Canadian Curly Horse Asociation

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April 30th, 2011
     Calgary Stampede and CCHA meeting in Airdrie, Alberta.
     Read the minutes here

March 18th, 2011
     SS Sunnybrook's Lunar Crescent, SS Angelic Ambrosia and SS Walcurly Golden Girl will all be heading to Germany tomorrow to their new homes. Ambrosia is bred to Sasha, and Golden Girl to Charming Prince and we anxiously await the arrival of the new foals in Germany.

January 14th, 2010
     Mr. Bob Langrish arrives for a photoshoot from England!
     Bob is a world reknown equine photographer from England with over 100,000 pictures, book illustrations, calendars, horses shows and numerous contracts with companies around the globe.
     Bob required pictures of curly horses in their winter coats and was able to capture some excellent moments that will showcase the curly horse to the world!

May 30th, 2009
     30 students arrived from Denmark to learn about the unique qualities of the Curly horses! They were just in time to see a newborn foal at Sunnybrook stables.!

April 12th, 2009
     Linda Finstad of A Sharper Image - Photography contacted Sunnybrook Stables to photograph thier amazing Curly horses and be a part of a unique exhibit that will preserve the history of “Alberta’s Equines for future generations"!! The equine Heritage project will explore the richness and diversity of horses in the most ambitious photographic exhibit ever, commissioned by the Provincial Archives Museum.

July 17th, 2008
     The first Curly horse has been exported to Spain! Sunnybrook's Diego headed off for his long journey on June 15th. Curly horse Baley was also on the flight and headed to the Netherlands!

July 12th, 2008
     Another very successful showing of our Curly horses at the Calgary Stampede.

March 4th, 2008
     Fellow Curly Friends,
     It is with great sorrow that I inform all of you of Joe Mead's passing, Friday March 14th.
     Joe's Legacy of breeding some of the finest Curly Horses for more than 30 years, is continued through his son Kyle & daughter-in-law Carol and their 2 children. They have lovingly cared for Joe these past few years and have also maintained Joe's curly herd.
     He will be greatly missed.

February 4th, 2008
     The Fifth Annual Canadian Classic Curly Horse Show will be held at Bergen Ranch Sundre Alberta on June 30th, 2008. For more info e-mail mview@telusplanet.net, or www.bergenranch.com, or phone 403 638 2836. There will be a trail ride at the ranch on June 29th, 2008. The ICHO AGM is on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July along with the NACHIP and demos. Calgary Stampede parade on July 4th. The ABCR annual convention is on July 10th – 12th, 2008.
     If you have any Curly Horse events planned for 200 please send them in so we can add them to our list. Send your dates and any of your Curly horse news to: curlys@sunnybrookstables.com

January 4th, 2008
     Four curly horses fly to Germany
     December 8th four curly horses departed from Calgary, Alberta on a Boeing 747 to Luxembourg. From there they headed their separate directions to Germany. SS Walcurly Princess Annie, SS Walcurly Serrando, SS Doc Halladay and SS Annie’s Buffalo Girl all made the trip successfully. There were a few delays at Calgary, but the horses took it all in stride. Buffalo Girl is a prime example of the curly stamina and heart. She has competed in many competitions in Alberta and has been an ambassador for the breed at Calgary Stampede, spruce Meadows, Edmonton Klondike Days and numerous other exhibitions. She was bred to SS Walcurly Winchester last year and her new owner in Germany will anxiously await the arrival of their new foal this spring.

December 4/07
     Megan Dick won Grand Champion with the Curly Horse Country INTERNATIONAL RAC (Ride A Curly) Competition!
MEGAN DICK - RAC Grand Champion - 11 years old - Alberta Canada
     Total Points 777 (300 pts. for events & 477 miles ridden)
     209 points above the second place winner
     Report from Denise of Curly Hosre Country
     “Megan is one of the youngest RAC participants, but that sure didn't stop her from being a tough competitor! Megan was pretty quiet during the contest, so when her logging sheets came in I was very surprised! I did a little investigating to find out who this special young girl was - and what an inspiration! Megan's family owns 5 wonderful curlies from 14 hands to 17 hands high. They are: Wrangler, Copper, Merp (Wyatt Erp), SS Butch Cassidy, and SS Crockett Frontier. Megan's Dad, Jordy is very allergic to straight haired horses and encountered their first curly at Sunnybrook Stables. Congratulations Megan for a job well done! Keep riding, promoting and enjoying your Curly Horses!”
     See the full story of the RAC competition at their website www.curlyhorsecountry.com and enter for next year. The 2008 competition starts January 1st.

November 4/07 October 13th was a truly fun filled day at Sunnybrook Stables for the Fall Classic Curly Horse Show. The weather was gorgeous, the horses were flawless and all parents and spectators pitched in to make it a super day for all the participants.

     Sunnybrook Stables Fall Classic Curly Horse Show Results:

High Point Junior Champion
     SS Dandee shown by Amanda Struski

High Point Senior Champion
     Gutsy Lady shown by Sam Creasey

Class 1 Halter Showmanship Class Mares
     SS Sheza Seleena shown by Hillary McLean

Class 2 Halter Showmanship Class Geldings
     SS Dandee shown by Hillary McLean

Class 3 Equitation
     JR. Amanda Struski on SS Dandee
     SR. Sam Creasey on Gutsy Lady

Class 4 Pleasure
     Sam Creasey on Gutsy Lady

Class 5 Cross Rails
     Jump off winner SS Dandee ridden by Amanda Struski

Class 6 18” Jumper
     SS Dandee ridden by Amanda Struski

Class 7 Team relay
     SS Annie’s Oakley ridden by Hillary McLean
     And SS Dandee ridden by Amanda Struski

Class 8 Trail class (double points)
     SS Palladin ridden by Megan Dick

Class 9 Barrel Race
     SS Western Pride ridden by Midori Nowazek

Class 10 Egg and Spoon Race
     SS Palladin ridden by Megan Dick

Class 11 Toilet Paper race
     Gutsy Lady ridden by Sam Creasey and SS Western Pride ridden by Midori Nowazek

Class 12 Key Hole Race
     SS Annie’s Oakley ridden by Cydney Guttenburg

Class 13 Stakes Race
     Gutsy Lady ridden by Sam Creasey

Class 14 Bending Poles
     SS Dandee ridden by Amanda Sturski

Class 15 Mug Race
     SS Western Pride ridden by Midori Nowazek

October 4/07 The 2008 ICHO calendars are ready! Order yours at http://www.cafepress.com/icho. These calendars are a fund raiser for the ICHO and your support is greatly appreciated.
     Sad news for the Curly Horse World. On July 14th Walkers Prince T was laid to rest. Owners Johnny and Glenda Brooks thought it was the best thing to do rather than let him suffer thru West Niles Virus.
     Please join us for the annual CCHA meeting. We are looking for people for the position of president and secretary/treasurer. If you have any nominations please send them to curlys@sunnybrookstables.com.

