Several members of RHANW  qualified for the NW Affiliate Finals and the NAAC in Oklahoma in 2009. The picture above is of Rebekah Frank stopping in her run at NW Affiliate Finals. Rebekah went on to tie for 7th out of a class of 40 in Oklahoma. It would be an accomplishment if the RHANW membership had another great showing this year at the NW Finals and Oklahoma". Good luck to everyone in 2010.

The 2009 High Point Horse will receive a beautiful trophy created by CR Morrison.  This award has been sponsored by Roger Wigen Horseshoeing and Jeremy Winkler Horseshoeing.   The 2009 High Point Non Pro will receive custom handmade spur straps by Holstine Saddlery sponsored by Moloney O’Neill Insurance.
Remember – both rider and horse owner must be current RHANW members for points to count toward year end awards. 

Empty Saddle

On December 21st, the Northwest reining community lost a friend and mentor. Trainer, Dan Stark, of Moxee, Washington, passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Dan is survived by his wife, Sue (also an avid reining competitor) and children David and Sarah.
Dan was always one to stand out in the crowd. He and Sue were members of the Reining Horse Association of the Northwest and many RHANW members remember Dan as being a friendly competitor; one who reminded you that you were at a horse show to have fun! Northwest reiner Alayne Blickle fondly recounts a common encounter with Dan, “One of the things I’m going to miss most about Dan is how he’d greet me whenever he’d see me, calling out my name in only a way he could, giving me a great big bear hug. He always had a way of making me feel pretty darn special. I suspect he had that same special way with many others, too.”
Dan did have a special way with others. He began working as a horse trainer in 1987 after driving long-haul trucks for a number of years. Not only was Dan patient with his horses, he had a knack for being honest and fair with his clients. Dan possessed the quality that many trainers work their whole lives to obtain, an ability to relate to both equines and humans.Dan knew the lessons he taught his clients would carry through into their daily lives, so he aimed to help them become, like their horses, better. Because of Dan’s ability to communicate so well with the horses he trained, he often did well in the show pen but more important than the awards Dan won was his ability to set aside the competitive part of reining and focus on the fun, the people, the precise communication between horse and rider. For many just entering the sport, Dan served as a constant reminder  that the point of reining and competing was to have fun. Dan was always the first to cheer for those who made mistakes, he continuously entertained reiners with his interactive freestyle patterns, and he was always up for some good social time after classes had ended for the day.

I last saw Dan Stark ride in Oklahoma City this past November. Despite Dan’s long battle with cancer, he still rode with a smile on his face and kept an upbeat attitude. As I sat and cheered Dan through his class, I thought to myself that Dan was silently teaching us all a lesson, a lesson that life is meant to be lived and regrets are for those who are afraid to truly live.

Show News

July 17-19 – Washington Trust Slide and Luau
Just a quick reminder that entries for the Washington Trust Slide must be sent in by July 10th to avoid a post entry fee.  The classlist and entry form is attached to this message.  If you are riding in the Novice Horse classes, be sure that you have a current classlist showing $200 added in each division. 
If you are planning to join us for the 2nd Annual Luau and Boots & Bermudas contest, please send a quick e-mail to Sara at lesher@ptera.net so that they have an idea of how many people to plan for.  Chris Lesher, Chef Extraordinaire, will be cooking up a fabulous barbecue dinner for a suggested donation of $10.  Proceeds from the Luau will go to Dan and Sue Stark to help with Dan’s cancer treatments.
Be sure to purchase your raffle tickets for three days and two nights lodging at Gaynors Resort Guest Ranch in Whitefish, Montana.  Raffle tickets can be purchased up until the time of the Luau and we will be drawing the winner during dinner.  All proceeds from the raffle will also go to the Starks.
The July Show will be a qualifying show for the Northern Rockies Reining Horse Association.  The NRRHA has sponsored beautiful High Point Buckles for the High Point Non Pro and the High Point Open Horse at this show.  Please be sure to welcome our friends from Montana and thank them for their support of our shows.
Please keep our Washington Trust Bank, the sponsor of this show, in mind for all of your banking needs.  This is the 2nd year that they have sponsored this show and we need to let them know that we appreciate their support.

