By Val Delana
On June 7, 8, and 9 , nearly 1000 trailriders in the state of Texas came together at the Texas Equestrian Trailriders Association's Equine Odyssey in Belton, TX. SSHBEA was represented by Ken and Val Delana of Quail Hollow Farm in Wills Points, TX with their SSHBEA registered horses Painted Masterpiece and Paint's Bright Star. Sue Ugone and Bobbie Chrest of Rockwell, TX helped the Delana's at the SSHBEA breed booth greeting people and answering questions about the Spotted Saddle Horse. Both ladies are owners of offspring from either Painted Masterpiece or Paint's Bright Star. Ken Delana demonstrated the gaits and the willing disposition of the Spotted Saddle Horse during the breed demonstrations which were held each day during the Expo. The spectators were in awe of the beauty and ability of Painted Masterpiece as the seven year old chestnut tobiano performed. The Delana's have owned him since he was eight months old and bred him until three months ago when they decided to geld him and offer him for sale. This was the first time he has been away from Quail Hollow Farm but he took everything in stride and was a great ambassador of our fabulous breed. The eyes of Texas were upon him and they were delighted by what they saw. Meanwhile, Paint's Bright Star thrilled all the visitors at breed booth with his "people loving" personality. He just could not get enough attention and each time someone would approach the booth, he would get as close as he could to the stall bars and wait for his scratching to begin. One lady came each day to get her share of time scratching and hugging in on him.
The Texas Equestrian Trailrider's Association was formed to organize riders
in TX and get more public and private land opened for trails. The organization
is still in it's infancy but already well over 2000 strong in membership and has
been very successful in getting funding for new trails and campgrounds where we
can all go to enjoy our beautiful spotted horses. The Expo is held each year as
a source of information, seminars and social contact for the members. This
year's feature presenter was Craig Cameron as he worked with "Trailer
Loading Problems" in one session and " Problem Horses" in
the second. Planning for next year's Expo has already begun and promises
to be even bigger and better than this year. We, here in Texas, hope you can all
join us.