't spook at anything and he goes over things like dead branches and fallen trees. C-Street is the quirkiest horse I have ever seen. When you put your head under his nose C-B wiggles his nose and messes up your hair. If I am sad my favorite horse gives me a big kiss to make me feel better. He is also fun at riding because he does funny things. My Arabian is sooo fun to be around!
I still have much more to say about this handsome Arabian. Even though my horse isn't perfect, he still means the world to me and I love him and he loves me. My horse deserves to be AHA Horse of the Month for his outstanding personality. It would truly be an honor for this horse to be the Horse of the Month!
Stephanie Smith, 11, Weymouth, MA
November
PEARL JAM
My name is Austin Shaffer and I am nine years old. My horse, Pearl Jam deserves to be Horse of the Month. He is a 10 year old purebred Arabian gelding that is 14.1 hands with a very big heart. He loves to run and we ride endurance together. We have a total of 510 endurance miles. This year we went to the AERC National Championship ride in Heneryville, Indiana on October 18 to ride the 50 mile championship ride. There was a total of 114 horses starting in the 50 mile ride and 11 junior riders competing. Jam and I were third overall and we won the Junior AERC National Championship with a ride time of four hours and eighteen minutes. We were flying; it was so much fun!!! Jam and I also took home lots of awards from AERC and AHA because we were also the third place purebred Arabian. We got lots of pictures taken and Jam just loves his picture taken!
I started riding Jam last year in endurance. My grandpa bought him at the Addis Equine Auction in Madison, Wisconsin in 2005. When he first cam home he was very girthy but with all the riding I am doing he is getting much better at being saddled. I have done lots of riding on Jam to get him in condition to endurance ride. I was having trouble getting Jam to go away from the other horses so my grandma took me to a horse show to run barrels. That way I would be riding him in the ring alone and teaching him to go where I wanted him to go. He was never trained for barrels or pole but he did great! I ended up with first in Speed and Action and won two second place ribbons in barrels and straight barrels. I broke the timer in the poles class. You would have thought he was trained to do those classes he did so well.
Jam was trained English and has won a lot in the Native Costume classes but he "LOVES ENDURANCE"
When we first cam home, he was never in a pasture and didn't even know how to roll. Now, he rolls and rolls and is the muddiest horse in the pasture. I give him all kinds of treats and we even bake him cookies. Next year I and planning on entering a 100 mile ride with him. Jam and I love to ride endurance. You get to go to lots of places far away and see beautiful scenery and meet lots of people. I am sure thankful for all the ride managers out there putting on these races so I have a chance to ride my horse Jam!!!
Austin Shaffer, 9, Elderton, PA
September
SJ NITE LILY
I want to nominate our new horse SJ Nite Lily, or "LILY" as we call her- as the Horse of the Month. I think Lily should be the horse of the month because she loves me and my little brother who is three. We used to have a half Arabian gelding named Abidan but he had to be put to sleep when I was three, he was twenty four. I don't remember him very well but I was the last person to ride him and my Mom still cries whenever she sees a horse that reminds her of him; they grew up together. My Mom hoped that Abidan would teach me how to ride but it was not to be.
Then we bought a weanling named Galliano- he was a half Arabian too and became a great show horse but he was not very nice to me and my brother. My Mom said that having a family horse was much more important than winning ribbons. We sold Galliano to a really nice lady who takes good care of him. It was time for us to search for the perfect family horse.
Me and my Mom (not my brother so much because he doesn't sit still) looked at what seemed like hundreds of horses. Some were too old, some would not pass a vet check, some were too hot for children. It seemed like we would never find our family horse. Then we found Lily's picture on the internet. My heart stopped and my Mom and I looked at each other, she was beautiful! She was a black and white pinto Half Arabian, half Saddlebred filly. She looked just like a drawing I made of a horse I had dreamed about!
"But she's only three, almost 16.1 hands and not even started under saddle!" my Mom said.
But my Mom agreed to write to the lady who owned her. It turned out that our trainers knew the owner and she is a really nice lady. My mom needed to know that Lily was good natured and friendly. I didn't care if I ever won a ribbon. I just wanted to brush and to hug her. I'm not a very good rider anyway because I had to have splints on my legs until I was six so it didn't matter to me if she would ever be a show horse.
The owner sent us a picture of Lily out in a big field with her neck curled around her son Lucas, a little boy about the same age as my brother. That was enough for my Mom after she passed the vet check, Lily made the trip from Saskatchewan all the way to Chilliwack, BC.
