Merry Christmas!!

I have gotten a lot of new horse stuff for Christmas, including wahl cordless clippers, which are really nice, a brand new showmanship jacket which is awesome, and some smaller things like slinkies, and rail raisers. Please comment and tell me what you would like me to post on next because I have a lot of time in the winter. Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Fall Update

Now that it is fall again I plan to be starting blogging more. The summer was very busy sorry about that here's some things to get you going. Trail courses with under ten poles, if I can get it uploaded to YouTube. But check out my YouTube account, CoCoRL10, I have the entire tommy sheets trail clinic from the novice championships east!!
Also here are my first photo shoot photos of my cousin at a horse show! Tell me what you think! Thanks. The photos wre taken in a darker light on an iPhone, sorry if the quality is a little grainy.

More

Sorry for the summer delay I will probably get back to it this winter but until then follow my personal journey through my other blog. Link below here are some pics from my Pinterest board.

 Follow Abby's board CoCo on Pinterest.}

Quarter Horse Journey; Link here

It's been awhile

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, this fall I am attending the aqha novice championship show, which is a great way for novice riders around t he country to experience something like a world show, but at a much lesser price, the flat rate for everything is 300 dollars,two shows are offered one In Tennessee and one In Las Vegas. I will add the schedule soon, to qualify for this you have to have show  under 20 judges or get in the top ten at a regional chAmpionship to nationally qualify you can also state qualify and each state has its own set of requirements, visit your state affiliates website for more details on state qualifying. The schedule is here:
There is also a cattle novice championship offered. For more go to, Novice championships website

Arena A – Miller Coliseum		Arena B – Science Arena
Monday, Sept. 29
4:00 p.m.
Ride the Pattern "Working Hunter"
Ride the Pattern "Equitation Over Fences"
Ride the Pattern "Equitation on the Flat"
Tuesday, Sept. 30
8:00 a.m.		9:00 a.m.
NY Working Hunter		Rookie Youth Hunter Under Saddle
NA Working Hunter		Rookie Amateur Hunter Under Saddle
NY Equitation Over Fences		Rookie Youth Hunt Seat Equitation
NA Equitation Over Fences		Rookie Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation
NY Hunter Hack
NA Hunter Hack
NY Reining
NA Reining
Exhibitor Party - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 1
Arena A-1 - 7:00 a.m.	Arena A-2 - 7:00 a.m.
NY Hunt Seat Equitation	NA Hunt Seat Equitation
Arena A
NY Hunt Seat Equitation Rail
NA Hunt Seat Equitation Rail
NY Hunter Under Saddle
NA Hunter Under Saddle
Ride the Pattern "Trail"
Thursday, October 2
Arena A-1 - 7:00 a.m.	Arena A-2 - 7:00 a.m.	Arena B - 2:00 p.m.
NY Trail	NA Trail	Rookie Youth Trial
NY Trail Shootout	NA Trail Shootout	Rookie Amateur Trail
Arena A
NY Western Riding		NY Ranch Pleasure
NA Western Riding		NA Ranch Pleasure
Ride the Pattern "Horsemanship"
Ride the Pattern "Showmanship"
Friday, October 3
Arena A-1 - 7:00 a.m.	Arena A-2 (upon completion of OBE classes in Arena A-1)
OBE - Weanling Fillies
OBE - Weanling Colts/Geldings
OBE - Yearling Fillies
OBE - Yearling Geldings
OBE - Yearling Colts
NY Yearling Fillies	NA Yearling Geldings
NY Yearling Geldings	NA Yearling Fillies
NY Performance Halter Mares	NA Performance Halter Geldings
NY Performance Halter Geldings	NA Performance Halter Mares
NY Aged Mares	NA Aged Geldings
NY Aged Geldings	NA Aged Mares
NY Three-Yr-Old Fillies	NA Three-Yr-Old Geldings
NY Three-Yr-Old Geldings	NA Three-Yr-Old Fillies
NY Two-Yr-Old Fillies	NA Two-Yr-Old Geldings
NY Two-Yr-Old Geldings	NA Two-Yr-Old Fillies
Halter Champion of Champions Named	Halter Champion of Champions Named
NY Showmanship	NA Showmanship
NY Showmanship Semi Final	NA Showmanship Semi Final
Rookie Youth Showmanship	Rookie Amateur Showmanship
Saturday, October 4
Arena A-1 - 7:00 a.m.	Arena A-2 - 7:00 a.m.
NY Horsemanship	NA Horsemanship
NY Horsemanship Semi Final	Rookie Amateur Horsemanship
NA Horsemanship - Semi Final
Rookie Youth Horsemanship
NA Western Pleasure
Rookie Youth Western Pleasure
Sunday, October 5
Arena A - 8:00 a.m.
Rookie Amateur Western Pleasure
NY Western Pleasure
NY Barrel Racing
NA Barrel Racing
NY Pole Bending
NA Pole Bending
NY Stake Race
NA Stake Race

Pictures, finally!