September 1/07 Megan Dick from Athabasca had an excellent year with her Curly boys SS Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp and Copper. She competed in the Pony Club Regional Championships and took home first place ribbons in equitation and jumping. Watch out for this strong young rider, she’ll be cleaning house next year.
     Four lucky Curlies will be heading to Germany in December. SS Walcurly Princess Annie, SS Walcurly Serrando, SS Annie’s Buffalo Girl and SS Doc Hallady will be going into quarantine the first of November. Buffy’s full sister, SS Annie’s Oakley was awarded Superior Bred Alberta Horse from the Alberta Horse Improvement program.
     Don’t miss Sunnybrook Stables annual Canadian Classic Curly Horse Show on October 13th! English, Western and halter classes. This is a training show; so bring out your youngsters for their fall finale! Check out the website for entry forms www.curlys.ca

August 1/07 Report from Dawn on the Calgary Stampede
CALGARY STAMPEDE 2007
     Stampede went very well with the Curlies adding in some new activities and some new people. Welcome to Heather, Candice and Maureen from Rockin’ Horse Ranch and to Michelle Birch with her fast and furious Gymkhana mare (those Paints and Quarter Horses better watch out next year!:). Thanks to Deanna Johnson of Sunnybrook as well for returning year after year, and to Cindy, who although does not own any Curlies was a great help in the booth.
     This year we had a wide array of Curlies represented in the breed booth, Curlies doing breed demos in the Agricultural Pavillion and a curly participating in the Light Horse Showdown (Gymkhana games).
     As always we received many international visitors and this year Riverside Curlies from Germany came over to take in the Stampede, meet some breeders and travel down to the ABC Convention in Wyoming. Unfortunately the heat and time disrupted their plans and they just barely missed the Stampede and a day trip to see breeders in Alberta, so anyone with pics of the Stampede or Alberta breeders wanting to get in touch with Riverside please give them a shout. I’m sure they would love to hear from you.
     Believe it or not, now that 2007 is over we begin planning for 2008. The Stampede begins next year with the parade on Friday, July 4 and goes for 10 days. The Curlies are in the display booth for the last 5 days, but other events run throughout the 10 days. So, it’s time to start thinking about next year. Please email me at dragonx@efirehose.net if you are interested in helping out with any of the following for next year:
     -people to man our breed booth (last 5 days of Stampede)
     -display horses for our breed booth
     -horses and riders for the parade (first Friday)
     -horses and riders for the pageant (smaller parade featuring all the breeds taking place both weekends)
     -horses and riders for the games (gymkhana style both weekends)
     -performances for riding demos (not just Curlies and higher skill level required – dressage, reining, vaulting etc.)
     - stationary demos (demos that don’t require much room and not necessarily horse specific but related to “old west” genre – leatherwork, blacksmithing, historical accounts etc.)

     If you have ever wanted to take a holiday to Calgary, this is the best excuse as we can arrange to show you around before or after Stampede.
     Finally, if anyone has pictures of the Curlies down at the Stampede please pass them onto Deanna so she can post them on the CCHA website. If you have been participating in other events, or have pictures or stories please send them onto Deanna as well. We’re always trying to show off our talented Curlies through Horses All and the CCHA website.
     Thanks and make sure you get twisted this summer!
Dawn Watts

July 23/07 Full report on Ron's horse show Here!!

July 7/07 Curlies coming to Cowboy Country TV!!
     It was a thrilling day for members of Best of the West & Sunnybrook Stables when Cowboy Country television arrived to film a session on the Curly Horses!!
     The night before was spent cleaning the stables and grooming up lots of Curly horses for the camera. Amanda rode a jumping demonstration, Nicole showed off SS Annie’s Oakley and Sydney rode Charmer. Lisa arrived with her children to do a testament about her son’s extreme horse allergies and why she purchased the curly boy SS Sunnybrook’s Wyatt. The TV crew asked tons of questions about the unique qualities of our Curly horses and what makes them hypoallergenic. They were interested to know that the origins of many of the Curly horses around today trace their roots back to the Nevada’s and Dakota’s. When we know the times it will be aired we will post them here!
     Amanda made an awesome showing at Skorrybrook Farms, south of Leduc. She won a 5th and 6th at 3’6” jumper aboard her curly boy, Dandee. Everyone commented on how agile her wonderful Curly is. Nicole also performed her first dressage test on SS Annie’s Oakley at this show. It was a full, educational day for both riders and they can’t wait to show off the Curlies at other shows.
     45 people saw their first Curly horse when they stopped at the stables as part of a country tour. Coffee and donoughts were served and a round pen demonstration was given with SS Annie’s Oakley. We had 15 Curly horses all spit and polished for the group. Amanda pleased the crowd with a demo on Dandee while Deanna did commentary on proper control of a horse using just your seat muscles. Everybody loved Palladin with his golden coat and flaxen mane and tail. The favorite was of course our new babies. We had one little gem that was only 24 hours old and looked like a little lamb with her tight curls.
     Eight lucky Curly horses spent the July long weekend in the Rocky Mountains! Tracy, Jordy and Megan Dick brought their curly boys Wrangler, Crockett and Copper. The mounts from the stables were Palladin, Doc, Seleena, Charmer and Diego. Every time we take the Curly horses into the mountains we are reminded of why we love them so. We had a person riding Diego that had never ridden before in his life! The Curlies are steady through the rivers, trusting climbing the mountains and have excellent recovery rates. No bolting when a deer jumps out on the path. Just an excellent, relaxing ride.

