Nicole Donahoo brings home 2024 NRCHA World’s Greatest Youth Horseman title

By Horsetrader staff

The packed Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, was a loud pressure-cooker when Nicole Donahoo and Very Smart Pearl stepped into the arena for her final go in the NRCHA World’s Greatest Youth Horseman finals in February.

Then, she nailed it.

Her championship crowned a 10-year youth show path from junior rodeo to cow horse, along the way putting tools into her toolbox that she continues to build as a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Which tool did she rely on as she entered the final? Start with her mindset.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Young equestrians joined the April 25 demonstration at Costa Mesa City Hall against proposed boarding fee hikes at the Orange County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center. (Courtesy photo)

Boarding rent hike stirs equestrian center protests at OC Fairgrounds

From staff reports

COSTA MESA — Equestrians of all ages, sizes and disciplines — many with their horses in-hand — gathered outside Costa Mesa City Hall April 25 in protest of stabling rent increases at the Orange County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center. It was the most recent of multiple demonstrations over the past 18 months by local equestrians who are concerned that the big rent increases would impact and eventually lead to the closing of the facility altogether.

The effort came during a scheduled meeting of the Orange County Fair & Event Center’s Board of Directors.

From ‘hot branding’ to DNA analysis, various forms of ID have come a long way

By Daniel H. Grove / Horsetrader columnist

We all love our horses. We invest time and money into their care and upkeep. I think it is natural for us to want to protect the emotional and financial investment we have in our horses. This month I am going to discuss the various forms of identifying our horses.

Registration Paperwork — Each breed registry has its own method for identifying the animal for which they produce papers for. Pictures, written descriptions, and drawings are found on these different documents. They usually also include the parentage of the registered horse.

Jimmy Flores, Sr. Memorial cow horse competition highlights a line-up of big late-spring events

From Horsetrader sales staff

One of the highlights of the year is the annual Southern California Reined Cow Horse Association tribute to Jimmy Flores, Sr., who passed away in 2015 after a life dedicated to horses in general and the reined cow horse sport in particular. Springtime in Southern California wine country is hard to beat for a horse show venue, and Green Acres Ranch will host a winner in this four-day event that includes three full slates of NRCHA classes plus Spectacular divisions in Open Bridle, Limited Open Bridle, Open Hackamore, Limited Open Hackamore, Non Pro Bridle, Non Pro Hackamore and Non Pro Boxing. For information, see the ad, or visit the association’s website at www.scrcha.com