Georgia Paso Fino Horse Association News

GPFHA Event News

2007 Loganville Christmas Parade
View event photos.

2007 Fall Festival for DreamPower Therapuetic Equestrian Center
Submitted by Chris Williams

The 2007 Fall Festival for DreamPower Therapuetic Equestrian Center (Canton, GA) was held Sunday, Oct. 28th. This was GPFHA's 2nd year attending this festival and providing a Paso Fino demonstration for their show with four riders and their wonderful horses. Afterwards we gave demo rides as well.

DreamPower is a non-profit therapeutic riding program that benefits physically and mentally challenged children and adults in Atlanta and surrounding areas. The program is in need of both financial and volunteer support in order to continue providing physical mobility, emotional support, and a place to belong for so many in your communities. Please visit their website at www.dreampowertherapy.org and help if you can. Happy Holidays!
View event photos.

Second Annual “Treasure Hunt” Trail Ride - 2007
Submitted by Gwyn Wright

On Saturday, October 20, 2007 GPFHA held their 2nd annual Treasure Hunt Trail Ride at Watson Mill Bridge State Park in Comer, GA. This year’s ride was designated to raise funds for improvements to the park’s horse trails and other amenities. The total number of registered riders in 2006 was 29. This year we nearly tripled that attendance with an incredible 75 registrations. Lunch was purchased from Sonny’s BBQ. The Country band of “Mike McCarroll and Grey Heart” graciously donated their time and talents to provide entertainment for the ride. They did an awesome job and we wish them all the best in their career.

Grand Prizes were awarded as follows:

• 1st : 50 Bales of Hay - Winner: Prescilla Perez, Doraville, GA
• 2nd: Paso Jaquima set w/bit hanger, reins & pisador - Winner: Anne-Marie Bilella, Monroe, GA
• 3rd : $75 Gift certificate to The Pampered Pony - Winner: Bubba Norris, Thomson, GA
• 4th : $75 Sebona silver & turquoise bracelet - Winner: Kim Flemming, Monroe, GA

This year’s ride could not have succeeded without the generosity of our sponsors listed below as well as individual GPFHA members who donated funds, advertising, and items for sale:

• Blue Ribbon Landscaping - Loganville, GA (404) 932-4438
• TC Country - Canton, GA (770) 479-8926
• Kester Farms - Dearing, GA (706) 597-8457
• Hamp’s Saddle & Tack - Alpharetta, GA (770) 475-5087
• The Pampered Pony - Monroe, GA (770) 267-5664
• Arbor Hill Trading Post - Canton, GA (770) 310-3052

More people volunteered their time this year - a total of 14 (GPFHA members and non-members) who helped distribute flyers, shop and bag prizes, and spread the word about this ride to benefit Watson Mill Bridge State Park. They were also onsite helping with registration, lunch pick-up, set-up & clean-up, manning the sale table, and exchanging prizes at each treasure chest along the trail. A very special “thank you” goes out to everyone involved – we couldn’t have done it without you! To sum it up, the weather was once again absolutely perfect for this year’s benefit ride; and a fun-filled day was had by everyone. View event photos.

October 13, 2007 - GPFHA Membership Meeting Minutes
Submitted by Gwyn Wright

Meeting called to order at 11:30 AM

Those present: Gwyn Wright, Greg and Kim Willis, Boyd Russell, Ray and Jo Franklin, Cindy and Dane Griffeth, Dixie and David DeLozier, Suzy Varner, Anica Papizan, Donna Wight, Bonnie Herman, Brenda Hankinson (Please forgive me if I have missed someone. I am relying on memory as I forgot to write this down at the meeting!)

Election results
Vice President: Greg Willis
Secretary: Dixie Delozier*
Director: David DeLozier
Director: Brenda Hankinson

*After the elections, it was noted that Dixie has 19 years experience in finance and is currently a CFO of a Gainesville based company. It was presented to the BOD that she takes on the duties of Treasurer and Kim Willis would become the secretary. The BOD vote was unanimous in favor of the change.

Open House
March 29-30 are the dates set for the Open House which will be held at Chicopee Woods. Charlie Minter is the clinician. It was discussed that the number of horses might be limited for the clinic, charge for auditors, will contact Charlie for his input. All of this is still in the planning stages. David and Dixie will be on site as “barn managers”. A catered dinner is in the works using Johnny’s BBQ.