I couldn't wait to meet her. She was even more beautiful in person than when we saw her in the pictures and the videos! When I went into her stall and gave her an apple she walked over and gave me a hug! My brother, who is shy around horses even wanted to come into her stall. She put her head down and nuzzled his hair. He reached up and hugged her face and she just stood there looking at him. I think Lily thinks my little brother is Lucas, the little boy from the picture.
Lily is so kind and gentle that I want to start taking riding lessons again now that my legs are so much stronger. I think she deserves to be the horse of the month because she has taught me to dream about riding again and since she is so special, I think I will be able to. I also think she deserves to be Horse of the Month because she loves us as much as we love her and I believe we were meant to find each other.
Marlowe Evans, 8, Maple Ridge, BC Canada
August
MR JINGLE JANGLE
JJ is our five; soon to be six-year-old half Arabian, half Welsh pony. I think he is a great horse and should be Horse of the Month because he is the kindest horse I have EVER met. My brother Kenny, Sister Claire and I got him as a three year old from Santa for Christmas, and he let us ride him not long after. He is only five years old and has already won several National Top Tens ay Youth Nationals this year in Dressage, Hunter, Trail and Hunter Seat Equitation while being ridden by me, a ten year old!
He will let me ride him bareback, and though he hasn't shown it before, he can even jump a little. He is curious, even for a half Welsh. He's the most stubborn horse on the ranch, but he has the biggest heart. JJ has taught me a lot, even though he threw me once. I learned from it and he hasn't done it since.
He is only about 14.0 hands. He thinks he's as big as all the other horses, except for his brother, who's smaller than him. He was born here in California, and his mother was Welch and his father was purebred Arabian. Other than his size and a bit of his gait, his conformation looks pure Arabian. I think he was a little rough when we got him, he had a few bad tricks. We worked him out of them, and now he's the best show horse we could ever have. He's our Christmas pony.
Mia Doran, 10, Lincoln, CA
July
BW JODI LEE
I think my horse Jodi should be the Horse of the Month because she is the sweetest, most loving, gentlest horse you will ever meet.
BW Jodi Lee was born in Ohio in 1993 She is 15 years old and 13.3 hands high. We got her on April 21, 2006. I love this mare to death!
I am still learning how to ride, and Jodi has been there for me through good and hard times. When I first tried to canter, I lost the reins and one stirrup and was getting off balance when Jodi felt that so she eased to a walk and then completely stopped. But I didn't fall off!
The first time I showed Jodi she was there for me too. It was my first showmanship class and I had forgotten to back 5 steps. When we got to the cone we were supposed to back and my mind went completely blank! I had about 3 more seconds before I had to just move on. Then Jodi backed about 2 steps and it all rushed back to me again! I knew what to do. Surprising, we got 5th place!
Jodi shows in Western and English Showmanship. English Equitation, English Pleasure, Trail, Costume, Dressage, Hunter/Jumper, and Hunt Seat. She is very, very versatile. She will do anything you ask her.
She will always come to you whether you're in her stall or the field. Jodi is always willing to work ad loves attention. Her favorite treats are peppermints. Whenever I am having a bad day, I will just got to her and lean on her. She will give me kisses and hugs. I think it's funny that she knows how to do that.
If Jodi won the AHA Horse of the Month Award, I'd be so happy and proud of my little, 13.3 Arabian mare!
Katy Garner, Pataskala, OH
June
FIRE WALKER
I think my horse Fire Walker, or Jack as we call him, should be the horse of the month. He is just the most loveable horse in the world! Jack loves people and treats the most. He loves licking people's hands and faces. Jack is the most Adorable horse ever!
My parents bought Jack in October 2005. Jack was a surprise to me! We went to the barn one day and I was petting this one horse, when my mom was petting another. I asked why she was petting that horse. She then told me was our horse. I went into his stall and he was beautiful. He was a chestnut with four white stockings. He was pretty tall and had a long tail, but a short main. He was only one month older than me. He was my very first horse.
Jack is the type of horse that will get attention any time he gets a chance. He is in the very first stall in our barn, so he gets everyone to notice him first. He will paw non-stop until someone notices him or gives him a treat. His pawing has gotten him in big trouble though. We are trying to get him to stop, but he gets carried away and won't stop. He has been pawing since we first got him.
At my first horse show with him, I got second place. It was the best placing I ever got so far, although I have only been to one show before that. I didn't have a good experience with my second show. I ended up falling off during the class, and breaking my arm. I didn't blame it on Jack because we found out he got spooked by something. When my arm healed, I kept on going and went right on to the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. I was so happy to get a top ten with him. I also ended up getting two top tens at Youth Nationals.
