2013 NAMHSA Annual Meeting

The 2013 NAMHSA Annual Meeting will be held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the North American Nationals on Saturday, June 22 at 12:30PM.

There will be a break during the show to introduce new members to the Board of Directors, thank outgoing members and NAN volunteers, announce the 2013 NAMHSA Member Show of the Year and much, much more!

Current NAMHSA President, Teresa Buzzell, welcomes anyone who would like to attend the meeting.

Board Meetings - Meet Vice President Carra McClelland

Hello hobby, I am Carra McClelland. I am currently serving as Vice President of NAMHSA.

I began collecting at age 11, when I got the Palomino family Arabian Mare for a birthday gift. I still have her and adore her.

I started going to shows when I was 17. I participated in Rocky Mountain Model Horse Expo and did pretty well for myself. I dove right into the open division. I had been showing real horses for a few years prior and felt like I could handle it. I won some and I lost some, but I learned a lot and made a lot of really good friends. After that, I would go to RMMHE and ring steward and clerk for Karen Gerhardt until I decided to hold my own show, the Cornhusker Classic. It was in a tiny ballroom in a Holidome. It was thrilling and scary and I wanted to do it again and again.

I have since held live shows at Siouxland Horse Fair (my first experience holding a show many miles away from me), my own successful Buccaneer Live show series, Nebraska Horse Expo's Nebraska Model Horse Expo, a couple of smaller independent shows, and I was co-chair of NAN in 2012 with Stacy Faraci. I love the excitement of holding a show and giving out awards. I hope to do it again sometime very soon!

My showing career has come in fits and starts, but now I have a fairly competitive show string. But even before that, I met and have become good friends with a number of awesome people from all over the world through the hobby and showing. Ribbons are nice, but those friendships are priceless!

In my non-hobby life, I have 2 cats - Stuart and Gurlie - and a horse - Cooper. Stu and Gurlie are both generic cats. They are both such little characters though! Cooper is an Arabian gelding that I do Western Pleasure with. He has been shown in Hunter Pleasure by a friend and by his trainer and Western Pleasure and Halter by me. He is a winning halter horse and has placed well amongst his peers in both under saddle pursuits. My "day job" is Computer System Specialist at Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska. There is a merry band of 5 of us in the Help Desk to provide support or dispatch field techs to almost 10,000 users. It is challenging and a lot of fun! My "evening gig" is voiceover and web work for AutoRestoMod in Aiken, South Carolina. This allows me to enjoy an aspect of the automotive industry that interests me greatly (classic car restoration and modification) and work for and with some of the nicest people I have ever met, including fellow hobbyist Gina Witters.

I look forward to serving NAMHSA as President. I have enjoyed my time of the Board of Directors as a Region Rep and VP and hope to contribute in some way to the organization for a long time to come.

Board Meetings - Meet Chris Wallbruch, Region 8 Rep

I formally entered the hobby in 1986. I had always collected model horses, but one day the classified ads in Horse Illustrated caught my eye and I sent correspondence to another shower. The collecting bug grew, and when I entered my first live show in 1993, I was officially hooked! Since that time, I have been a frequent live show entrant, Region 8 and Region 4 judge, and am the hostess for Meows and Minis, one of the longest running shows in Region 8. I have been associated with NAMHSA for many years, holding the positions of Recording Secretary, Public Relations, MSOTY Coordinator, and Region 8 Representative.  I am also the past President and co-creator (along with Lesli Kathman) of IPABRA, the hobby's premier pedigree assignment club. I am also very active in The Express, a realistic racing club.

Outside of the hobby, I am a middle school band director in the Chicago suburbs and enjoy spending my summers performing with the Wheaton Municipal Band. I am very involved with animal welfare and am a proud supporter of Cat Guardians and Feral Fixers. I am an avid reader and gardener, and am owned by four cats (all Cat Guardians alumni!). In my spare time, you can either find me on Facebook or playing with The Cutest Child In the World (otherwise known as my son Karl). 

Chris

Board Meetings: Meet Jackie Moore, Region 6 Rep

Hello! My name is Jackie Moore and I am the Region 6 Rep.

I was a horse-crazy kid in a non-horsey family. :) But my parents did their best.

I took lessons as a youngster and competed in numerous events at local shows - halter, showmanship, pleasure, equitation, over fences...primarily huntseat, but I also did some Western events. I was on a drill team and performed in parades and horse fairs.

My last two years of high school and throughout college, I spent my summers working on Thoroughbred horse farms. After I graduated college in 1991, I went to work full time at the racetrack - traveling up and down the east coast with the horses. I spent time as an exercise rider, jockey, and assistant trainer.

My back was broken in a training accident in 2000, so it was time to find a new career.

I collected Breyers as a youngster as well, and competed in photo shows. I went to my first live show in 2001, my first Breyerfest in 2003, and my first NAN in 2004. I co-host a model horse show in central FL (MITS), which is currently the only two day show in Region 6. We have hosted this show for five years (and counting). I am in my third term as Region 6 Rep, and I try to get to as many live shows in the region as I can (often driving 9 hours or more to get there). I collect mostly resins and chinas, and I love to show in performance.

So, that's me in a nutshell! See you at the shows!

Jackie

Board Meetings - Meet Recording Secretary Jackie Arns-Rossi

Jackie Arns-Rossi is currently serving as the NAMHSA Recording Secretary where she takes notes on the proceedings, sets up polls for BOD votes, and manages membership votes. She started serving in this post in July, 2012.

