Ranch and training facility tour to kick off
AYHC National Youth Leader's Symposium

FORT WORTH, Texas-Four top-notch horse breeding and training facilities will be part of a tour slated for the first day of the American Youth Horse Council's (AYHC) National Youth Horse Leader's Symposium, to be held Feb. 20-22 in Irving, Texas. This pre-conference tour will start out at 9 a.m. on February 20 at the Harvey Hotel in Irving, Texas, also the site of the symposium.

The outing will include visits to Valor Farm, a racing facility; McQuay Stables, a reining and hunter/jumper facility; Punk Carter Cutting Horses, a cutting facility; and Finkenbinder Ranch, a halter horse facility. The American Junior Paint Horse Association (AjPHA), the Tarrant County Extension Service and AYHC are organizing and sponsoring the tour.

AYHC National Youth Leaders Symposium
Hosted by both the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) this year, the AYHC National Youth Horse Leader's Symposium unites leaders from all horse-oriented youth groups and riding disciplines to help shape the future of the equine industry. The symposium includes topics geared for three different audiences: youth, volunteer leaders and industry professionals.

Following the pre-conference tour, a trade show will begin at 3 p.m. on Feb. 20, at the Harvey Hotel, along with a welcome reception at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, live demonstrations on trailering and horsemanship will be held at the Cowtown Coliseum, in Fort Worth, Texas. Presentations and workshops will start at 1 p.m., back at the Harvey Hotel. The AYHC General Membership meeting will be at 6 p.m., followed by an awards banquet.

On Sunday, Feb. 22, a special leadership program and a panel discussion will follow at the hotel.

Featured speakers at the symposium will include Jim Campbell, host of the popular Horsemen's Radio Weekly; Julie Fershtman, an expert in equine law; Julie Goodnight, a national clinician at Horse Expos and Fairs across the country and program director for the Certified Horsemanship Association; and Dr. Doug Householder, a 30-year veteran of the Texas 4-H program and horse industry.

Registration and information

To attend the symposium, contact Jill Montgomery at AYHC by phone at (800) 879-2942. To reserve a room, call (972) 929-4500. Refer to the AYHC to receive a discount. For more details, visit http://www.ayhc.com. Jill reports that the pre-conference tour is full at this time, but she is making is taking a list of people who are interested in the event vacancies arise.

Tour highlights

Valor Farm
Valor Farm is located in Pilot Point, Texas. Clarence and Dorothy Scharbauer breed both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses at the farm.

In 1991, the Scharbauers purchased 393 acres in Denton County. About two years later, the barns and 18 miles of fence were completed. With the goal of one day having winning horses at the Kentucky Derby, the Scharbaurers looked to continue the precedent set by Dorothy's father, Fred Turner Jr., who won the Derby with a horse named Tomy Lee in 1959. The couple began purchasing Thoroughbred yearlings in 1984 to work toward their goal.

The Scharbauers currently have six horses among their stallion roster-Early Flyer, Hadif, Gold Legend, Gold Regent, Magic Cat and Rare Brick. According to The Blood-Horse magazine, Hadif, Gold Legend and Rare Brick all hold spots within the top 11 for leading sires in Texas.

Clarence also is an inductee to the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

McQuay Stables
McQuay Stables, located in Tioga, Texas, provides breeding, training, sales and consultation for those involved in reining horses, as well as hunters and jumpers. Owner Tim McQuay is the leading All-Time Money Earner for the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), with more than $1.5 million in winnings, and was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame.

Hollywood Dun It, McQuay's prized stallion, is NRHA's Leading All-Time Sire of Reining Horses, with progeny earning more than $3 million. The flashy dun stallion was the first reining horse to be used as a Breyer model.

McQuay gave an outstanding performance with RR Star at the 2003 NRHA Open Derby, making the Paint stallion the first horse in history to win both the Derby and NRHA Futurity. RR Star, who stands at McQuay Stables, is the all-time highest money earner in NRHA history, with earnings totaling $222,750.

Tim's wife, Colleen, is the hunter/jumper expert at the facility. For the past 20 years, she has been a top hunter and jumper rider and trainer. She holds five American Quarter Horse Association Championships. Colleen is a member of the U.S. Equestrian Hunter Committee, International Horsemen's Advisory, and is on the board of directors of the Legacy Cup.

Punk Carter Cutting Horses
Punk Carter has been a National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) director for more than 20 years and is a past president of the association. He was inducted into the NCHA Members' Hall of Fame during the NCHA Futurity in 2002.

Carter works with cutters of many levels of ability and conducts clinics in the United States. Cutting is a family tradition for Carter. Punk's mentor is his father, John. His brother, Roy, is also a successful cutting horse trainer.

Carter is on the NCHA Executive Board and holds an AAA NCHA judges card. The Carter family can often be seen competing together at cutting horse shows in Texas.

Along with his accomplishments in the arena, Carter is also a successful inventor and businessman. He has created his own brand of barbecue sauce, horse supplement and has his own signature cutting saddle.

Finkenbinder Ranch
Tim Finkenbinder of Collinsville, Texas, has spent more than two decades selecting, fitting and showing weanling Paint halter horses.

Finkenbinder has earned numerous World Championship titles with horses he has trained. He has been to nearly every Paint National and World Show since 1976. In 2001, he surpassed many of his expectations at the World Championship Paint Horse Show-earning five World Championships and six Top 10 finishes-setting his personal best.

Finkenbinder works with Western pleasure horses, as well as amateur and youth competitors. He holds judging cards with four associations.

Halter is the great foundation for Paint Horses, Finkenbinder said. He said he views the halter horse as the base model on which to build the Paint Horse breed.

About AjPHA
AjPHA, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, is an organization for youth aged 18 and younger that fosters leadership, citizenship and friendship. Today, it has more than 6,500 members across the United States and in foreign countries.

To learn more about the symposium, to join AjPHA, or if you have any questions, contact Betsy Francis at (817) 834-2742, extension 248, or by email at bfrancis@apha.com