Vol 6 No 6

Letter from the Editor

Dear Golden State Membership,

Get the fly spray out, Summer is here! I’m ready for some pleasant days, are you? The rain is wonderful, but I think we have had plenty (but is there ever enough in California?)

Golden State competitors did a bang-up job in Guthrie, results and photos in this issue. What’s the next BIG thing for VRH? The AQHA VRH World Show in Amarillo June 15-21. Our club will be well represented by Josie Driscoll, Bryan Jaeger, Amanda Johnson, Jennifer Ray, Christian Scanlan, and Todd Miller. Good luck everyone, bring home those championships!

We will have to wait until July for the next Golden State Shows, but the wait will be worth it. Information for those shows and several others follow.

The work on our Golden State web site continues and should be ready for the big reveal soon. Don’t forget to send pictures to this editor, she still needs to hear from many of you. Or—don’t blame her if page one is Fred, page two is Fred, page 3 is Fred, and so on!

If you saw the Preakness, you had the opportunity to watch a truly courageous horse and jockey. Journalism and Umberto Rispoli defined perseverance that day. They reminded me of another courageous horse, Rich Strike, and his story is in this newsletter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Happy Summer horse showing!

Sincerely,

Dawn Poston
Editor

Send comments, concerns, & ideas to JumperDawn@aol.com

NRSHA

Successful First World Show

In a pivotal move, NRSHA determined to have their 2025 World Show in Guthrie, OK and as a separate endeavor from the AQHA World Show. By all accounts and all measures, the show was a tremendous success. I think we can all look forward to many more NRSHA World Shows in the future.

There were over 350 entries and our intrepid crew from Golden State had a big impact on their various divisions. Pictures and results follow.

A Picture in Perseverance

The Story of Rich Strike

In 2022 a man claimed a colt in a claiming race named Rich Strike. He said it was his last attempt to find some success in the racing industry. The colt won his first race by 17 lengths, and his new owner was encouraged. But, in the races that followed, he finished third twice, fourth once, and fifth once. His owner, however, still believed in him. He nominated him for the Kentucky Derby.

The day before the Kentucky Derby, the field of horses was already full, but then, at the last moment, a famous trainer scratched his horse. Just 30 seconds before the entry deadline, the colt took that place in a field of twenty horses. Suddenly, he was in the game. He had a chance.

All the metrics and predictors were against him. Neither his owner, his trainer, nor his jockey had ever been associated with any horse in the Kentucky Derby. His jockey had never even won a major event. They were decidedly outsiders and newbies in an extremely elite arena. He was 80 to 1 the morning of the race, the second longest odds in Derby history. The race began with the favorites vying for the lead. Halfway around the track, the colt was 16 horses back. He couldn’t even be seen in the field of view of the drone camera flying above the race. He was a nobody, a throw-away, an inconsequential participant.

But then, like in the best horse movie ever, he made his move.

He began working his way through the crowded pack, finding a few narrow, fleeting opportunities to improve his position. As they headed toward the finish line, he had miraculously moved up to fifth, then fourth, but still, no one had noticed him. Everyone’s attention was firmly focused on the battle between the two famous front-runners.

Only seconds before the finish, he suddenly, almost magically passed the two front-runners. The announcer struggled to identify him and say his name in time. He said, almost in a single breath, “Rich Strike is coming up on the inside … Oh my goodness! The longest shot has won the Kentucky Derby!”

• Where there is life, there is hope.
• Anything is possible.
• Don’t let anyone count you out.
• Persistence and determination beat the odds.

AQHA VRH World Show

Golden State Will Be Represented

The 2025 AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships and AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge National Championships are scheduled for June 15-21 at the Tri-State Exposition in Amarillo, Texas.

Due to the success of the 2024 AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships, for the first time ever, the American Quarter Horse Association will be adding a minimum of $100,000 to the overall payout. Additional funding has been provided from Amarillo and Texas Venue Support Fund, Special Event Trust Fund as well as Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau.

AQHA will award a minimum of $475,000 in cash and prizes at the 2025 AQHA VRH World, surpassing the record total cash and prizes of nearly $400,000 awarded in 2024.

Custom designed trophies, buckles, jackets and more will be awarded in each class as well as for the VRH all-around world champions. We are cheering for Josie, Bryan, Amanda, Jennifer, Christian and Todd to bring home the loot!

July Happenings

One New, Two Old Favorites

There’s a new show and a new venue in town! July 11-12 will be the Ranch Rendezvous in Woodland. Let’s give this new endeavor our full support. Also in July, the returning Inter Mountain Ranch Versatility Challenge July 19-20, followed in the week after by the Silver State Circuit Horse Show in Winnemucca July 23-27. The schedule for the Silver State Circuit, Western States VRH July 23-25, makes McArthur and Winnemucca an attractive and very doable twosome. There’s more to do in both towns than you might think, consider making it a summer adventure. More information will posted at gsvrha.org soon.

Quote of the Month