Alberta Paint Horse Club By Connie Webb 2011 Show Calendar July 15-17: Big West, Drayton Valley, AB Aug 4-7: Zone 10 Paint O Rama, Calgary, AB http:// www.zone10zoneorama.ca Sept 10-11: Harvest of Colors, Saskatoon, SK http://www.saskpainthorseclub.com Sept 24-25: Fall Round-up, Ponoka, AB http://www.northernhorse.com/aphc/
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he 2011 Executive consists of Greg Gavelin (President), Ron Gutek (Vice President), Shelley Bablitz (Treasurer), and Lynn Hoosier (Secretary). Club Directors are: Jackie Harke, Glenn Hyde, Mary-Ann Tourangeau, Connie Webb, Janene Moch, Lynsay Atchison, and Larry Barber. Tidbits I’m sure we can all agree this has been quite a different year for all horse owners. Snow until May, changing into rain, and lots of it where I am, and then, the one thing that stopped all of us in our tracks, EHV-1. Much praise to the Saskatchewan Paint Horse Club who put the safety of our horses first by
cancelling their Lloydminster Paint Horse Show previously scheduled for the May long weekend. The information was just starting to be released when the SPHC executive proactively took a stand, ignored the financial consequences and encouraged everyone to stay home. So, that’s where most of the paint horse people have been for those long weeks, in self-imposed quarantine. Personally, I think we should all take some time to address our own horse health practices, especially when attending events where horses gather from all over. Thanks to the weekly updates from Moore and Company Vet Clinic, the APHC Board of Directors were able to continuously monitor this situation; since non-cutting events are rated as low risk, it’s perfect timing for the Hay City Classic Paint Horse Show June 11 and12 in Olds. I’ll have all the results, a report on our “pink” events (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation), and I just know there’ll be some great pictures, too. After the Hay City Classic Show, we look forward to the Big West Color Classic Show, July 15-17 in Drayton Valley. This is always a great show even if you count the outhouse
races (last year anyways) which were part of the team tournament. Can’t forget the awesome exhibitor supper, which is a great opportunity to visit. Once again, there’s a full slate of classes including seven $500 added stake classes and two $250 added 2 yr old classes. See our website for more information: http://www.northernhorse.com/aphc/. Our show and year-end high point rules underwent a major rework this year, and they’re now posted on our website. There’s nothing drastic that’s changed, just better clarification. Speaking of awards, we’re still actively looking for sponsors to help support our club and our members. Remember, there’s a $100 draw at the AGM for each sponsor that a member successfully contacts. There’s been a director change on our board: Todd Bailey has resigned and MaryAnn Tourangeau was voted in by the Board of Directors to fi ll the vacancy. Todd has been a great volunteer, past President and Director for many, many years and we thank him for his support and contributions. Please email me (Connie) with any news you’d like to share, at: cbwebb@telusplanet.net
Book Review The Rescue of Belle and Sundance A Miracle on Mount Renshaw Author Birgit Stutz with Lawrence Scanlan A heartwarming story of two stranded horses and the small northern BC town determined to save them. This book recreates the rescue that sent a message of hope and compassion around the world. On December 15, 2008, two snowmobilers discovered a pair of abandoned horses atop BC’s Mount Renshaw in the Canadian Rockies. Belle and Sundance were a sorry sight -- they were emaciated, shivering and trapped in a small shelter they had made for themselves by tramping down the six-foot deep snow. Next morning, a party of four from the nearby town of McBride was sent back up the mountain with a bale of hay, a handgun and a heartbreaking choice to make: either feed the horses, or shoot them. 62 • Saddle Up • July 2011
The four agreed: there was an undeniable glimmer in the eyes of Belle and Sundance, and the decision was made to feed them. But saving the two horses would require a lot more than hay. Weighing their options, many people in McBride decided to pull on their long johns and pitch in -- they would dig, by hand, the three-foot-wide, six-foot-deep, kilometre-long tunnel that became Belle and Sundance’s route to freedom. The Rescue of Belle and Sundance takes the reader up that starkly beautiful but bitterly cold mountain to the heart of the struggle to save two horses. In this account, with its grim beginning and its glad and joyful end, Stutz and Scanlan recreate the rescue that sent a message of hope and compassion around the world.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd www.harpercollins.ca Hard Cover, 242 pages ISBN 978-1-55468-619-3 Retail: $24.99 HCBC 2010 BUSINESS OF THE YEAR