June 7/07 Fun for all
at the Fultonvale
Equine Extravaganza!!
     It was the best weekend of the entire year. The riders and Curly horses were something special for all to see, and we were complimented time and time again.
     Megan rode SS Annie’s Oakley, Kim rode SS Palladin and Hillary rode Prince Charming II. A HUGE thankyou to our riders for doing a very professional job of showing off our Curly horses. It really was a gorgeous day, with lots of people out to see all the different breeds. Our horses participated in the parade, hunter under saddle, Dressage, games and races. Megan was flawless on our prize mare, SS Annie’s Oakley. Hillary did an excellent job on Charmer, who she loves, which makes it easy! Palladin was primed and really showed off for the crowds. The horses were under saddle for 10 hours. Long day for their first spring event.
     There were about 38 breeds represented in the first parade of horses. This was the second year the Curly horses have participated. Then it was time for the Pony Club to perform some PPG games. Meg and Hillary asked if they could take Charmer and Oakley in and participate. The 2 poor horses didn’t know what hit them! First, they hadn’t done games for a couple of years, second they are definitely out of shape and third their riders had no time to practice. Regardless Meg did awesome on Oakley and Hillary was very considerate of Charmer. Our horses were exceptional and I really could not help but be proud of what we were able to show people this weekend. They were well behaved, very flashy looking, well presented and everyone had fun. We entered Kim and Oakley in a dressage demo, not knowing what it was! We thought she was going to be in the ring with a bunch of other riders, but turned out she was the only one in the ring. She made a beautiful presentation for the crowd with Oa      kley nicely on the bit and super responsive to her seat and leg aids.
Thankyou again to everyone for all your hard work. Without you we could never showcase our horses with such pride.

JMay 7/07 Did you get registered for the “Ride a Curly” contest?? Denise has done an excellent job of promoting this contest. Four riders from Sunnybrook Stables are in. Send us an email and let us know how many Canadian Curlies are entered!! We would love to post your stories here.

March 7/07 Denise Conroy has built an excellent website with TONS of information on the Curly horse. Check it out at www.curlyhorsecountry.com. She’s prepared a video with some unique information for promoting curly horses at a nominal cost of $15 including shipping. If you want to see some breath taking pictures of curly horses you should look it up.
Join Sunnybrook Stables for their annual Open House Sunday April 29th. Excellent opportunity to meet some curly horses and see what they can do. Every year they have booths of information, demonstrations, horses on display and new babies to meet. www.curlys.ca
As some of us anxiously await our new foals for 2007, it is time to start thinking about your stallion choices for this years breeding season. We are so fortunate in the Curly world today to have some real champions around. Today’s Curly horses are performing in all disciplines and proving time and again that they can compete with any other breed. Do your homework and search around to find the perfect stallion to compliment your mare. Many of the curlies of today have improved upon conformation and athletic ability from their original mustang characteristics. They still have the wonderful personality and awesome bone they are notorious for. Happy searching!
Lisa Boudreau sent in this report from Sterling Curlies: *OFT Sterling Silver is the epitome of what a curly stallion should be and the first if not the only, in eastern Canada. He is breathtakingly beautiful and balanced to ride and has the "sterling character" Curlies are known for. He loves attention from people, one or many. Every year he travels to the regional horse expo and performs his tricks in the stallion spotlight. He rears, kneels, counts, smiles, kisses, etc. on command. Here he is more at ease than some of the more seasoned show mounts. Playful, non-spooky, VERY intelligent and easily trained. He has been ridden by novices and is appreciated by professionals for his athleticism and honesty. Before he turned grey, he was born a bay pinto and all but one of his foals has had pinto markings. He is available for AI and has foals as far away as Nevada. He stands in Bloomfield, NB. Visit Silver and his offspring at www.SterlingCurlies.com or see videos www.YouTube.com/SterlingCurlies Lisa Boudreau
Here’s an email received from Dawnine after visiting Sunnybrook Stables for an allergy test with her allergic husband, Shane:
“Ya Hoo! WOW - SUCCESS! I can't believe how Shane reacted to the horses - or rather how he didn't react to the horses! Unbelievable! I've known him for 16 years and we've never been able to be around horses.....EVER!
He was overwhelmed by the fact that they didn't have a "horse smell" - unlike poor "little" Chester who just wanted to come over and see what all the commotion was about! Shane didn't have any respiratory distress - NONE! This is truly beyond belief! Shane did have some hives as we drove home BUT...he knows that he ended up touching every single baby and beast in the stable.....not just the "Curlys!" He couldn't help himself - all of your horses are so friendly and irresistible! What can I say - Shane is thrilled to think that he will be able to actually sit on a horse - He has no idea what he's missing! I can't contain my excitement anymore......!! I will be able to actually have my dream come true - without causing poor Shane a ton of grief - or more specifically - putting him in the hospital!
Thanks again for the hot chocolate and all the time you have spent with us!”
Remember to get your name in to Dawn Watts for the Calgary Stampede Parade. We have 2 riders arriving from Quebec. She needs your names by the end of March.

Feb. 19/07 Come join us at Calgary Stampede!!
This year we have riders coming in from Quebec to join in the huge Stampede parade. If you have a Curly horse ready for this excellent exposure, please give Dawn a shout. She is also looking for more riders in the pageants and demonstrations. The more riders we have, the more fun we have!!
Send in your stories to be included on our Ribbons page. We love to hear about your adventures with your Curly horses.
Shelly White, in British Columbia, will be showcasing her awesome Dressage stallion, Sandman’s Magic at a number of events this year. Deanna Johnson will be showcasing the gaited stallions, Lucky Charms and Winchester.
Have you checked out the ICHO’s frequent rider program? Send in your registration and log your time or miles you spend with your Curly horses!! Lets get some Canadian Curlies noted there. We know there are lots of you that spend every day with your horses, so lets prove it!!
More and more of our Curly horses are being used in therapeutic programs due to their hypo-allergenic qualities and quiet personalities. If you have a story you would like to share, please send it in.
Karen Sarul, from Germany, imported an Elko Nevada gelding, Austin, and has taught him to bow, play fetch (yes, he actually runs across the field to pick up the ball and return it), Spanish walk and count. It is amazing to watch his concentration and excitement when he knows he gets to play. He is also becoming a world-class dressage horse in his training. All the young girls love him in their stables.
Amanda has joined the local Gymkhana club and is putting up some excellent times on her Skonsberg pinto Curly, Dandee. Dandee is one of the quickest, lightest Curly boys I have ever seen. He’s already won High Point at some of the local shows.