Trail
There will be a meeting in January to set the schedule for 2008 as well as a budget is in the works for presentation at the Jan. '08 meeting. Boyd's plans on working with the Fund Raising committee on another ride to benefit GPFHA. He asked that show people get involved with the trail rides, especially the fund raisers even if they weren’t going to ride. They could help with other things to free volunteers who wished to ride.

An Easter Egg Hunt is still in the planning stages. People would need to donate $1, $5, $10 gift certificates form various stores and hide them in plastic eggs for riders to find.

Parades
Committee/participant meetings are set for March 1 and Sept. 6, 2008 to discuss the protocol and procedure at any and all parades. It is requested that anyone who wishes to participate to meet with the group in order to have a “game plan”. A complete list of parades will be on the 2008 calendar when it is available.

Fund Raisers
As of the meeting, all was a go for the Oct 20th ride. Final preparations were in the works. Boyd expressed interest in a fund raiser for Poker players. More details as they become available.

Publicity
**If anyone has a publicity opportunity or an idea for promoting our events, please contact Joyce Davis at 770-516-3911 (main number), 770-235-9609 (cell) or at her e-mail address, [email protected]. Please make sure that all messages and ads are directed thru her in order for the Association to verify the information is correct and that no duplication has occurred. This will also assist Joyce in building a database which can be edited.
Print ads for the Open House and the show made it into Stablemates as well as a ¾ page ad for the October Ride. It was expressed that perhaps smaller ads run multiple times would be more effective.
Our events are online at numerous websites including the GHC, Horse ShowCentral.com and others. Print calendars are also available in StableMates, Hoofbeats, Farmers Bulletin and many more.

Many thanks to Sue Vetsch for placing flyers for our October ride in her office, the Pampered Pony for the website plug, TC Country for providing flyers in customers’ bags with purchases.

National Delegate
The rules change is coming up in at the PFHA membership meeting in January. Our meeting on the 8th of January will cover those issues.

Futurity
Another reminder will go out to the members before the November deadline. The neck blankets and garlands may have a sponsor, but nothing in concrete yet. It was discussed that the funds for the futurity might be invested in a 6 month CD.

Show
Over 10% of the after show surveys were returned. There were only a few negative comments regarding the inmates and some tack stolen, but the overall consensus was that it was a great show. One of the responses even stated that they wished another very large region was as great as ours!

The 208 show is already in the works with much more work to be done at the January meeting.

Old Business

• Jo Franklin agreed to take on the task of a basket for the Silent Auction at the 2008 Nationals.
• An addition to the by-laws passed with a unanimous vote. Everyone will receive a new copy of the by-laws for 2008.
• New logos were presented to the members with the field narrowing to 4. They will be available for a member. They will come out in the newsletter.
• Brenda Hankinson has a sales list that will be available at all GPFHA functions, on the website.

New Business

• As advertising has become expensive in the PFHW, Georgia along with Gulf, Piedmont and Everglades will run split a full page, B/W ad with all our contact info and website addresses. It will run 2 times and will probably remain this way until the costs go down. All show information will be on line.
• New GPFHA banners will be made as soon as the logo is decided.
• Budgets from the above committees are due by the January meeting.
• Meeting dates for 2008 will be discussed in January

Meeting adjourned at 3:00 PM.

2008 GPFHA Officers
President: Gwyn Wright
Vice-President: Greg Willis
Treasurer: Dixie Delozier
Secretary: Kim Willis
Nat’l Delegate: Cindy Griffeth
Director: David DeLozier
Director: Brenda Hankinson
Director: Boyd Russell

2008 GPFHA Committee Chairs
Trail: Boyd Russell 404-932-4438
Parades: Arleen Klungle 770-833-8745
Publicity: Joyce Davis 770-516-3911
Fund Raisers: Chris Williams 770-540-6631
Show: Greg Willis 706-782-6004
Open House: Gwyn Wright 256-828-1060

Note: After many years of service, Ray Franklin has retired from the GPFHA Board. He has served in the capacity of a Director for as long as I can remember. He has always been one to come up with ideas and make them happen. It doesn’t mean that he is “out of the picture” by any means, but it will seem strange without him on the Board. Thank you so much for the time you have given to all of us!