I had a good show this weekend, not as great as I would have hoped but I am happy with some of the progress that I made. My best class by far was Showmanship and here are my class results:

• Novice- day 1
• 1st and 2nd out of 17
• Day 2
• 1st and 8th out of 20

• Youth-Day 1
• 1st and 3rd out of 5
• Day 2
• Two 1sts out of 6

I also purchased a photo cd of all my photos, so I will be making some sample ads for myself, and posting them as well as the pictures, would really like some feedback on the ads!!

Questions??

Have questions about anything to do with aqha? If your not sure don't hesitate to email me, or leave a comment ( i will not publish if you don't want) Here are some other places you can find the information:

• Equipment Rules-Rulebook
• Penalties-Rule Book
• About Leveling- Here or Aqha.com
• Where to find shows- Aqha.com (log in and go shows)(Each state also has it's own affiliate, so check there for the most recent updates)
• Show Clothes and Tack-your choice,

Leveling Confusion?????

At the horse show last week, I had my first real life experience with leveling, and now I too understand where in lies the confusion. The show that I was at offered leveling classes, but only in it's 3 most popular classes, Junior, Senior, and Amateur Trail. All of the other classes, and types of classes, like horsemanship only offered Novice. This really confused me, because if a show offered leveling in one part, and the old way in another, won't the points be different? Another question I have is because aqha has a new way to check your level will we still see points on the old system. Here are my main questions from the weekend.

• What happens to Novice is it all one and the same again? (or is Rookie supposed to play that)
• Do smaller shows have other options becuase they don't have enough numbers to support three classes?
• The announcers are all really confused and it takes them 3x as long to calculate results from leveling classes, how is this 'better". 
• How are leveling points tabulated and added to the horses show record? 

I just wanted to let you know that we are all on the same page here, so just try to focus on showing your horse and not so much on the messed up points system. If aqha is to really go through with this they also need to do the following:

• Make sure everyone understands the rule changes, and how they work (because most people don't have time to go to aqha)
• Make sure all the big shows offer leveling classes, and not half and half
• Re adjust the world and novice championship shows to accommodate all of the changes

Take the Survey

Aqha put out a survey about offering level 2 classes at the world show. If you need a reminder, level 2 is the next step above what used to be called novice. This survey takes 5-10 minutes, and they are giving away gift cards, so try it out!!
Also, now that I have come bsck from my first show I realized something about leveling. It is not as easy as it sounds on paper. Once you totally change they system from what it used to be, alot of people are going to be confused. Like I showed in a Novice class this weekend, but were not supposed to have it anymore. So don't worry if you are confused about leveling, for the most part it will not affect you, and if it does, find my points leveling chart or look up your show record, following the link from a few posts back. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them but I may be confused to.
Here is the link to the survey:
World Show Survey

Show candids

Came back from my first show yesterday and came home with 12.5 points in 4 different events!! Here are some pics more blogging stuff later.

Happy Easter!!

I just wanted to wish all of my readers a Happy Easter 2014, and a happy show season! I will be going to a show starting tomorrow, so I'm not sure how much posting I will be doing the rest of the week but I will definitely do a lot next week!

Know the Rules!

An important tip before you enter into any class is to know the rules, not the big ones like no western boots in an English Class, but the small little things that might surprise you about the tack. Such as no boots in a ranch horse class, but splint boots are allowed in reining. Here are the rules for Western Horsemanship: Research your class by going to the aqha handbook at the top of the page. All of the ones you may not know are highlighted in red, look especially at the spins, make sure you do that correctly! An 8th of a turn would be like a 45 degree angle. If it takes your horse 3 crossovers to do a quarter turn an eighth would be one or two steps.