Jack had a great 2006 show season and part of 2007, until we found out he was lame in his left front leg. We weren't able to do any show with him, but we tried Scottsdale with him. I got Reserve Champion with him in Hunter Pleasure, and Champion in Equitation. We were going to show him at Region 7, but he got lame again. Finally, I was able to show him at Youth Nationals where I went unanimous Champion in my pleasure class.
Even though I fell off Jack and broke my arm, I think he is still one of the best horses ever. It would be a great honor if Fire Walker was Horse of the Month, especially for all that he has been through.
Olivia Pakula, 11, Scottsdale, Ariz.
May
GENESIS AAMBROSE
I think Ambrose should be horse of the month because he is 27 years old, the kindest and gentlest, still showing and loving it, very versatile and to me, he is the BEST horse in the world!
Genesis Aambrose, Ambrose as we call him, was born in Kansas in 1981. He is 14.3 hands high. When Ambrose turned 24 we started leasing him from a friend. When we first started leasing Ambrose, he was very unfriendly towards us. He would go to the back of his stall and turn his butt to us, but after a few weeks of seeing us every day, he decided that he liked all of the attention and treats he was getting and he was soon waiting by his stall door for us.
Ambrose took me to my first show. We had a great time! It was soon after our first show that his owner decided that Ambrose and I belonged together. Not long after Ambrose was mine, we moved him home so I could go out to the barn to see him and ride him whenever I wanted to. It does not matter where Ambrose is, in the barn or out in the pasture, when I go outside and he sees or hears me he calls out to me.
Ambrose always knows when we are going to a show. He prances out of the barn and is blowing and all excited. Ambrose shows in Showmanship, Halter, English Pleasure, English Equitation, Western Pleasure, Western Horsemanship, Dressage, Gymkhana & Trail. His favorite is the Gymkhana classes. You name it, he does it, but the most important part is that he LOVES doing it. As soon as we go into the show ring, his ears perk up and he moves so smooth. It's like he is saying " Hey, everyone, look at me!" And everyone does.
Ambrose is the kind of horse that you can ride out with just a rope halter and a bareback pad and know that you will be safe and that he will take care of you. I have ridden Ambrose while I am holding my puppy, my cat or my little brother. He is very careful so they will not get jarred around or fall off. There is just no other horse that is as careful and kind as my Ambrose.
I have put my Bantam chickens in the stall with Ambrose and he puts his head down and watches where he is stepping so he does not hurt them. I have even put my chickens on his back and he just stands there eating or sleeping. Ambrose is very gentle with everything! My 3 brothers ride him all over the place. He is the calmest horse anyone could ever imagine!!!
Ambrose has taught me so much. Ambrose has taught me patience when we were learning Trail, how to get correct leads for Western and English. Ambrose has also taught me responsibility and what it means to own a horse.
Ambrose is my first horse and whenever I am having a bad day he is always there for me. I can go out to the barn and talk to him and he nuzzles me and makes me laugh and feel better. He is very special to me and I love him more than anything! I would love for others to know what a wonderful horse he is! I ride other horses, but at the end of the day, there is no other horse as special as Ambrose and I feel very fortunate to have him in my life.
Winning AHA Horse of the Month would be an honor for this great horse!!!
Katy Shearer, 14, Ashland, Ohio
April
VALHALLA CEASAR
Valhalla Ceasar, Ceasar as his friends refer to him, is a 1977 bay Arabian gelding with quite a fascinating story. Born in Meade, WA, Ceasar was kept a stallion until the age of seven. He has sired thirteen Purebred Arabians and one Half Arabian. Ceasar's children and Grandchildren have gone on to produce very successful offspring both in AHA and out. But Ceasar has not only produced champions, he is a champion himself. Ceasar was Top Ten at the Canadian National Championship in 1982 and at the Us National Championship in Purebred Gelding Halter in 1983. Ceasar was also a Regional Champion in Western Pleasure and Halter.
Ceasar may be very successful both in the show ring and out, but perhaps his greatest achievement was teaching a little girl to ride. My family bought Ceasar when I was five and Ceasar was twenty-two. He was the first horse I ever rode on a trail ride, rode bareback, fell off of, and the first horse I ever showed. Ceasar carried me through my first two years of 4-H shows, but sadly bowed a tendon three years ago when he was attacked by another horse in a pasture. We thought his injured leg and the gaping wounds that covered his body may have killed my first horse. He recovered and was retired to our friend's pasture a year later.