GPFHA Awards Dinner October 13, 2007
Submitted by Gwyn Wright

If you didn’t make it to the Pot Luck lunch, you missed some WONDERFUL food AND great company! There were many homemade dishes and desserts for the taking. I believe that everyone went home thoroughly “stuffed”.

There were many certificates of achievement to be awarded as well as several trophies. Listed below are the division high point trophy recipients. Congratulations to everyone and we hope to see you at the show in 2008. View event photos in the gallery.

Division High Pt.	Horse	Owner	Pts.
Bellas Formas	Doble Angel de La Paz	Kim & Greg Willis	144
Pleasure	D'Artagnan Classico	Shannon Johnson	86
Performance	Adonito de Ropa	Hannah Randall	78
Fino	Cometa de La Luna	Ron Conner	88
A/O Pleasure	Jugeton de Fantasy	Katreena Haley	78
A/O Performance	Adonito de Ropa	Hannah Randall	128
A/O Fino	El Concierto del Rey	Nicholas Quintero	72
Sub Junior	Mirage de Pastor Sin Par	Anna Kemp	144
Junior*
High Point Horse Open	Cometa de La Luna	Ron Conner	88
High Point Horse A/O	Adonito de Ropa	Hannah Randall	128
Specialty	La Suprema de Mensaje	Katreena Haley	50

GPFHA 2007 Nationals Winners
The Georgia Region was well represented at the 2007 Grand National Paso Fino Horse Show. Congratulations to everyone who took part in this wonderful celebration of our breed. Many thanks to the members who sent me the information to share with our members regarding their placements or experiences!

Horse	Class	Placement	Owner
Coloso's Gracia	BF Yearling Fillies	HM	Shelba Merritt
Corsair Centellas	Pleasure A/O 3 yr old Colts	5th	April Hughes
Reina Taina	Performance 4 yr old Fillies	4th	Katreena Haley
Jugeton de Fantasy	Pleasure Geldings	HM	Katreena Haley
Jugeton de Fantasy	Geldings for Gold	5th	Katreena Haley
Lolita de Napoleon	Pleasure A/O Mares	3rd	Ray Franklin
El Astro	Pleasure A/O Geldings	4th	Ray Franklin
Hidalgo de Jaranero	Pleasure 4 yr old Colts	4th	Janice Sullivan
Inigo Montoya	BF Yearling Colts	6th	Gwyn Wright
Inigo Montoya	Breeder’s Sweepstakes	4th	Gwyn Wright
La Diva del Sol y Sombra	BF Yearling Fillies	5th	Gwyn Wright
Indenpendencio de Coqui	Country Pleasure	6th	Crissy Thompson
Doble Angel de La Paz	Breeder’s Sweepstakes	HM	Greg & Kim Willis
Espartano de Prometido	4 yr old Fino Colts	Made cut	Arleen Klungle
Adonito de Ropa	Performance A/O Geldings	5th	Hannah Randall
Adonito de Ropa	Performance A/O Geldings Championship	4th	Hannah Randall
Adonito de Ropa	Pleasure A/O Geldings	4th	Hannah Randall
Adonito de Ropa	Pleasure A/O Geldings Championship	HM	Hannah Randall
Adonito de Ropa	Performance Geldings	HM	Hannah Randall
Adonito de Ropa	Performance Gelding	High Point	Hannah Randall
Adonito de Ropa	Performance A/O Gelding	High Point	Hannah Randall
Rachel Woodyard	Equitation Sub Junior Level I	HM
Rachel Woodyard	Horsemanship Sub Junior Level I	6th
“Pete”	Largo Races	2nd Place (1st Heat) 5th Place (Final Race)	Greg Mixson*
Bronce	Largo Races	1st Place (1st Heat) 1st Place (Final Race)	Sandy Mixson*

*Greg and Sandy have been members of the Georgia region in the past. Even though they are members of Everglades, they still support GPFHA.

Pasos Kick off Fall in Duluth Parade
Submitted by Arleen Klungle

The Duluth Fall Festival Parade was another successful parade. The Duluth merchants really went all out for this year's festivities as it was the 25th Anniversary of the celebration. It was held the last Saturday in September and as always, it began with a huge parade through the streets of Duluth. This year had over 400 participants with the Grand Marshall, Monica Pearson of Channel 2 WSB-TV, presiding over the parade.

