April Amateur Presidents Letter

April is now under way.

The Kansas show season has also started with the Schools Out Circuit in Topeka. I sure hope all of you
were able to get a jump start into the 08 show season!

Don't forgot the Amateur show in May in Wichita. It's coming along and should be a fun filled 4 days for
all. Shannon Justice is taking stall reservations, so be sure to call and let her know how many you stalls
need. Our show bill is online, so please take a look at the line up of classes and come and join us.

Remember the South Central show at the end of May. The amateurs use this for a fund raiser and to help
out the SC organization. Please mark it on your calandars to come and show OR come and help out. I
think you'll find it lots of fun. Please look through the amateur site for further information.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our newest amateur board member. She is our
current secretary and her name is Kathy Green.

Kathy hails from the Wichita area. She lives there with her 2 dogs, Gracie, a lab, and Trixie, a cocker.
She also has 2 cats, Snicker and Smudge. Kathy has been involved with horses for 20 years.

Her love of horses, like most of us, started long before she had one. She remembers her first
experiences riding the ponies in the park. She was actually 11 when she got her first horse, CJ, an
unregistered 4 year old mare who was a barrel horse. As she points out, not such a great idea for a
youngster with limited experience. I am sure many of you are out there chuckling because you can relate!!

Needless to say, the mare was sold and replaced with a nice registered quarter horse gelding named, Ken's
Sunny. His barn name was Cookie and he remained her horse companion for the next 10 years. Cookie
already had lots of experience behind his 15 years when he became Kathy's horse. Together, they went to
the 4-H shows and competed in the Kansas Saddle Horse Association shows (KSHA).

Today, Kathy owns two registered quarter horses. She has a mare named Poca Little Straw, aka Suzi, who is
retired and living the life of the grand retiree. As Kathy puts it, " I just pay the bills and she eats.
She (Suzi) seems to really enjoy this arrangement". Kathy's current show mare is Impulsive Maggie. I'll
bet you couldn't guess that her barn name is....... Maggie. She shows Maggie in showmanship,
horsemanship, and pleasure. Her trainer, David Mellot ( yes, Jeff's brother) is also working with her on
trail. Kathy and Maggie have been very successful in the show pen, including several wins and top 3 places
at the Region 8 show.

Kathy enjoys showing. She likes getting the chance to travel to new places and to meet the people. She
recalls her most embrassing and funniest horse show memory happened at her first show. It was a county
4-H show and they called for a lope. She really had little idea of what she was doing and the horse bucked
and she fell off. Her "proud" father just happened to be there WITH A CAMERA, and of course, snapped the
ultimate photo just as she was about to hit the dirt! Gotta love those parents!! She says the picture
keeps her humble.

When she isn't busy with the shows, Kathy is a technical writer for oil and gas companies. She also
freelances on the side doing educational writing. It is similar to text book writing but is all online.
She has been a technical writer for 8 years and prior to that worked for the 4-H as a traveling teacher.
She is drawn to the educational aspect of her profession, as her degree is in Education. She also
indicated that the profession's salary is enough for her to afford the horses.

While most of her family is non horsie, her niece, Jessica Thompson has the horse bug. She shows with
her aunt Kathy when she can. They enjoy the chance to be together and also enjoy the same horse, Maggie.

Kathy comes to our board with an extensive background of horse group organization. She is the President of
the KSHA and has taken on various roles within the organization over the years. Prior to that, she was
involved with the 4-H organization. Next time your at a KQHA show and hear her name, look her up. She's
very personable and remember she loves meeting new people !!

If you have any news you'd like to share, or people you'd like to know more about, let me know.

Have a great April and we'll see you all in May in Wichita !!!