Jan. 19/07 Dawn is busy trying to organize the Calgary Stampede again this year. Please see her information at Stampede!. If you are interested please contact her at dragonx@efirehose.net

Jan. 10/07 Shelly White from The Curly Standard Place in BC sent in some superb photos of two of her Curly horses at a Halloween show. Looks like you had way too much fun Shelly!!
Here is her report:

The Pintaloosa is a foundation bred Curly mare - her name is *Spar's Barefoot Contessa and she is sired by the well known sporthorse Curly *Spartacus. Her dam is my foundation appaloosa Curly mare *Chip's Barefoot Babe. That is yours truly on her ME. I was Pocotonto - on Scoutetta. The costume was the idea of a friend of mine Maryann Dennison. Maryan was The Lone Rangerette on Silveretta, (the grey in the background) a very nice racing bred Arab mare that we own jointly - the mare is bred to *Sandman for a spring foal - hopefully an endurance prospect.
The Barbie horse was *Cuervo - a true ambassador of our Curly breed he does literally everything, and with beauty and full reliability of a Curly horse - he is ridden by Anastasia Ivanusic - my daughter and my reason that we have Curlies - she is severely allergic to regular horses.
The Halloween Show is usually the only fun show we attend, but every year we try to come up with better and better costumes - it is a lot of fun and a great way to wind up the season. The Curlies always handle it with the wonderful calmness they are well known for - in fact Contessa only had about 30 days under saddle at that show - it was her second trailer ride, her first show, her first time bareback and she took it all in stride - gotta love Curlies. We had a BLAST.
Shelly White
Curly Standard Place

Bruce and Marlene Tilson had an awesome time at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. As a kid I used to love attending this, as it is touted as the Largest Agricultural Fair in Canada! Marlene said they had over 350,000 visitors by their booth! Wow, she even said Bruce went “horse” from all the speeches he did. Tons of interest in the Curlies and everyone loved the poodle curls on their horses. They will be there again next year!

Dec. 10/06 Congratulations to Morgan Frenette, from New Brunswick, and her 1999 Curly gelding Just Merlin who has been the horse of the year for eventing, dressage ,and hunter jumper 2 years in a row for Curly Sporthorse International!!
Here is Morgan's report: " Merlin is 7 years old and about 16 hh!! I've had him since he was 2. Trained him myself. We do Eventing at the Pre Training Level (3"-3'3). He excels in Jumping. We also do Hunter Jumper. So far he has jumped around 3'6 - 3'8 and he is capable to do much higher. We also do pre training level dressage which he is very good at. He is my main competition horse. Merlin was the first curly to ever be shown in the Maritimes. He does very, very well in eventing, we're usually in the ribbons. In the hunter/jumper circuit he does very well and has won many firsts. We have won a couple of yearly awards for hunter jumper for new Brunswick and he has been the horse of the year for eventing, dressage ,and hunter jumper 2 years in a row for Curly Sporthorse International."
If you would like a copy of the newsletter from Kim Hughes please email her at kim@ralcomm.net
Isn't it wonderful to be a breeder of the curly horses. Once again, in November, we were reminded why we hang in there. Patrick called us from Ponoka and said that they had owned horses their entire lives and that their daughter had allergies and could not be around the horses without extreme care and attention. Now their daughters' children both have allergies and Patrick & his wife want to ride with their grandchildren. They came up and took Snippy back to Ponoka to test there as they were afraid to test at the stables because we are 45 minutes to a hospital. That is how serious her allergies are. Needless to say they were ecstatic and surprised when their daughter was able to totally rub her face in our Curly horses neck with not so much as a sneeze. It has changed their lives, as now both their daughter and grandchildren can be part of the fun and excitement of riding on the trails with the entire family.

Nov. 10/06 Our secretary, Kim, reports that she has obtained our new insurance and is ready to send in her renewal for the Horses All. Notices have been sent to all members.
We will be at the Farm Fair International this year at Edmonton Northlands Coliseum for their Equine Genetics Extravaganza. This is another first for the Curly horse!
9 riders from Sunnybrook Stables headed out on an old time cattle drive! 8 Curly horses herded 84 head 11 miles cross country. It was a first for most of the riders and horses and all went very well. Everyone was thrilled to have such an experience and hope to do it again next year.
The weather co-operated and Sunnybrook Stables held a fantastic Show this fall. 31 horses entered with a total of 225 entries in all classes. Definitely our best show ever. There were only 4 points separating our High Point Junior riders with excellent riding from Amanda on her Curly boy Dandee, Megan on the curly gelding Wyatt and Hilary with her first ride on the curly Diego!! And congratulations to Kim for her awesome rides on Warrior to achieve the High Point Senior award. Thankyou to all from Sunnybrook Stables for your continued support.
New pictures on the Ribbons Page from Morgan Frenette, from New Brunswick, and her 1999 Curly gelding Just Merlin who has been the horse of the year for eventing, dressage ,and hunter jumper 2 years in a row for Curly Sporthorse Internatonal!!

Oct. 25/06 Andrea is ready to send the calendars in for printing, if you wish to have your horse or stable included, please let her know ASAP.
Kim is ready to send in the renewal for the Horse's All, if you want to continue to receive yours through the CCHA, please send in your membership so you are included on the list.
And don't forget to send your news articles if for inclusion with the next newsletter!!

Oct. 5/06 Send in your pictures for the First Annual CCHA full color calendar!! Andrea is spearheading this fantastic opportunity to have your favorite Curly be a star. The cost is only $100 and you get 10 calendars for that! Plus a business card size promo for you and your horses. Can't beat that deal! The deadline for orders will be November 15th and will retail for just $15!! Excellent Christmas idea.
The Dublanko's had another super showing of the curly horses at Spruce Meadows. Monica said it was interesting, the first few years they attended there were lots people that had never seen or heard of a curly before. The last few years more and more people would say the had seen one, or a friend had one. This year it was back to "What the heck is a Curly horse?"!! Thanks to the Dublanko's for keeping this exposure going for our Curlys.
Our annual meeting was held September 16th and our new board of directors are :
President - Deanna Johnson
Vice President - Ron Gale
Secretary Treasurer - Kim Hughes
New for members this year will be the requirement for membership with your local branch of CEF. Due to the rising cost of insurance it was necessary to take out our insurance with Capri Insurance. The only way we could obtain affordable rates was to make it mandatory for everyone to join the CEF. This enables us to cut our cost from $1,600 to around $250. Memberships were due July 1st and run until June 30th. Anyone who has already sent in their membership will receive a notice requesting the fees (or your current CEF number) be sent in to the office.
Tracy would like to send out a newsletter to all members, BUT, she needs some news!!! Send her your stories about your horses accomplishments this year. She would love to hear from you. The newsletter will be out December 15th.
Send your entries in for the Classic Curly Horse show at Sunnybrook Stables October 14th. This is a real fun, schooling show. Perfect for those green horses and riders to start in the show world.