Even though there were only three Paso Finos, the parade staff was very cordial and invited us back again for next year. Representing GPFHA was myself, (Arleen Klungle) Boyd Russell and Joyce Davis. (Some of the parade participants overslept and you know who you are!) Throughout the parade route, the spectators greeted us with loud cheering and a lot of questions. Many would get out of their chairs for standing ovations. As usual the “fine stepping” horses created much curiosity. Some were familiar with the breed but others mistook them for fancy Tennessee Walkers. Of course, I stopped and corrected the mistaken identity taking time to explain what a Paso Fino is and how they do what they do. They were invited to our Annual Open House and Regional Show. The parade route was long, but no one noticed as the crowd and riders were having a great time. Quite a few photos were taken by local newspaper photographers and a few videographers were on hand. We wish more people would join us in all the fun. Jim Klungle was the pooper scooper and as always, was applauded by the spectators for his valiant efforts to keep their streets clean!

The parade is followed by the opening ceremony on the stage of the Festival Center on the “Town Green”. Entertainment then takes over the main stage, as well as a second ‘Gazebo Stage’ and continues for the rest of the day. A huge FREE concert at the Festival Center is held Saturday night. Sunday morning kicked off with a 5K Road Race through Downtown Duluth. There was continuous entertainment for the rest of the day. Elvis was even there!!!!!!!!!! The life of the festival is found in the streets of Duluth with 400 booths of select arts & crafts and food vendors. There is something for everyone. We found handmade crafts of every description and so much more! There are two areas for kid’s games and rides, so this is definitely a festival for the whole family. The most tempting thing of all is the FOOD! Fifty food booths sold bar-b-q, hot dogs, funnel cakes and ice cream. The Festival itself lasts for two days, but the spirit lasts year round. It is one of the most successful festivals in the state put on completely by 300 volunteers. I hope next year everyone will want to come not just for the parade but for all the festivities too.

Our next parade is Bostwick Cotton Gin Festival in Bostwick, Georgia between Monroe and Madison on Hwy 83. Please plan to attend if you can. See you soon!

GPFHA invites you to their Treasure Hunt Benefit Trail Ride at Watson Mill Bridge State Park in Comer, GA on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Cost is $35 per person which includes park fees, lunch and entertainment. All breeds are welcome. For more information, click here for the Trail Ride Flyer. Here is the ride's registration form (.doc file) for download.

GPFHA Fort Mountain Trail Ride
June 9, 2007
Submitted by Chris Williams

What a beautiful day for this ride! Not only was the scenery fantastic on the mountain, but the views just driving there were wonderful. We rode out at 11:00 am. Even though it was sunny and hot, with all the tree cover the temperature stayed very comfortable. When we stopped for lunch at the top of the mountain there was a steady breeze and an awesome view. The trails were very well maintained. Fort Mountain management was friendly and helpful with directions and trail information.

Our Trail Boss, Boyd Russell, arrived with a beautiful black Paso that he brought for training. Even though he was working, Boyd looked like he was enjoying the ride. The horse seemed to handle everything pretty well. Boyd’s wife, Su, glided along the trail on Two taking in the sights and just enjoying her surroundings. A big “thank you” to Su for entertaining us with her great sense of humor.

Joyce Davis brought Eclipse. I must say that I’m very proud of how well Joyce handled hauling and the ride. Hauling horses is new to her and she’s doing a great job. This was also her first “mountain” ride with Eclipse. Even though the heights were of some concern she concentrated on him. Before she knew it, they were most of the way up the mountain. Congratulations Joyce!

My new horse, Zamora, and I had a perfect day with this being our first long ride. She was very alert to her surroundings, sure-footed, extremely energetic, and kept her mind on the job-at-hand. Wait - did I mention s-m-o-o-t-h? What a great ride!

We look forward to many more trail rides like this. The only thing I would have changed about this trip is to have more GPFHA members coming out to enjoy the ride with us. We were hoping for 10 riders and only ended up with four. Surely there are more of you out there who would enjoy taking your Pasos on the trail. And you don’t have to make it a 4 hour ride to have a good time. Just come out, ride whatever length of time you and your horse are comfortable with, and enjoy being with other GPFHA members. I’ve only been a member for 1½ yrs, but have met a lot of fun and friendly people already. You are truly missing out on a great experience and relaxing “quality” time with your Paso. Please join us next time! View the event photos.

