I like that one! No, wait-THAT one! OK, well, hmmm…. I dunno. How can I figure out why that horse just won her class? Learn to judge and you'll answer your own questions- and everyone else's. Find out about Arabian Horse Judging.

The Arabian Horse Judging Contest will be October 24 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. AHA offers winners approximately $10,000 in scholarships and incredible prizes like saddles sponsored by Dale Chaves Saddle Company! Entries were due September 22; however, you can still enter your team! Find out more today!

AHYA is looking for items of all shapes and sizes for their 2008 Youth Silent Auction to benefit Youth Programs. The silent auction will be held again this year in November at the AHA Annual Convention in Denver, Colo. This is the largest fundraiser for Youth Programs and your donations are greatly appreciated! You can contact Youth Programs for more information or send items directly to AHA Youth Programs, 10805 E Bethany Dr., Aurora, CO 80014.

October 24 Arabian Horse Youth Judging Contest, US Nationals, Tulsa, Okla.
October 25 Arabian Horse Youth Judging Contest Awards Breakfast, Tulsa, Okla.
October 26 AHYA Board of Directors Meeting, Tulsa, Okla.
November 1 AHYA Silent Auction donated items due to AHA
November 30 Regional Youth Team Tournament results close

The Arabian Horse Youth Association is pleased to announce that Universal Trailers has generously signed on as the new AHYA Youth Sponsor by donating a 2009 ES20 Exiss Sport 2-Horse, bumper pull, slant-load trailer for this year's raffle fundraiser. Universal trailers, headquartered in El Reno, Okla., manufactures and sells Exiss, Sooner, and Miley Trailers. Raffle tickets were available at the 2008 Youth National show, held July 25-August 2 in Albuquerque, NM and will also be sold at the 2008 U.S. Nationals in Tulsa, October 17-25. Contact AHA Youth Programs, at youth@arabianhorses.org for more information.

Celebrity horse teacher, Craig Cameron has selected AHA member Joyce Lewis and her purebred Arabian, Khamaal AB, for his Extreme Cowboy Race All Girl Challenge. The race is scheduled for October 22 and 23 in Bluffdale, Texas. The Extreme Cowboy Race spans 15, 30-minute episodes with each episode featuring horse-and-rider teams as they complete the course. The new season will begin Monday March 4 on RFD-TV with new episodes premiering each week. Episodes will also be available on HorseCity.com to view by those who do not get RFD-TV. You can read more about Joyce, Khamaal AB and the Extreme Cowboy Race on the AHYA Website!

"The Perfect Horse for Every Adventure" begins airing on all Discovery Kids programming as well as on CBS! Check out your local CBS channel from 10/13/08 - 12/8/2008 within the following programs: Cake, Horseland, Dino Squad, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and Suchi Pack for the commercial to air. You can also find the commercial online at Discovery Kids Games Homepage, Animal Planet Game Homepage and Pet Finder Homepage, beginning 9/29/08 - 12/29/08.
Now that is something COOL!

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Council will host the Second Annual Youth Convention as part of the USEF Annual Meeting. This meeting will take place on Saturday, January 17, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Registrants can look forward to a keynote address by Olympian and USEF President David O'Connor, a Star Power Panel discussion including eight top athletes from USEF-recognized breeds and disciplines and several break out workshops. Forms are available on the Youth Council webpage. Please follow the "Youth Council" link on the USEF website at www.usef.org. For further information, please contact Joyce Hamblin, Youth Council Program Manager at jhamblin@usef.org or (859) 225-6939.

The AHYA would love to hear how you and your Arabian, Half -Arabian or Anglo Arabian are making waves in your local 4-H program! Are you a member of AHA and also compete successfully in 4-H horse projects like Hippology, Horse Bowl, or on a Judging Team? Do you volunteer your horses for 4-H judging contests? We want to know about Arabians in 4-H! Send your stories and photos to youth@arabianhorses.org.

Everybody knows we need to save the whales, but how many people are aware that dozens of breeds of livestock are also considered endangered, some of them critically so? Here is the 2007 list of the most Endangered Horse and Pony Breeds.

Critical: Fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population less than 2,000. American Cream Draft; Caspian; Cleveland Bay; Exmoor; Florida Cracker; Suffolk Punch

Threatened: Fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population less than 5,000. Akhal-Teke; Canadian; Dales Pony/Fell Pony; Dartmoor; Hackney Horse; Lipizann; Spanish Mustang

Watch: Fewer than 2,500 annual registrations in the United States and estimated global population less than 10,000. Also included are breeds that present genetic or numerical concerns or have a limited geographic distribution. Clydesdale; Gotland; Mountain Pleasure/Rocky Mountain Horse; Shire

Recovering: Breeds that were once listed in another category and have exceeded "Watch" category numbers but are still in need of monitoring. Belgian; Friesian; Percheron

Their colors, their talents, but most of all, their sweet and fiery dispositions place horses among some of the most amazing animals and truly loyal pets. These creatures are powerful and endearing, large and small, but no matter which breed it is they will always be loved.

"The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears."
~Arabian Proverb

You have heard about the crazy names people give cross breeds of dogs (Puggles, Labra-doodles…). Have you ever wondered what crossing certain horse breeds would get ya? How about these?
Quarter horse X Warmblood= Warm Horse
Welsh X Shetland = Wetland
Gotland X Appaloosa = Gotloose
Quarter Horse+Buckskin=Quarter Buck, or Horseskin
Oldenburg+Saddlebred= Old Saddle
Halflinger x Quarter= Half Quart
Friesian x Warmblood = Freezing Blood
Appaloosa X Danish Warmblood = Apple Danish
Florida Cracker X Paint = Floor Paint, or Cracked Paint
Brabant X Friesian= Antifreeze

The eastern lady who was all ready to take a horseback ride said to the cowboy, "Can you get me a nice gentle pony?"
"Shore," said the cowboy. "What kind-a saddle do ya want, English or western?"
"What's the difference?" asked the lady.
"The western saddle has a horn on it," said the cowboy.
"If the traffic is so thick here in the mountains that I need a horn on my saddle, I don't believe I want to ride."