The CRAC Corner
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The C.R.A.C. was able to present a lot of great educational clinics and host an "Appaloosa" history tour which was well attended by many members of our club.

Rick Miller, who is a past president of the ApHCC and a walking encyclopedia of Appaloosa knowledge and pedigrees gave a clinic over 2 days showcasing some of the most famous Appaloosa Bloodlines that provided the foundation for the breed. He pointed out the various characteristics on live Appaloosas so we got a "hands on" study of the beautiful breed. Rick was our tour guide when we went to the Appaloosa Museum and was able to explain many displays and answer all our questions. It was very educational and gave us a whole new admiration for our own horses.

There was an inspector’s clinic held on the Friday evening and Saturday by Cliff Hooker. The classes were held at the Heritage Inn with the physical content of the clinic held at the Cranappy Farm in Nanton. The weather was not too cooperative but it was very enjoyable and hopefully the search for an Inspector at various Appaloosa Horse Shows won’t be as hard to come by now that we have more inspectors.

Doreen Hooker put on a Judge’s clinic which was held at the Heritage Inn on the Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully this will attract a lot more interest in the Appaloosa Horse Shows and we can resume our Claresholm Appaloosa Circuit Shows that we had to forfeit from lack of interest.

The Appaloosa Tour was well attended by the members of the Calgary Regional Club. Most of the people on the bus had never been to the Appaloosa Museum and were very impressed that it was one of only two Horse Breed Museums in all of Canada! There was 57 years of Appaloosa History in that room and it was quite emotional for a lot of our group- especially when we heard at the Annual General Meeting the next day that the museum may have to close from lack of funding. It is hard to imagine all those beautiful artifacts may end up in boxes in someone’s basement.

We all crowded into "Roy’s Place" for lunch in Claresholm and had a wonderful lunch. They did a great job accommodating our large group with little notice.

The Tour group descended upon the Cranappy Farm, established in 1905 and lovingly restored by Cliff and Doreen Hooker. They did a beautiful job on the farmhouse and grounds. It was hard to imagine the amount of work that went into restoration but we were shown the "before" pictures and were totally amazed at the difference. The barns were beautiful and their horses (many of them National Champions) were a treat to visit.

We finished off the tour with a stop at Frontier in Claresholm and Cowboy Country in Nanton where a few dollars were left on the counter. Congratulations to Sue for leaving with the most bags.

Howard and Marilyn Jackson from B.C. Appaloosa Centre sponsored a wine and cheese on the Friday night. It was nice for the Calgary Regional members to be able to meet up with the directors of the National club. Many of us had never met before so it was nice to make their acquaintance.

The annual General Meeting was on Saturday afternoon and there was a quorum for a motion to be settled that has been on the floor for two years. It was interesting to hear what is going on with the National club and hopefully they will be able to receive some more interest from the Alberta members now that we hear what is going on.

The meeting was followed by a dinner and dance. The food was delicious, and the band- "Longhaul" was very good and had quite a few dancers up. There was a very successful silent auction and enough funds were raised to cover the expense of the band.

It was a huge success and it took some of us a while to recover from the event. It was a busy time but lots of business got accomplished with lots of visits and laughs. We wish the Nova Scotia Regional Clubs lots of success with the National Convention next year.

We thank the Agricultural Initiatives for the grant funding so we could host this very successful Convention. Congratulations to Donna Wyatt who is now the President of the Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada. She will also keep her position as Alberta Director

Appaloosa Announcements

Congratulations Dani Gariepy

Start with a completed Stampede Royalty application form and record a home grown video displaying your riding ability. Prior to sending it to the selection committee edit out the verbal instructions and laughter of your riding coach "Danger Don". Then you post it to the Calgary Stampede so it arrives in the nic of time and wait patiently to see if your application is accepted by the royalty committee.

The competition starts with an orientation session. Expectations of the commitment, the schedule of events for the next 30 days and the role of the Stampede Royalty are discussed. This leads up to a series of three interviews giving the competitors a chance to impress the judges in a private setting.

Public speaking was a huge part of the competition. Prepared speeches and impromptu speeches at every event including the day of the crowing ceremony was something the girls had to contend with.

Parents of the contestants had their evening with the judges and committee members as well. The royalty committee put on a great dinner, provided information about what the lives of the royalty trio would be like and explained what we could do to assist our daughter if she were to win.

The riding was intense. Three separate competitions were held each more difficult and demanding than the last. For the final riding event the six finalists had to choreograph required riding elements to music and finish their ride with the famous queen wave. Of course just before the ride was yet another impromptu speech.

The competition ended on October 2nd at the Palomino room at Stampede Park. It was a spectacular affair with past royalty committee members, Stampede officials the media and sponsors in attendance. During a delicious lunch the six finalists were once again on the spot with a last impromptu speech. Then the big moment came and the three winners were crowned.

Rej, Richard and I are so proud of Danielle and her accomplishment. We wish the Centennial Calgary Stampede Queen and Princess a fantastic year!

CRAC Annual Fundraiser

February 11, 2012 at the Springbank Equestrian Center. Details to follow.

Wrangler of the Year

Don’t forget to vote for Wrangler of the Year. Please submit your vote to Pat by the end of the year. This award will be presented at the Annual Fundraiser on February 11, 2011.