Memorial Day Parade - Dacula, GA
By Arleen Klungle

Last minute preparations were complete which meant it was time for us (Jim and Arleen Klungle and Jennifer Coody), to set out with our two horses and a “gator” for the Dacula Memorial Day Parade. We were amazed at the number of people who were already on the sidelines, waiting patiently for the parade to begin. A 5K race was being run that morning so things were quite busy and hectic.

At the starting point, we unloaded horses; I brought “Catalina” to ride as I wore my Queen Elizabeth costume. Jennifer, wearing red in black with Zammarros, rode “Roja”. Boyd and Su Russell, appropriately dressed in red white and blue, were tacking up their two Pasos, “Porcy” and “Two”. Boyd’s job was to carry the American Flag. Kathleen McBride showed up sporting attire one might find in a small Spanish village. She had her mare “Bree” ready to go. It wasn’t too long before we were all dressed, tacked and it was time to begin.

There were classic car units on hand to show off their brightly polished and shiny paint jobs, soldiers and marching bands provided patriotic tunes. The four horse units were comprised of Women on Horseback, GPFHA, GERL and four black horses pulling a buckboard advertising the new feed store in Dacula.

As usual, the horses knew it was time to perform for a crowd. We rode together performing circles and figure eights, all the while in that classic four beat gait. Everyone clapped and made comments on how beautiful our horses were. The announcer for the parade offered an invitation for us to return next year. He thanked us for coming and commented on how he loved to watch our “dancing horses”.

To say the least, we had a blast! Even though this was our fist time for this particular parade, I have a feeling we will be back next year. This would be a wonderful parade for a “first timer” to get their feet wet. Keep it in mind for 2008!

The 4 Beat Jubilee Show - May 18th -20th
By Gwyn Wright

The definition of teamwork is co-operation among members of a group. That is exactly what we had this past weekend. Because of teamwork, GPFHA experienced one of the best shows we have ever had. There were over 100 horses!!!

There are not enough words to express how thankful I am to have such wonderful friends who will put themselves through such a “workout” (I thought about using the word “torture”) for a weekend! From setting up, cleaning up, the barn duties and games to committee work (and the list goes on); it is pretty much a thankless job, most of the time.

NEVER have I heard such shining compliments as I did this weekend. Even the show secretary made the comment that she is usually the one to hear all the complaints; she heard absolutely nothing but good things. Anyone who told me that “I” put on a good show was quickly told that this was a group effort and there were many people who had made it possible. I also told them that I would pass along the compliment.

The games were, as always, a hit and the addition of the Largo Events made it even better. Many were SO impressed with how easy it was to check in with the barn managers and start unloading. Having Kim in the show office not only helped Roseanne but the entire process was faster and more efficient (not only am I repeating what Roseanne said but this is according to the exhibitors as well). With David and Dixie on the grounds all weekend, I was more at ease knowing that someone was there if anything happened. Also, keeping up with the vendors and the RV spaces was much more effective this year with the “signs”. My list is long and these are only “for instances” so please know that I am extremely thankful for each and everyone of you and the jobs that you did.

The dinner....that is about all I have to say! It was GREAT! There were some who left but told me the next day that they “understood that they missed a fantastic meal”. Yes, we had plenty of food and lots left over but Suzy was able to find a place that would take the food and feed it to the needy. Nothing was wasted.

The buzz for 2008 is the Futurity that will be held in conjunction with the show. The show should be bigger than ever as I foresee us moving into Barn C. Lori Ford was kind enough to put the flyer and the application on the American Paso Fino website so the word is out. Also, a mass mailing to Gulf, Piedmont, Everglades, Tennessee Valley, Deep South, Georgia and any other region in the southeast should stir up some interest!

Congratulations to the High Point winners! Cindy Griffeth took home $1000 for HP Open with Pat Figueroa taking the Reserve spot with $400. Hannah Randall was the HP Amateur Owner winning $1000. Lori West was the Reserve HP A/O, taking home a check for $400 as well. The HP Youth for the show was Aleesha Tate, winning $100.