We will be holding the annual general meeting on September 16th, 2006 at Sunnybrook Stables, at 11 AM, please contact Ron Gale or Deanna Johnson for more details.

Sept. 5/06 A sad day in the Curly Horse world - Ole Skjonsberg passed away in Lacombe Hospital on August 21, 2006 at the age of 89. Ole was a foundation breeder of Curly Horses in Canada with his father Hans capturing the first Curly horse at a water hole and "borrowing" it from the Indians. All of us who were fortunate enough to meet Ole will certainly miss his story telling and recollections of days gone by.

Ole is survived by his wife of 65 years, Doris Skjonsberg, his son Rodger (Ursula) Skjonsberg; daughters Beverly (William) Scott, Carol (Philip) Davies, Lee-Ann (Ken) Stenberg, Linda (Ken) Schaber; 16 grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren; 3 sisters, Gunda Anderson, Martha Juuti, Mary Ellsworth. He was predeceased by his parents Hans and Helga, 4 brothers, 5 sisters, 2 grandsons, and 1 granddaughter.

Sept. 5/06 - Megan Dick was awarded 4th in Showjumping on Cassidy, her Curly gelding, at Regional Championships for Alberta North Region Pony Clubs at Amberlea Meadows. Congratulations Megan and Cassidy!! Megan and Cassidy have been in the winners circle a number of times this year and this team is going to be hard to beat at this rate.
Kim Hughes won 6th place in the Three Phase Event at Red Deer aboard SS Nevada Warrior, a 6 year old Curly Gelding. Kim is thrilled with Warrior's athletic ability and boldness over the fences. She reported that Warrior never missed a jump on the cross country, even though it was his first time on the course and only his second official event. Congratulations to Kim and Warrior! Keep up the good work.
6 Riders headed to the Rocky Mountains for a weekend of fun and adventure aboard 6 North American Curly horses for the September long weekend. Jeanette and Franzi, visiting Sunnybrook Stables from Denmark and Germany were thrilled to take Annie's Oakley and Sheza Seleena for the adventure. Amanda rode her pinto curly boy, Dandee, while her mom rode Prince Charming II. Debbie rode Snippy and Deanna rode her former stallion, Palladin.

Aug 3/06 - Congratulations to Megan Dick and her Curly horse SS Butch Cassidy and Megan and Cassidy(6 yr old Curly) Ryan and Corky(28 yr old Curly)!! They were part of the winning B team at the Canadian Pony Cub Northern Alberta Prince Philip Games Championships!! Megan's original team could not compete due to circumstances beyond their control. At the last minute another team came together, and to everyone's surprise there were TWO curly horses on the same team!! They won almost every race they were presented with and finished an overwhelming first place! Excellent work!!

Thanks to Ron Gale for sending in the results of his Curly Horse show:
There were 49 separate horses, and I believe 163 entries.
Halter Class: Foals of 2006 five entries 1st Bergen Sisko ICHO/NACHR (Pending), 2nd Bergen Sierria ICHO/NACHR (Pending), 3rd Bergen Simone ICHO/NACHR (Pending).
Fillies geldings & colts of 2003,2004 & 2005 classes 2 to 7 combined 16 entries. 1st SSAnnie's Oakley ABC 403 (Nicole Conway) 2nd SS Western Pride ICHO/NACHR 233S (Midori), 3rd Bergen Monarch ICHO/NACHR 517S Doug Holts.
Grand Champion Halter Class: Bergen Rayel ICHO/NACHR (applied for). Owner and Handler Kami Swanson.
Reserve Champion Halter Class: SS Western Pride ICHO/NACHR 233S Owner / Handler Midori
Junior Pleasure Class: English Western Combined 3 entries, 1st SS Marshall Dillon, Debbie, 2nd SS Sunnybrook's Diego Amy, 3rd Bergen Montana, Kelsey Keith.
Senior Pleasure. (English & Western Combined) 11 horses. 1st SS Western Pride, Midori. 2nd Cody ICHO Registered. Owner Dan Tulloch , rider Michelle Tulloch (Richards Landing Ont. 3rd Bergen Lil, ICHO/NACHR 146D, owner Dan Tulloch, rider Brandon Tulloch.
Trail Class: 14 entries. 1st SS Annie's Oakley, Nicole. 2nd Bergen Lisa (ICHO/NACHR (applied for) Amanda Tulloch. 3rd SS Western Pride, Midori.
Reining Class: 1st Bergen Kriss ICHO/NACHR 61S, Bronc Gale, 2nd Bergen Montana ICHO/NACHR 521 D, Kelsey Keith. 3rd SS Western Pride Midori
Equitation Class: 12 entries. 1st SS Western Pride, Midori 2nd SS Sunnybrook Diego. Amy. 3rd Bergen Montana, Kelsey Keith.
Jumping class: 9 entries 1st Prince Charming, Virginia . 2nd SS Dandee, Amanda. 3rd Bergen Kriss, Bronc.
Barrel Racing: 17 entries. 1st Bergen Kriss, Bronc. 2nd SS Dandee, Amanda. 3rd Bergen Lil, Dan Tulloch.
Pole Bending: 19 entries. 1st Bergen Kriss, Bronc. 2nd Bergen Lisa ICHO/NACHR (Applied for) Dan Tulloch. 3rd SS Sunnybrook Wyatt, Robyn.
Quadrangle Race: 16 entries. 1st Bergen Kriss, Bronc. Bergen Lil, Dan Tulloch. Bergen Lisa, Dan Tulloch.
Working Cow Horse: 9 entries 1st Bergen Kriss, Bronc. 2nd Copper, Dean, 3rd SS Diego, Amy

Bruce and Marlene Tilson invite everyone to join them for their annual campout.
Please come and sit around the campfire with us on the 19th of August "weekend"/at our farm and talk Tall Tales about your curlies, with us all. It is to be held at "Tall Trees Curlies" in Bonfield in northern Ontario. (approx. 3 hour's drive, north of Toronto) Come meet other owners /breeders, and lovers of this wonderful breed.
Ron Gale and Deanna Johnson presented horses at the Calgary Stampede again this year. It is always an excellent venue to Showcase our gorgeous horses. SS Palladin was there for his first year and was certainly a crowd stopper with his flaxen dreadlock curls on his golden coat.