• SHW437.1 Minor faults
  • Break of gait at walk or jog/trot up to 2 strides
  • Over/under turn up to 1/8 of turn
• SHW437.2 Major faults
  • Break of gait at a lope, out of lead or missing lead for 1-2 strides
  • Not stopping within 10 feet of designated area
  • Incorrect gait or break of gait at walk or jog for more than 2 strides
  • Over turn of more than 1/8 turn, but not more than 1/4
  • Exhibitor obviously looking down to check leads
  • Failure of bottom of boot to be in contact with the pad of the stirrup
  • Head carried too high
  • Head carried too low (tip of ear below the withers)
  • Over flexing or straining neck in head carriage so the nose is carried behind the vertical
  • Excessive nosing out
• SHW437.3 Severe Faults (avoids disqualification but should be placed below other exhibitors who do not incur a severe fault) include:
  • Loss of stirrup or rein
  • Missing a lead for more than 2 strides
  • Touching horse
  • Grabbing the saddle horn or any other part of the saddle
  • Cueing with the end of the romal
  • Spurring in front of the shoulder
  • Kicking at other horses, exhibitors or judge
  • Severe disobedience or resistance by horse including, but notlimited to, rearing bucking or pawing
• SHW437.4 Disqualifications (should not be placed) include:
  • Failure by exhibitor to wear correct number in visible manner
  • Willful abuse
  • Knocking over the cone, going off pattern or working on wrong side of cone
  • Excessive schooling or training
  • Fall by horse or rider
  • Illegal use of hands on reins
  • Use of prohibited equipment
  • Failure to follow pattern correctly including failure to ever execute correct lead or gait where called for
  • Overturning more than 1/4 of prescribed turn
• SHW437.5 Faults scored according to severity, which will be cause for disqualification, except in Level 1 (Novice) amateur or Level 1 (Novice) youth classes include:
  • Head carried too low (tip of ear below the withers consistently)
  • Over flexing or straining neck in head carriage so the nose is carried behind the vertical consistently, some you may not know about

Showing Toolkit

Getting ready for your first show, or have already shown? (Lucky, my horse has been hampered down by injury and hair removal). One important thing to not forget is your papers. Here are some things that you need to have before you hit the road.

•  Horse's Registration Papers
• Your AQHA Card
• Coggins Test
• Health Certificate
• Register of Merit, if needed
• Novice Application
• Pre-Entry Forms
• Travel Certificate (if going long distances from home)

Although it may seem to be a given that you have all of these things, you need to double check. I once got although the way to Georgia and thought that I didn't have my health certificate. But luckily I had an extra one. These are just some things to think about before you go to a show.
Also handy to know is you and your horse's registration forms so that when you fill out your entry forms you don't have to double check. If your trainer is going to show your horse their AQHA Id will also be needed. If you are at a local show though they may have the ID on file.
Just some things to think about before you hit the road!
Happy Showing, CocoRL10

Novice Application

     To prove that you are eligible for the Novice or Level one divisions you need to file a license before you go to your show first show. Otherwise you will not be able to compete in any Novice Class. If you are showing multiple horses you will only need to file one application for yourself because Novice is based off of the riders points. Now that I have discovered the use of links, I will keep using them, and don't be surprised if I use 5 or 6 in the upcoming posts.
But because this is a PDF I cannot link it so I will bring you to the aqha page, scroll down to the enrollment section and click that link, and it should lead you there.
Level 1 page
***If you need to discover what level you are classified under, also click the link, and hit find your level.

Miscellaneous Horse Show Stuff

 Post 2/2
Here is some misc stuff that I thought would be helpful. The first one is a weekend show budget planner, put out by aqha to help track expenses. The following is to a website with patterns and it is the congress patterns page, it is easier to now do links so that you can choose your own classes. This website cost money to use but you can always access the Congress patterns, don't worry that they're too hard, it'll be good for you!! and most of them are extremely challenging, especially if you look up the Novice patterns.
****Sorry I can't get to that page anymore but I will copy some other patterns, and I after I show I will post all of my patterns for people to see****
Weekend Show Budget
Sorry that these patterns are hard, for the trail you could just take part of it if you didn't have enough room, together the sections aren't too bad, you could also modify them to your needs.

Horseback Riding Hours

Post 1 of 2 today:
Ever wanted to log your hours by joining the American Quarter Horse Associations' sponsored one? Well now I have made an excel worksheet that makes logging your hours easy. Either print out this sheet, or add it to your computer files. Simply mark the number of hours for each day. In addition I will be sponsoring a contest for the end of the yr that is a 100 dollar Schneider's gift card. I will send it through email so you don't have to give me your address. It is free to enter. So here is the document. Happy Riding!!!
****Please test this link**** I have found new software that I can finally link pages to so please check it out!! This one is to the AQHA horseback riding page. (the enrollment part)
AQHA Horseback Riding Program Enrollment Page

I made this one a link as well:
Horseback Riding Log Sheet

Hunter Under Saddle

Here is the newest video in my classes series. I don't have as much time now as I did in the winter to do videos every day but I will try to do one at least once a week. I will do a new post without a video every other or every two or three days. Sorry they are not as frequent,but please notify me if you really need to practice something before a show or if you had trouble with a maneuver or class at the previous show or practice session.