All in all, I am more than pleased with the results. The judges were happy, the announcer and farrier are ready to come back next year, even the show secretary wants to come back and visit. View 4-Beat Jubilee gallery photos.

WE did good....Thanks so much!

P.S. Jim Klungle came up with a great idea last year that I was not able to follow thru on but this year I plan to do so. GPFHA will send out a brief survey to see what the exhibitors liked, disliked or would like to have changed regarding the show. I will let you know when the results!

GPFHA 4th Annual Open House
By Gwyn Wright

Wow, what a day we had! GPFHA held its 4th Annual Open House, April 21st at the Morgan County Agricultural Center located in historic Madison, GA. The weather was exceptional, warm but not uncomfortable, low humidity (a luxury for those who live in the south!), lots of Pasos, friends, food and fun! The only problem was we didn’t have enough time! Yes, we were able to follow the schedule but we needed more clinic time ... too many questions left unanswered! For 2008, we are planning a two day event with a covered arena (not sure where right at the moment). Again, this is in the planning stages but it appears to be a “must” at this point!

Charlie Minter was the clinician/fun show judge. He was tireless, working with horses and riders as well as answering questions from the crowd. There were so many questions with so little time. He has agreed to come back next year (schedule permitting) and expressed enthusiasm when a two day event was mentioned.

All total, there were 30 horses and quite a few spectators. Classes ranged from Pleasure to Fino (aged and schooling classes) with an addition of a Bellas Formas class and a “Walk, Corto, Leadline” class. The day was off to a great start with 12 riders signed up for the first class! After the placements had been called for each class, Charlie would ask the riders if they had any questions regarding their placements. He used a microphone to make sure those in the audience could hear his answers and explanations. At the conclusion of the clinic, there was some time for Charlie to work one-on-one with a few people and their horses. Many thanks again for the time he took to come out and give us a hand. Everyone had a great time!

The demo rides were a hit as always. We lost track of exactly how many people took their first ride and how many were “repeat offenders” so to speak. The horses were perfect; always eager to take the rider on the smoothest ride. Many of our members were kind enough to let people ride......and ride......and ride. By the end of the day, I know for sure the human element had “run out of gas” and I would be willing to bet you the equine element was on empty too.

But wait, there’s more! You can’t have a fun show without “fun” games! The first rule of thumb is that all horses had to gait, not gallop or lope, in every game. We had 4 teams in the paper towel race with Arleen Klungle and Leslie Reeves taking first place. The boot race is always a crowd pleaser with, if I remember correctly, 4 riders. Leslie Reeves prevailed again and was the first place winner. Last but not least was the pole-bending event. Boyd Russell brought out his new electronic “gate keeper” stop watch which was really cool! We had 6 entries and Johnny Sharp took home the blue ribbon for that event.

It was a fantastic day! I can’t say it enough. Many, many thanks to ALL the volunteers who made this happen. GPFHA can’t thank Charlie Minter enough for taking time out of his more than busy schedule to help make this Open House a hit. Even with the volunteers and Charlie, none of this would have been possible without the support of the participants, their horses and the spectators. You made it all worthwhile. When all was said and done, it was a “good” tired! We all hope to see you (and many more new faces) in 2008.

View event photos in the gallery.

Historic Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade
By Joyce Davis

On March 17th, GPFHA members caravanned our trailers to downtown Atlanta to participate in the 127th annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It was a beautiful sunny day that started out bitterly cold and with winds so powerful they could almost knock you over as they gusted between skyscrapers. Getting ready for the parade in that wind was a real challenge, and not just for us -- the Buffalo Soldiers, who were getting ready close by, nearly lost a horse that spooked and got loose for a few tense moments until a GPFHA member helped catch him. I helped one of our riders hold her horses so she could chase some item that blew down the street. She came back shaking her head and asked me, Are we crazy to be doing this? I said, Absolutely. But do we care? We both grinned and shook our heads: NAH! Riding in parades has got to be the most fun you could have on this earth, and judging by the great turnout of GPFHA members we had for this parade, it looks like a lot of our folks agree with me!