700 Provincial Alberta Agriculture delegates learnt about the North American Curly horses July 22nd and 23rd during demonstrations on their tour of Alberta. They were amazed to learn the history and unique traits of our wonderful breed. Sunnybrook Stables Palladin, Annie's Oakley and Anikan Ambassador were chosen for the special event.

July 3/06 - Congratulations to Bergen Curly Horse Ranch for an excellent Curly Horse show on July 1st!
The highlights are Bergen, Rayel owned by Kami Swanson won the Grand Champion Halter, with SS Annie's Oakley taking reserve. Bergen Kriss, owned by Ron Gale winning Grand Champion High Point with SS Western Pride, owned by Midori Nowazek taking the reserve. Dean took the Best Improved rider award aboard Copper. John Kerr from Bowden was the official judge and did an excellent job of encouraging the children and adults in their attempts at the various classes.

Verlin Rau's RR Lil Sister got third place out of 16 in her first 25 mile endurance ride and RR Respect finished his 25 miles in four hours and eight minutes (Intermediate Heavyweight, carrying 220 pounds). Very respectable for a first ride.

Anna sent in a report from Denmark on the first Agricultural Show for the North American Curly Horses in Denmark! She said everyone was amazed to discover a hypo-allergenic horse and Deelite was the star of the show. All 5 of the newly arrived horses were on display and Anna rode Deelite all around the grounds showing off the dreadlock mane and calm, trusting temperament of the Curly horse. Congratulations Anna!!

June 3/06 - What an exciting month this was for the North American Curly Horses!!
Sunnybrook Stables participated in the Alberta Tourism Visit the Country for their Open House May 13th and 14th and had visitors from Calgary, Edmonton, Sherwood Park, Devon, Hay lakes, Spruce Grove and many of the local towns and villages. 10 riders participated in drill rides, gymkhana games and basic riding skill demonstrations. 16 North American Curly horses were on display with two new Curly coated foals that were the favorite attraction. Two people arrived that had allergies to horses and could not believe they could actually enter an arena without a reaction! Excellent testimony to our wonderful horses.
The Fultonvalle arena in Sherwood Park held their 2006 Horse Extravaganza on May 28th and were thrilled that we participated with our Curly horses. Megan and Hillary arrived from Athabasca and performed on SS Sunnybrooks Wyatt and SS Marshall Dilon, Kim came from Buck Creek and rode SS Annies Oakley and Amanda rode her Curly boy, Dandee. It was a first show for Wyatt, and Megan did an awesome job riding him. The donkeys, carts, wagons and draught horses were no problem for any of Curlies. Everyone executed their rides to perfection and I was proud to represent the Curly breed for this exhibition.
May 27th a tour bus arrived at Sunnybrook Stables full of people eager to learn about the curly horses. Only 2 people had heard of the curlies before and everyone was extremely attentive and inquisitive during the performance. One lady had allergies to horses and was very surprised that she was able to be inside an arena watching the demonstration. SS Annies Oakley performed for a round pen introduction, then we took a coffee break while everyone toured the gift shop. We closed the performance with a centered riding dressage demonstration. The tour bus operator was very happy to have discovered the Curly horses and said they will be back!
Curly Creek Ranch in Nova Scotia reports that they have 4 new Curly babies on the ground. Lori is the proud owner of 5 Curly horses that arrived last fall all the way from Alberta, and she is very excited to join the Curly wave.
Another first for the Curly horses. Four curlies will be attending the 2006 Show Jumping competition at the Lakedehl arena. SS Nevada Warrior, SS Doc Halladay, SS Annies Oakley and Dandee will all be in attendance. Warrior will also be on the three day eventing calendar this year with Kim Hughes from Buck

May 9/06 - Join us at the Fultonvale exhibition grounds on May 28th for their Horse Extravaganza! There will be Curly horses on display plus we will be performing demonstrations. Learn more about the curly horse history and you can still see some of the Curly coat (although most has now been shed with our spring weather). If you have a Curly horse you wish to bring and join in the ride, please do!! The more people we have to spread the Curly Wave the better!! Contact Deanna for details.
SS Marshall Dilon headed to the big city of Edmonton today for a media frenzie to promote the curlies! Shaw cable, the Edmonton Sun and the Edmonton Journal are all going to be there!
Three North American curly colts headed to Denmark on May 1st. SS Walcurly Prince Trevino, SS Walcurly Marengo and SS Trojan Nicker were the lucky boys chosen to represent our Curly horses in Denmark. They joined Deelite who arrived there in January. Trevino was their first choice to remain a stallion as he has the natural foxtrot gait and is the splitting image of his great, great grand sire, Prince Charming. The full story is at www.curlys.ca.
Tracy reports that Megan has been conditioning Her Curly boys and is ready to be in full competition this summer. They performed super last year and looking forward to another rewarding summer.
Sunnybrook Stables will be host to 3 students this year to train their upcoming horses. The students all were intrigued to work with hypo-allergenic horses and will arrive from Denmark, Germany and Quebec. Interest was so strong this year two students are already approved from Sweden and Nova Scotia for next year.
The Alberta Health, Horse and Harmony extravaganza was excellent exposure for our breed. Many people, of course, had never heard of the Curly wave! Hundreds of people came through the doors at Ft. Saskatchewan and picked up brochures on the horses.
Tammy will be setting a date for a general meeting, please check your emails and send in any items you wish to have on the agenda.