The RHANW kicked off the show season with an incredibly successful and fun Slide for the Pink.  The Slide for the Pink was a huge success and raised approximately $4,000 for cancer research!!  And there is still the possibility of raising more because still have breedings available to A Little Shady Jac, Easy Otie Whiz, Royal Blue Quixote and Wimpys Little Step.  With the exception of Wimpys Little Step, the breeding fees can be purchased at half of the advertised breeding fee.  All of the breedings can be used for either the 2009 or the 2010 breeding season.  For more information, contact me at jpettit@ptera.net. You can view and order pictures of the show and the Bra Auction by going to www.pixeldust.smugmug.com. 

The Summerslide and Dun Its Lucky Charm Derby was also a great success.  We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to Calvin Thomas and Mary Kaplan for not only sponsoring the Dun Its Lucky Charm Derby, but also for sponsoring that gorgeous hand tooled headstall with custom silver that was awarded to the High Point Horse at the Summerslide.  Congratulation to Lindsey Bernbaum and Espresolina for winning the High Point Award and for winning the Non Pro Derby two year in a row!  Congratulations also to the Open Derby Champions -- Bill Fisher and Lenas Little Sparkle owned by Cass Rocco.  Cass has been a long time supporter of the RHANW and it was great to see her packing out that Morrison Bronze!!

Our June and July shows will also count as qualifying shows for the Northern Rockies Reining Reining Horse Association.  Please keep an eye out for our friends from Montana and make them feel welcome.  

2008 Spin Out & All Star Futurity:
Participants at The Spin Out and All Star Futurity enjoyed gorgeous fall weather and great ground at the beautiful Appleatchee Riders Arena in Wenatchee.  Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Matt and Amber McDowell of All Star Performance Horses, the feature event of the Spinout was the NRHA Approved All Star Futurity with $2,000 in added money.  The Open Champion was Mike Stokes, riding Barbs Vanilla Latte, a beautiful home grown mare owned by his dad Tony Stokes. 

The Non Pro Champion was Joanne Pettit riding Not Just a Pistol, a fancy black gelding by Custom Pistol that she purchased from All Star Performance Horses earlier this year.

Go to www.cheryljamesphotography.com to see photos of the Spin Out and All Star Futurity.    Photos can be ordered online

The Washington Trust Slide will go down in the RHANW record books as the most fun show ever -- at least until next year.   Sara Lesher, Lola Sample, John Harris and the grounds crew did a fabulous job.  There were so many of you who helped out that I won't begin to mention names.  And who knew that we had such amazing "limbo" talent among our fellow reiners!    Thanks to your generous contributions toward the delicious Luau dinner prepared by Chris Lesher, we donated $250 to the Reardon High School Equestrian Team.
We now have a brief break in the action, but don't let those ponies get fat and lazy because the Spin Out & All Star Futurity is the 2nd weekend of September.  

This show will feature an NRHA Approved 3 Year Old Futurity with $2,000 added thanks to the generous sponsorship of Matt and Amber McDowell, owners of All Star Performance Horses.  The classlist and entry form is included with this newsletter.
I want to thank all of you who have stepped out to help with all aspects of our club this year.  It has made my job so much easier!  We still need to fill a couple volunteer spots for the Spin Out, so please let me know if you would like to help out.
The current year end standings after the first three shows are now official and have posted on the Show Page.  If you did not receive them or have not been receiving the monthly e-newsletter, please send me and e-mail at jpettit@ptera.net and we will update our records.
It’s hard to believe that we are already planning for the Year End Awards Banquet and the Annual Meeting.  Please see the information in the newsletter about those events and let Gail Seeklander or me know if you are interested in serving as an Officer, Board Member or Committee Member.
We have had some great competition and tons of fun this year.   Even though the last show was not as big as the first two shows of the year, the number of runs was 21% over the 2007 July show. Year to date our total runs are 34% higher than last year and the total money paid out has increased 29%.   
I look forward to seeing all of you at the Spin Out and All Star Futurity.