Thankfully the wind began to die down and that wonderful early spring sun started to work its magic. We enjoyed some pre-parade conversations with the Red Hat Society ladies who were fascinated with our little smooth-riding horses. It was also a treat to admire the Andalusians and Friesians all decked out in their tournament finery with the Medieval Times group of knights and fair maidens. Around the corner from us, the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales were being hitched up for their performance. Those gentle giants stood perfectly still while their handlers got their enormous and elaborate rig together. Melinda Cochran got a photo of her little (in comparison) Paso Fino mare, Phoebe, taken with them just for kicks. Melinda's friend Star shot photos for the occasion and did a superlative job. See her parade photos at: www.equinefotodesign.com/gallery/index.php?list=169&page=all

The parade itself was a gargantuan affair composed of over 200 units, including floats, bands of every kind, military units, bagpipe & drum corps, thousands of children, Irish dancers, clowns, high-tech firefighting equipment, police units, drill teams, dogs, horses, antique cars, dignitaries from Ireland and our own government leaders. We don't know this year's figure, but in 2006 it was estimated that 250,000 people attended.

GPFHA was a sharp outfit in our black pants/jackets/hats and white shirts (plus one gorgeous emerald-green and gold medieval dress), but the crowning touch was the kelly green "butt blankets" that Hollis Gammon provided for each horse to wear during the parade. They were beautifully embroidered on both sides with a dancing leprechaun and Georgia Paso Fino Horse Association and were trimmed with bright gold fringe. Too chicken to pull a trailer in Atlanta's narrow streets, I'd volunteered to carry the banner, but since it was in use at the horse fair across town I wrapped a spare one around my shoulders like a shawl and used that instead. Boyd Trail Boss Russell served as pooper-scooper, and Boyd's daughter Sheri handed out GPFHA materials and PFHA comics along the route.

But of course, the stars of the parade were our horses and their proud riders. All along the parade route, people would cheer when they saw the Paso Finos coming. A real treat for me was being at street level and hearing the reactions of people once they realized these were no ordinary horses -- they could glide! The parade moved at a good clip throughout the route but there was still plenty of time for the riders to pull over and let the kids pet their horses or "talk horse" with anyone who had questions.

Many thanks to all who braved the freezing cold and mighty wind to represent GPFHA by riding in the parade: Mary Holcomb, Jennifer Coody, Jerrell Cox, Tom and Nancy Strom (the Motor Gypsies), Hollis Gammon, Gwen Costner, Melinda Cochran, Arleen Klungle, and Gary and Laurie Saxon.

We want to see YOU at the next one!

Parade photo credits go to: Jo Beth Hudson. View event photos on the gallery page.

GQHA Horse Fair on March 17th - 18th
Conyers, GA International Horse Park
By Kim Willis

Amid blustery, winter-like conditions several hardy and brave souls from GPFHA exhibited their Paso Finos at the Atlanta Horse Fair held at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Georgia on March 17 & 18. GPFHA had the largest breed contingent at the fair and dominated the Parade of Breeds on Saturday and Sunday. We also provided a riding exhibition in the arena on both days with Cindy Griffeth as a very capable and knowledgeable announcer. Several other members arrived at the show after exhibiting in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Atlanta on Saturday. Our booth in the new multi-purpose barn was visited by interested attendees and we acquired two new regional members. View event photos in the gallery.

Horse Lover’s Field Day on March 3rd
By Pilar Quintero

Grove River Ranch, in Gillsville, Georgia, hosted a “Horse Lover’s Field Day” to benefit Banks County 4-H Horsemanship Club on March 3, 2007. The event included a parade of breeds where Rancho Alegre, owned by Juan & Pilar Quintero, was invited to represent the Paso Fino and gladly participated. The Quintero’s and their family are members of GPFHA. They proudly displayed one of their show stallions, Concierto, son of Profeta. His docile temperament and gray color “wowed” the crowd. He was ridden by their trainer, Benjamin Rivera.

There were many Paso fans that eagerly asked questions and commented on the beauty of the horse. Many expressed how much they loved the breed! Rancho Alegre was proud to represent the Breed and GPFHA. It was overwhelming to see so many interested spectators! All participants and exhibitors are eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to “show off” this wonderful breed! View event photo in the gallery.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright Georgia PFHA 2005-2008
Photos compliments of Georgia PFHA members.

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