March 31/06 - We need to call a CCHA meeting. Please stay tuned for the date so everyone can partisipate. We have requests for by-law changes, website changes and possible board positions to be filled.
Great news for the Curly horse world!! This spring, The North American Curly Horse registry has implemented the North American Curly Horse Inspection Program (NACHIP). This is a conformation & quality inspection program and they have two inspections this year, one in Canada and one in the States.
The NACHIP scoring protocol will have horses scored on all aspects of build, movement and temperament for a single final score, followed by an identification of which type category, if any, most closely fits the Curly Horse: sporthorse, pleasure saddle (gaited or non gaited), working stockhorse, or draft type. General judge comments are encouraged on the scorecard as well, and will provide educational information.
The NACHIP program will serve many purposes for Curly owners : applying for ICAMS approval, a critique on their horse's conformation for education purposes, to justify insurance coverage, or to market their horse as of particular type suitability or conformational quality - everyone will find the high quality, independent opinion of real value. Even spectating - attending an inspection without a horse - will provide an excellent educational opportunity.
Everyone can appreciate how far our Curly horse breed has developed. Gone will be the days when the mutton withers, cow hocked, camped under little horses are being bred and then asked to perform the same as a well conformed horses. Our Curly horses have hearts of gold and the endurance to outperform any other breed, they, like all the other breeds, just need a solid physical foundation to support their efforts. It is a huge boost to our breed to have the ICHO undertake the implementation of assisting all breeders with a tool to measure their improvement of their horses conformation and temperament. The Alberta Government has had it's own program for Horse Improvement in Alberta for years. It is a governments program for recognition of the importance of temperament & conformation and how it affects athletic ability in any horse breed.
There are some who still wish to preserve the mustang traits of the Curly ancestry. This is a vital part of our breeds history. It should be preserved for the nostalgia of the breed. Most original Curlys stood around 14 - 14.2hh with stub feet and a shorter back. Traits which made it difficult for a tall, stocky man to do much roping, or a Pony Club member to go far in jumping. On the other hand, the mustang endurance, sure footedness and hardy feed conversion are traits we hope to never see diminish.
Last year the American Bashkir Curly Horse association finally removed their disclaimer about not recognizing that Curly horses are hypo-allergenic. They now promote our unique breed as being an answered prayer for horse enthusiasts with allergies. Welcome aboard ABC!
Last month the curly world lost a valued member. Sharon Williams passed away after a short battle. I had the pleasure of working with Sharon while acquiring some gaited horses a few years ago. She drove to New York to pick up Beauty Girl for us. Sharon had tons of history on the curly horses, had huge goals for her breeding program, was a fantastic horse woman and would open her heart and home to anyone or any critter. She assisted dispelling some Curly horse myths with the book "Myth and Mystery", was the first Gazette reporter, and was involved with implementing many of ICHO's programs for promoting and improving the Curly horses. Thankyou Sharon, you will always be remembered and appreciated.
Marian and Austin
Karen sent in a picture of her horse Austin, in Germany, who wants to be part of the circus!! They have trained him to bow, fetch, stand on his pedestal stump, and mimic walking. Here his is following Marian's cue performing on the pedestal!

February 3/06 - Only news we have received this year is from Sunnybrook Stables. Send in your stories!!
We received a surprise baby January 26th, Dusty Dunner, from LT, a curly mare we purchased from the late Melvin Snell last summer. Was out doing an allergy test for Lorraine and found our new baby healthy and happy thanks to our fantastic winter weather!
Speaking of Lorraine, her boy has such severe allergies that he has to travel with an epinephrine shot. AND - he did not have any reaction to Curlies. Needless to say they are thrilled.
Nakita and Ahani arrived in Germany in last fall. See pictures here.
Bill and DeeLite headed overseas in January on the Boeing 747. DeeLite is now in Denmark with Anna and Bill is with Diana in Germany. If you would like to see pictures and don't mind looking through our whole history the last few months you can go here.
The Friday before Christmas we had a fantastic gathering at the stables. The weather was so great we were outside by the bon fire untill the wee hours of the morning!! Gary hooked up Cookie to our democrat and we drove all over town singing Christmas carols to the jingling of the bells.
Saturday May 13th is our 7th Annual Open House! Details here.

November 24th - Currently preparing the December newsletter. PLEASE send me in your items of interest so I can include them in the article.

October 28th - Did you receive your newsletter?? It was sent out to all current members and Tammy did an excellent job with it.
Don't forget we are looking for a catchy slogan for the CCHA also. A one liner that grabs everyone's attention and lets them know they haven't lived till they've owned a Curly!
Received a photo from Germany of Anna riding her Curly - standing up! And news from Claudia in Saskatchewan that she will be showcasing the Curlies at the Regional agribition.

October 25th - We want to hear about all your accomplishments with your curly horses!! Send me an email! Send us your unique and funny stories about your horse, anything!! Also start collecting your photo's for the photo contest - details in the newsletter!

Sept 28 - Excellent meeting, lots of energy and everyone is full speed ahead for a new year. Copy of the minutes of the meeting New president is Deanna Johnson, vice is Ron Gale, secretary/treasurer is Tammy Reid.
We also now have an official email for the CCHA treasurer. It is secretary@curlyhorse.ca ! This was Tammy's suggestion and should be an excellent way to maintain continuity through the changing positions.
Tammy will be sending out a newsletter, deadline for submissions is October 10th. Get your news in to her!!

Sept 14 - Email from Tilson's in Ontario "Well our curly campout was a success again this year. even though it rained we managed to find the time to visit with each other. It was alot of fun! Next year we voted to stop having the Open House as our farm has pretty well flooded the advertising market in these parts. The individual breeders will each hold their own Open Houses at their own farms from now on and we will all try to attend them. It will give us all a place to travel to and hopeful we will get to meet some more of the breeders/ that cannot take the time or money to travel this distance way up here. So next year is proving to see some changes as we all get better organized in this Eastern part of USA and Canada. We have pretty well established our own group and now we just have to keep in touch so we can help each other to sell our curlies. This is coming about as you guys out West are also working together too. Distance makes it impossible to do much together across Canada."
We will post the dates and venues of these events as they are provided to us. Watch the events page for next years activities!

Sept 6 - Posted a picture on the Ribbons page of Amanda Whitfield on her curly horse Apollo when she won the Championship at Kilerny stables! Congratulations Amanda, good job!!

