The 39th Annual Arabian Horse Youth Judging Contest was a huge success at U.S. Nationals! The contest boasted 38 teams from all over the U.S. and Canada, comprised of some of the most talented equine enthusiasts around. Teams were organized in three different divisions: 4-H/FFA, Junior AHA and Senior. These outstanding kids rose to the challenge of their rigorous day by judging four halter classes, six performance classes and then gave oral evaluations of four of the 10 classes they had viewed. When the dust settled, the overall contest results were as follows:

• Senior Team Overall- Rocky Mountain Judging Club
• Senior Individual Overall- Samantha Gagas, Rocky Mountain Judging Club
• Junior AHA Team Overall- Junior Colorado AHC
• Junior AHA Individual Overall- Zane Sullivan, AHA of New Mexico
• 4-H/FFA Team Overall- Wyoming AHA
• 4-H/FFA Individual Overall- Ruth Uptain, Wyoming AHA

And special recognition goes out to Ruth Uptain from Wyoming AHA who was the Overall High Individual of the entire contest! Ruth scored 670 out of a possible 700 points!

Congratulations to all competitors at this year's contest. We will see you again in Tulsa, Okla. in 2010!

November 30 marks the end of the year for the Regional Youth Team Tournament. Time to tally points and submit results to Arabian Horse Association, C/O Angela Mannick, 10805 E. Bethany Drive, Aurora, Colo. 80014.

November 19: AHYA Silent Auction, AHA Convention, Tulsa, Okla.
November 30: Regional Youth Team Tournament results close.
December 15:Regional Youth Team Tournament results due to AHA from the Team Tournament Secretary in each region.

Congratulations goes out to Miss Katie Pelphrey from Louisville, Ky. Pelphrey is the current AHYA Vice President and a senior at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville. Katie couples an outstanding equine background and exceptional scholastic endeavors with volunteerism and involvement in youth leadership to make her really shine. Katie will be presented this month at the AHA Annual Convention in Reno, Nev.

The Race For Education (RFE), a national 501(c)(3) scholarship organization, enables young people of equine industry families as well as those who want to pursue an equine-related or agricultural career, both with significant financial need, to obtain a college degree by providing tuition support; financial literacy training to help students minimize their debt load; mentoring services to provide students with emotional support; and permanent jobs upon graduation. Scholarship applications are accepted starting December 1 for the 2010 scholarship year. Visit their website for more information.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Council will host the Third Annual Youth Convention as part of the USEF Annual Meeting. This meeting will take place on Saturday, January 16, 2009 in Louisville, Ky. Registrants can look forward to 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 Programs webpage. For further information, please contact Joyce Hamblin, Youth Council Program Manager at jhamblin@usef.org or (859) 225-6939.

The 33rd Annual National Youth Horse Leaders Symposium, held in conjunction with the Youth Festival and in celebration of the Alltech World Equestrian Games, is in Lexington, Ky., March 19-21, 2010. The Symposium is a production of the American Youth Horse Council (AYHC), the umbrella organization for the youth horse industry and is hosted by the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville. The 2010 event will boast more than two-dozen internationally and nationally respected teachers assembled to share their secrets to successful youth horse programming. Presentations will be aimed at adult leaders of youth horse programs, industry professionals and teen leaders. Roundtable discussions, classroom presentations, interactive sessions, exhibit booths, a silent auction, an awards banquet and keynote speeches will be highlights of the Symposium. Separate teen leader activities will bring youth, representing all disciplines and breeds, together to network and learn team-building and ethics. A pre-conference tour of the area will include horse farms that represent many disciplines. To register or for more information, contact AYHC at www.ayhc.com.

• Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, in present-day Massachusetts, in 1621.
• More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America.
• The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys were eaten last year at Thanksgiving.
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird.
• Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour over short distances.
• The heaviest turkey ever raised weighed in at 86 pounds - about the size of a German Shepherd!
• A turkey under 16 weeks of age is called a fryer. A five-to seven-month-old turkey is called a roaster.
• Turkeys can drown if they look up when it's raining!
• There was no milk, cheese, bread, butter or pumpkin pie at the original Thanksgiving Day feast.
• Contrary to popular belief, the Pilgrims did not have big buckles on their clothing, shoes, or hats.
• The average person consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. (Now that's a lot of turkey!)