Back to Basics

In case you forgot what I said at the beginning of this blog, I am going to republish my first ever post. If at any time you don't think that I'm following through on this don't hesitate t contact me I will do my best to let you know what you want

Welcome to Quarter Horse Insight!

     I created this site so that people across the quarter horse industry would understand the rules to a broader perspective, I will show you demo videos, using the show me app, and by using screencast-o-matic. With both of these combined I hope to be able to give you an in depth look, at how the rules work. During the show season there was always a lot of conversation about "pointing out", and most times no one really knew what that meant or how you did point out. If you're new to showing not really sure what's going on I will be posting some videos that help you access the aqha website, and shows you the ropes.  I  am going to try to sort out the different components of the aqha rules, which can be confusing because their have been so many new changes in the past few years.  My first video is on leveling, which determines your points on a 3 yr basis.
Thanks for watching!
CocoRL10

Justin Rookie of the Year

I realized that I have glossed over this really cool award. It applies to you if this is your first year of showing Quarter Horses, or if you haven't earned (you not the horse) hasn't earned any points in non-novice divisions. You could have pointed out of the Rookie Class, and shown in an Amateur Class and still be eligible. If you didn't earn any points in an Amatuer or Youth Class you are eligible.
What the award does is recognize people starting their showing career. You will be competing against people from your province or state. If you live internationally it goes by country. Whoever gets the morst amateur or youth points in their state wins a belt buckle, justin boots, and other cool prizes. This might still be confusing to you, sorry, so I will make a bulleted list to explain it, and stuff from aqha.com.

• Who's Eligible
• AQHA members who have not earned their first point in an amateur or youth class(does not incluse novice points)
• Objective
• To get the most points 
• You only have 1 YEAR to earn those points
• After that year you are done. 
• You can win prizes like belt buckles and other things
• FACTS
• Point ranges of average winners are under 10 points but can go higher in states like Texas where lits of people show, t
• The standings are published on the members only area of aqha.com look for the Justin Rookie tab
• A National and State winner is given
• NATIONAL
• Age groups are given, 11 and under, 12-14, 15-18. 
• Amateur- 30 and under 31-49, 50 and over
• For regular there are no age groups just amateur and youth
• Here is the page from Aqha.com:

Justin/AQHA Youth & Amateur
Intermediate Awards

• 
  
  Sponsored by
  1. To be eligible for the award, the exhibitor cannot have won any AQHA points (in open, youth, or amateur) prior to the year of the award.2. The award is based on points accumulated on a one-horse/one-exhibitor basis and the horse's ownership must meet the requirements of rule 403/404 in the 2004 AQHA Official Handbook.
  3. All eligible exhibitors must hold current year Memberships in appropriate divisions (either youth or amateur).
  4. The Youth and Amateur divisions contain three categories:
   
  11 & Under
  12 - 14
  15 - 18
  30 & Under
  31 - 49
  Amateur Select*
  *Amateur Select is 50 & Over5. Upon receipt of the exhibitor's first 1/2 point or more, the exhibitor will be notified by AQHA of eligibility. In order to maintain eligibility, the exhibitor must return the notification letter with signature verifying birth date.6. All ties will be broken in the following order to receive any corporate sponsored awards:
      A. To the person winning points in the greatest number of events
      B. To the person with the greatest number of wins
      C. To the person who earned their last point first
        example: the person who earned their 50th point in March
         would win over the person who earned their 50th point in May.
  Awards: Amateurs who have never earned a point in AQHA-approved shows, and who earned the most points in the current year in their appropriate age division will receive a pair of Justin boots, a sterling silver and gold Montana Silversmiths belt buckle, and $2,000 cash. Youth winners will receive a pair of Justin boots, sterling silver and gold Montana Silversmiths belt buckle, and:
  1.)$2,000 scholarship for 11 & under and 12 - 14
  2.)$3,000 scholarship for 15 - 18.
  All national award rules apply as listed above. Exception: no age categories.Awards: The Amateur and Youth with the highest point totals will be recognized as respective Intermediates for each state/province. The Amateur winner and the Youth winner will both receive a trophy belt buckle and a certificate for a pair of Justin boots.
     
• From America;'s Horse Daily:
• In the youth age divisions, each winner receives a scholarship, belt buckle and a certificate for a free pair of Justin boots. Amateur age division winners receive a cash prize, belt buckle and a certificate for a free pair of Justin boots. Each state/province winner receives a belt buckle and a certificate for a free pair of Justin boots.