Sept 2 - We've had lots of requests to do a trail ride with the annual meeting. Pictures from our last ride here. PLEASE send me any input on this.
Sunnybrook Stables holding their annual schooling show October 1st!! Entry forms here.

Aug 23 - Everyone is welcome to come to our annual Meeting, being held this year at Sunnybrook Stables, Saturday September 24th, 11 AM. Directions! Send me an email with any items you wish to have added to the agenda and we will make sure they are addressed at the meeting. We will have reports from the Calgary Stampede, Spruce Meadows, info on memberships, horses all subscriptions, Rons' horse show, Sunnybrook Stables horse show (October 1st), and our CCHA promotional items. Would love to see you there!!

July 22nd - Lots of new stuff here! Pictures from Bergen's horse show and Calgary Stampede! Enjoy

April 20th - Don't miss Sunnybrook Stables Open house on May 7th! Tons of information and at least 30 Curly to see. Palladin and Prince will be there to!

April 8th - SS Native Kasha, Gypsy and Daisy arrive in Germany!

March 15th - Dawn is looking for help for Stampede again. Anyone that is willing and able to do the pageant for the whole 10 days should contact her ASAP. She would like riders to perform a a consistent program for the whole time. Also if anyone would like to be in the parade or attend the booth let her know.
Sunnybrook Stables is sending 3 more horses to Europe. LS Daisy, Gypsy Rose and SS Native Kasha are heading out on March 23rd.

March 11th - Received an email from Megan Dick. She is putting together a project for their local Pony Club and invites any interested breeders to send her advertisements for her project. Her email is jtmdick@telusplanet.net.
Email from Shelly - Can you post on the CCHA site that I will be holding an open house at my farm on April 16/17, 2005. The address is 25210 Wildhorse Road, Summerland, BC V0H 1Z3 phone number is 250 494-4092 and email addy for more info is sm.white@shaw.ca Thanks!

February 25th - Well, spring must be in the air! Getting some new updates finally. Posted the info for Ron's show. CCHA meeting on March 5th. Everyone welcome. It will be at Hendrickson's.

October 5th - Just posted some pictures I received from Tracy on Spruce Meadows!
See some pictures from Sunnybrook Stables Curly Horse Show.

September 28th - Look at this! Sunnybrook Stables will be hosting a Clicker Training Clinic - November 6th/7th. Been in contact with Ilse de Wit of the Canadian Clicker Centre ! Tentative date is November 6th/7th. Here is what she says - "You will learn about the concept of clicker training. How it is embedded in the science of operant conditioning. The better you understand this the better you will be in problem solving with your horse. We will talk about how horses learn and how our own behavior influences our horse's behavior.
Of course the most important part of our discussion will be on how reinforcement works versus correction and punishment and what the problems are with punishment.
You will learn perfect mechanical skills. You have to remember that you will be working with a 1200 pound animal and that you will be working with food. Proper mechanical skills are of the utmost importance to create a polite horse that is a joy to work with.
A lot of the exercises will be first practiced on each other. This again is very important. This will greatly reduce the number of mistakes made on the horses. Saves the horses frustration.
Throughout my courses we will wherever we can always practice on people first. Same as we always try to teach every behavior on the ground first before taking it under saddle.
In the afternoon we will start to practice on the horses.
We will introduce the horses to the targets and depending on how far we get we will start teaching some basic behaviors.
On the second day: Here you will take what you learned on the first day straight to the horses and start teaching. You will learn about why horses do what they do and why we do what we do. You will learn how to change behavior. We can do some problem solving like standing still, proper leading, things like that or whatever people feel they need to work on. " So sounds like it will be another fun filled weekend. Limited to 10 participants and we already have 6! So let me know if you are interested ASAP!

September 24th - I have updated the events page - Let me know what to add!!!!!

September 24th - Posted some pictures from our September meeting and clinic. Also forgot to mention that Tracey Dublanko would like everyone to send her some stories as she will be doing up a Christmas newsletter to send out to all members!
September 20th - What a great time we had at the CCHA meeting. Everyone had fun. I beleive it was Dublanko's that set up an excellent intro to the trail class. Lots of time was spent getting the mounts to perform the various tasks. Went throught he compulsory skills, did the barrels, which Verlin definelty had the fastest time on with Sockeye. Deanna did a jumping clinic. Verlin rode his grey mare, Tracy rode her sweet Curly mare (going to see you in the parades with her!), Dawn rode her mare (another contention for the parades!), Jason rode Charmer, Reidun rode Felicity, Katharina rode Wild Bill Hickock, Melody rode a buckskin mare of Verlin's, and I think that was everybody. After the clinic Verlin, Dawn, Gary and Katharina went out for a trail ride.
Items of interest from the meeting - Andrea reported that at this time it is not in the CCHA's best interest to persue the Canadian registration of our breed. Janet and Verlin will be presenting the fee structure for Spruce Meadows sponsorship for next year. Dawn really wants some enteries for the Calgary Stampede parade this year. Catch the Open house in Quebec if you can! Tracy is very keen on doing some group activities, she's trying to organize a trail ride in the Blackfoot area as a sponsor for another organization. Hoping to do it the long weekend of July and hoping to have it every year. Marlene's idea of doing up a map with all the Curly Bed, Bale and Breakfast people listed was a huge hit. Sunnybrook Stables is haveing a fun Curly show on October 2nd. Details at www.curlys.ca. Next meeting will be the second weekend of July to tie in with the Calgary Stampede!! See you here!

September 9th - This is something new we are going to try on the website and see if we receive enough input to keep it going! So send us your exciting Curly horse information!

At the last CCHA Annual General Meeting there was lots of discussion on setting up a Canadian registry. It was requested that more information be presented at the next meeting and we will discuss it further.
Don't miss the get together and clinic at Verlin's on September 18th!! EVERYONE is welcome with ANY horse!! Details Here!
Marlene Tilson is getting together a list of Curly people that would be willing to host "bed, bale and breakfast!" Our hope is to have a map posted here on the site with all the people that can host visitors accross Canada that have curly interests!
Excellent exposure for the Curlies this year!! Again at Tilsons campout they had lots of media coverage, fantastic showing of the Curlies at Stampede and of course Spruce Meadows is next week!
Isabelle and Andre are hosting another Curly Campout/ and Open House, the weekend of the 22nd of October of this year...all are invited! Contact them at namaspamoos@videotron.ca for further details.