16/ JUNE 2024 THE RIDER Ontario Reining Horse Association


President, Banquet Dan Fletcher president@orha.on.ca


1st Vice-President Rules & Disciplinary Samantha Speed


memberships@orha.on.ca


2nd Vice-President/ Treasurer Terri Purdie, finance@orha.on.ca


Past President Gary Yaghdjian


Elected Directors Joanne Milton Mike Monroe Ashley Janzen Leona McAtee


Visit Our Website: www.orha.on.ca ORHA Spring Fling


Appointed Directors Loris Epis Rebecca Nelles Alyssa VanKleek Tracy Nelson


Gavin Purdie riding Whizzards Gunner


By Ashley Gregoris. Riders and fans “reined in’’ the of-


ficial start of show season on the first weekend of May at the ORHA Spring Fling show in Clinton, Ontario. This was the ORHA’s first show at this venue, and the REACH facility certainly did not disappoint! With spacious stalls, room in the stands, and a sizable layout, riders, spectators, and vendors had plenty of space to enjoy all the features of the venue, and take in the excitement of the show. “It was fun to have reining at REACH! Their building is beautiful; everyone worked so hard to ensure a smooth show happened!” stated trainer and coach Darby Mailhot of Aim High Performance Horses. The verdict is in: you can definitely SLIDE in Clinton! Special thanks to Logan Kendall and Dan Fletcher for bringing their own drag, and operating it tirelessly through- out the weekend. Anyone who has been a part of the


ORHA family knows just how welcom- ing and encouraging this community is. Continuing the tradition, the club fea- tured an Introduction to Reining class where riders could give it a “spin” and receive guidance from some of the top trainers in our sport! Members were kind enough to lend out seasoned horses who could lead participants through a pattern. Gavin Purdie, an Ontario coach and trainer with Weldon Ranch reflected on how this class got him started: “the intro to reining class is a great experi- ence, allowing newcomers to give rein- ing a try and meet the trainers located within Ontario. Having myself partici- pated in the class when I first started in reining, I can’t say enough good things about it and what it does for the associ- ation, creating a really positive environ- ment for all.” Mike Joslin lent out his talented horse, Phoenix, for the class, and was happy to watch Jesse Gregoris pilot him around the pen. He is already looking forward to his next reining op- portunity, and he plans to make his debut in the Green Reiner class in June: “It was really welcoming to have a class like this for me to get my feet wet in. I like the format of a brief lesson and a pattern with all the elements I have been watching everyone else do for years.” It may have been the first show of


Darby Mailhot and little Parker taking notes for her future runs in the pen!


the season but riders certainly, “brought out all the stops”, laying down precise patterns, dizzying spins, and big slides. Ashley Janzen had a successful


weekend with “Gunna Slide Me Again”, owned by Heather Ruthven and Rachael Laffin, winning the Intermediate and Limited Non-Pro both days. Landon Brown won the Non-Pro, riding “Tinsel Towns Gun.” Mike Joslin, riding the tal- ented “Shock Me”, won the Prime-Time


Jason Richards aboard Design a Dream


Non-Pro. Moving on to Novice Horse, the


winner of Non-Pro Level 1 was Tracy Nelson, aboard “KR Smokin Dia- monds”, and Novice Horse Non-Pro Level 2 was taken by Landon Brown, riding “Tinsel Towns Gun.” The winner of Rookie Level 1 was


Lewis Faith, aboard “Boomen N Time.” Rookie Level 2 was taken by Alyssa VanKleek, riding “SSSnowgottapretty-


Good advice from Hayes-Cofell Performance Horses!


gun.” Sharon Hart took top prize in the Prime Time Rookie class, aboard “Whizilution.” With plenty of competition in the


Green Reiner division, Lewis Faith took first place in The ORHA Green Reiner and in the NRHA Green Reiner Levels 1 and 2 riding “Boomen N Time.” The Youth 14-18 and Youth


Rookie division winner was Kate Dixon, aboard “Wallowa Rose”.


As always, the Open division


classes served up grace, precision, and excitement for the crowd. The winner of Novice Horse Open Level 1 and 2 was “Design a Dream”, owned by Elyse Tremblay. Intermediate and Limited Open was taken by “Whizzards Gun- ner”, owned by John Purdie. The winner of the Open division was “Sparkling Sara”, owned by John Fletcher. In recent years, the ORHA has


added more classes to the docket, in- cluding Ranch Riding. The Ranch Rid- ing Non-Pro was won by Kate Dixon, aboard “Wallowa Rose”, and the Open Ranch Riding and new Ranch Rail class were both taken by Brooklyn Shannon, riding “SB Kachina Cash.” Congratulations to all! Along with all the excitement of


Ranch Riding Class Ashley Janzen and Gunna Slide Me Again


the show, we were lucky to have ven- dors ready to provide riders with any- thing they may have forgotten at home - or a shiny new addition. Featuring everything from gorgeous show blan- kets, offered by SS Performance and CW Saddle Blanket Co., to high quality leathers and tack from Hayes Cofell, The Saddle Shack, and G&K Training Centre & Tack, there was certainly no shortage of shopping opportunities at the Spring Fling in Clinton! Thank you to all vendors for helping us find that per- fect addition to our ever-expanding tack collections. The next ORHA show will be


hosted by J & J Reining Inc., at the An- caster Fairgrounds, on June 14-16th. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!


ORHA 2024 Schedule of Events


Intro to Reining Riders and Coaches


June 29-30: Spirit of Excellence, pre- sented by Y Not Farms, Meaford August 23-25: Steel City Slide, pre- sented by J&J Reining Inc, Ancaster Fairgrounds September 27-29: Grand Finale, Futu- rity & Derby, presented by ORHA, REACH Clinton


Mike Joslin riding Shock Me


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