AQHA Incentive Fund

I keep forgetting to talk about this cool way to earn money through aqha. It starts out with the foal owner, and stallion. The breeder of it's a bigger barn with a stallion will probably enroll that stud into the incentive fund program. What that means is that when the Babies are born they also need to be registered in the incentive fund. After that, once they start competing, for every point you earn you will get some money. At the end of each year checks will be mailed giving the owner 70% of the earnings! the breeder gets 15&15 also goes to the stallion owner.
There is only one catch to all of this.
You have to re register every year paying a fifty dollar license fee.  However the point numbers go up every year. I think that for each point they pay out approximately 12-15 dollars so if you even earned 5 to 10 points you would be making some. Money.
For some reason I can't link the competition license but look it up on aqha.com if you are interested.
http://www.aqha.com/Showing/Content-Pages/Points-and-Rewards/Incentive-Fund/~/media/Files/Resources/Showing/Incentive%20Fund%20Annual%20License.ashx
Also the incentive fund is only open to amateur and open competitors.

Western Pleasure

Here is the newest video in my classes series. Pleasure, no need to be rich!

Sorry that I haven't posted in so long! This is a horse show checklist that I found on the horse show channel.com. For more stuff like this contact me and I will find it or go to the website listed above.

Horse Show Checklist

Follow this checklist to ensure you have everything you need.

Paperwork: Map to showgrounds  Show information  Rulebook  Membership cards  Horse registration  Health certificate, coggins, other required veterinary information  Emergency telephone numbers  Test booklet (dressage riders); NRHA patterns (reiners)  Checkbook/wallet/I.D.  Veterinarian phone number For Travel:  Truck and trailer registration  Head bumper  Shipping boots or wraps  Tail bandage  Stable sheet  Leather or breakway halters  Lead ropes  Ties  Jack for trailer  Tail bag/wrap  Spare tire  Jack  Manure fork  Emergency phone numbers in case of breakdown  Trailer first-aid kit  Plenty of stored water for horse(s); buckets	For You:  Sunblock  Sunglasses  Hat or cap  Comfortable clothes/shoes for after competition  Beverages and snacks  Folding chairs  Aspirin, Band-Aids  Camera  Cell phone  Lint remover  Toiletries  Safety pins and sewing kit  Grooming apron or other cover-up For Your Horse:  Bridles  Bits  Saddles  Saddle pads  Cinches/girths  Legwear (for warm-up, as well as show-ring--as dictated by your discipline)  Approved martingales or other auxillary tack  Spare stirrups and leathers  Breast plate, as needed  Whip/crop  Longe line and longe whip (optional)  Stud chain (optional)  Halter and lead line, plus a spare  Horse blanket and cooler (optional)  Drinking water and bucket  Hay/haynet, other feed  Equine first-aid kit  Treats  Stall guard and screw eyes (if you’re boarding overnight)	For Grooming:  Fly spray  Buckets  Shampoo / conditioner / detangler  Sweat scraper  Brushes, curries  Hoof pick  Coat polish  Spot remover and/or whitening product  Sponges and rags  Hoof dressing / polish  Grooming tote  Leather cleaner  Cordless clippers (for missed hairs)  Water in a spray bottle  Braiding kit / banding supplies  Scissors  Ribbons for mane (saddleseat)  Rain gear, if needed Show Apparel:  Breeches/jodphurs  Jeans or show pants  Chaps  Boots  Boot pulls and jack  Boot socks  Boot polish  Spurs  Shin and knee guards (games/gymkhana); other protective gear  Coat, jacket or vest  Show shirt  Helmet or hat  Hair net/hair accessories  Tie / pin / scarf / choker  Underpasses (saddleseat)  Gloves  Belt/buckle  Rain gear, if needed

Showmanship

The second video in my new series about the class types, this one is Showmanship. In my showmanship career, I have about 30 points and am a top 5 and top 10 regional championship placer in Novice. I plan on going to the Novice Championship show this year.
If you are looking for more showmanship help there are many youtube videos about it. Holly Hover has some really good ones, America's Horse Daily also has some good reports about showmanship tips. If the video quality is not good, I'm sorry, I uploaded it before it was fully read. So search youtube for CocoRL10 and it will come up or should.

The Halter Class

First in my new video series about the classes, enjoy!

Upcoming

this post is really going to be just a reminder for myself. But to also let people know what I am going to be doing in this next wk (definitely some if I don't get to all)

• What the Judges are looking for in each class:
• I will do some basic classes, I am aiming for 6 or 7 like
• Halter
• Showmanship
• Pleasure
• Hunter Under Saddle
• Horsemanship
• Hunt Seat Equitation
• Trail
• *If you want any more please leave me a note. 
• What I will try to do is publish the rule standard and link a video, and score sheets to it.