Walks down the road turned into me being allowed to ride him down the road in a halter. Next came the bridle, then a bareback pad, and now Ceasar is able to wear a saddle, go on trail rides, trot, and even canter a bit. Despite the stereotype that Arabs are spooky, he now walks over wooden bridges and past bulldozers, cars and roadblocks. Now at the age of 30, he doesn't limp anymore despite the bowed tendon and ringbone. Even after a two hour trail ride, he tries to trot home. Oh, that feisty little Arab!
Ceasar is the most proud, independent, and intelligent horse I have ever met. He is so versatile and still beautiful at the ripe, old age of 30! (He will celebrate his 31st birthday this year on the 16th of April.) I will always love him for his patience and for teaching me to ride and show. Being the AHA's Horse of the Month would be yet another honor this wonderful horse deserves.
Christina Frost, 16 , Issaquah, WA
March
AN SIDRA
An Sidra, Buddy as I call him, is a Spanish/ Polish Arabian. He was bred by Tom Chauncey Arabians in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was shown and used as a ranch horse. He was retired to a ranch in Wikenburg, AZ when he was 18.
My mom purchased Buddy for me for Christmas when I was 8 years old. Buddy taught me to ride and always took care of me.
We purchased Buddy from the slaughter truck. He was due to be slaughtered the Thursday before Christmas 2004. He was skin and bones. My mom cleaned him up and put a big, red bow on him for me. I have never been so excited! I have ridden hin English and Western Pleasure all over the Arizona desert. I have also taken him to trail clinics. He has never refused to do anything.
We were able to track down his history because he had a tattoo on his neck!
He has a lot of life in him and I love him a lot. I hope he wins Horse of the Month so other people will realize that there are great older horses out there. I hope that more horse can be saved from going to slaughter.
Ashley McKinney, 11, Tucson, Arizona
February
RIVER CHIEF
I have owned River Chief for about 4 years now. When I first got him, I didn't expect him to be such a wonderful horse! I was finally able to convince my parents to let me get a horse, and I couldn't have gotten a better one than Chief.
Chief is a 28 year old Arabian who loves to run! Starting out, I never had given one thought of showing. But then, my riding instructor was a barrel racer and she got me started on it. Also, the barn I keep him at is a big western pleasure group. So Chief and I ended up showing in western pleasure and doing a lot of barrel racing and pole bending. Let me tell you, Chief's age could fool anyone once he starts running! He's won quite a few ribbons and trophies for me and was even awarded Hi-Point for games this past year.
At home, Chief is just the biggest lover ever. He is always the first one you hear when you walk into the barn. He would do just about anything for me. He's actually gotten my cousin and sister into showing. I don't think we could love him anymore than we already do!
I just cannot believe that God has blessed me with such a lovely boy! I would love to be able to award him Horse of the Month, and I will still love him no matter what!
Lisa Northagen, 16, Thompson, ND
January
HEARTS ADRIFT
My Horse Hearts Adrift, or Sunshine as she's known around the barn, deserves to be Horse of the Month for one main reason: She jumps! I looked back on the previous Horses of the Months and none had a picture of them jumping, and VERY few mentioned jumping. Arabians are extremely versatile, and Sunshine definitely shows that! Here are a FEW of the things Sunshine can do besides her main talent, jumping:
Endurance, Dressage, English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Trail Riding (her favorite pastime), and much more! If that doesn't show the versatile Arabian, then I don't know what does!
The other reason Sunshine should be Horse of The Month is her ability to "heal" people. Back in February of 2007, before I got Sunshine, I made a difficult move from Virginia to Tennessee. I left my friends behind, my school behind, and the barn I took lessons from behind. I spent my friendless days looking up horses for sale online, knowing I could never get one because my parents thought they were expensive and time consuming. One day, I came across an online ad about an Arabian for sale in a town less than 20 minutes away! I couldn't believe it! Not only was this horse my favorite breed (Who DOESN'T like Arabians?), she was within my reach!
It took some convincing, but my parents agreed to let me try her out. I think we all knew that they were only letting me because I was lonely. When I got there, I saw Sunshine. She was as beautiful as the pictures. I went into the stall with her and she immediately came over and put her head to my chest. I couldn't wait to get on this magnificent mare.
When I began riding her, it was like floating on a cloud. I couldn't believe how wonderful she was! Some Arabians can be high strung, but not this gentle mare! What impressed me the most was her ability to trot jumps without speeding to a canter right before it, and her ability to canter the jumps without going at a full gallop. We were a match made in heaven, and my parents knew that. A month later, Sunshine was all mine!!
Sunshine doesn't have a ton of show experience, she doesn't have the best bloodlines, and maybe she wouldn't be the best barrel racing or rodeo horse, but Sunshine is one thing that will NEVER change: My best friend.
Katie Jevin, Franklin, TN
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