Previously, Jackie has served the NAMHSA BOD as Region 5 rep (when there were only 6 regions! 2001-2002), Region 10 rep (2002-2003), Vice President (2003-2004) and President (2004-2005, and 2010-2011) She also served as NAN chair with Eleanor Harvey in 2010, and has judged at several NANs. She has been a live shower since the early 90's and generally prefers to show AR and CM halter as well as a lot of performance.

In her real life, Jackie is a small animal and exotic pet veterinarian in northern NJ. She shares her home with 3 cats and her husband David. She met David pursuing her OTHER hobby, tour chasing Weird Al Yankovic. Together, they have attended over 200 Weird Al shows, and Jackie's concert photographs have been featured on Yankovic's website as well as in his new coffee table book!

Board Meetings - Meet Treasurer Carmen Robertson

I've been the NAMHSA treasurer for three years and before that I was Region 5 Representative for two years. I had been elected for a second term as rep but was elected as treasurer just a few months into my second term so I had to step down as rep to take on my new duties as treasurer.

I've been collecting Breyers since I was about seven. My first Breyer was the woodgrain FAS with the woodgrain FAM & FAF shortly after that; which I still have. My mom had bought them for me because of my passion for horses and she thought the woodgrain finish looked neat. Little did she know what she was starting! My collection has now grown to around 1000. I'm guessing since I've been kind of lazy lately about keeping up with my database like I should be :-). My first model horse show was in 1998, I think. I was amazed that there was a whole community of model collectors out there like me. I've been involved in the hobby ever since. I've hosted shows, judged at local shows as well as at NAN, volunteered at Breyerfest, and have been to every Breyerfest since 1998. My favorite molds are the San Domingo and the Fighting Stallion.

I live in Texas with my significant other, Brent. I have two real Quarter Horses, Pete and Phil, both are in their twenties now and I've had them since they were born. I have two dogs, Moxie a Fox Terrier, Sofie a Border Collie, and two cats Opie & Bea.

Board Meetings - Meet NAMHSA President Teresa Buzzell

Hi!

It's my turn to do a little introduction about myself and I am a little late with it... my name is Teresa Buzzell and I am the current NAMHSA President. I am an active hobbyist in the Denver, CO area - which is part of Region 3. I have been on the Board of Directors for three two year terms as the Region 3 Rep, an additional year as Vice President and now this year as President. I enjoy dealing with the day to day workings of the organization and trying to improve things for all of the members. I consider many of the present and past Board members to be some of my best friends - a side effect of volunteering that I did not expect! I have also created the NAN programs since 2006, coordinated the raffle for NAN 2011 in Tucson, gave the go ahead for this blog and the Facebook page and head up the Cafe Press store. (With new things for the holiday season coming up soon!)

I have been in the hobby since I got my first Breyer at the age of 14. At 16 I was off and running in the show circuit in Region 1, before NAMHSA was in existence. I showed in halter and performance and was immediately hooked! Two years later, I started judging and haven't looked back since. I have shown and judged all around the country, including at NAN. My favorite divisions to judge are performance and chinas but I'll judge anything other than OF Plastic Halter. (Those who are willing to judge those divisions I believe have some special skills that I just do not have!) Since I usually have time on my hands at shows, I do proxy show on occasion for different people at both the local shows and at NAN. I have also co-hosted a successful live show series.

Currently, I show in all divisions, with the exception of customs. My collection literally lives in the closet, and has since day one. It numbers about 100, give or take 10 or so. The collection contains mostly Breyers, with some Stones, clinkies and a handful of resins tossed in for good measure. I have a thing for the Love TBs in plastic and china, sport horses and Arab-flavored pieces. Almost anything traditional sized in my collection is a potential performance horse! Unfortunately for my checking account, I do not paint, create or otherwise use my skills for anything more strenuous than creating documentation for myself and a few friends. 

Outside of my hobby life, I am a graphic designer, married for 10 years with horse and cat but no kids. I blame my 8+hrs a day on the computer for my lack of creative juices when it comes to my hobby life but I enjoy it greatly. My husband does computer tech work for a small local firm which means we have a lot of computer tech floating around the house, both PC and Apple flavored. He and I met during college and have lived a few places in the Midwest before moving to the Denver area. I may be one of the few people who get tired of the 300+ days of sun here but I can ride outside just about any week of the year.

Many of you may know my horse "Flick". I've owned him for slightly over 22 yrs now and he will be 30 next year. He has inspired a few email addresses over the years as well as logins, passwords and my Model Horse Blab ID. A few years ago, Flick became the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous SR horse and has been featured on and off on Jennifer Buxton's blog. He's also the inspiration for a OOAK blue decorator version of the RMR SR and a mini Nahar. (My model horse Flick collection "only" numbers 7, including trophies, judge's models and the aforementioned OOAK and mini Nahar.)

I'm always up for questions and concerns that you may have regarding the organization so please, contact me at president@namhsa.org and I'd be happy to have a conversation!

Photos borrowed from Jennifer Buxton.

Board Meetings - Meet Web Manager Lynn Weber

Today I'm posting my bio, so that you can all get a feel for the person behind the posts.  

As I said in my short intro last Wednesday, my name is Lynn Weber. I have been on the NAMHSA Board of Directors since May 2009 when I became the Website Manager, and I was appointed to another term beginning in May 2012. I enjoy being on the BOD and seeing the inner workings of the organization. I've been in Region 5 since 2000, and prior to that I lived in Montana and held three NAN-qualifying shows (Big Sky Live) there. I typically get to 2-3 shows a year and usually get to Breyerfest and NAN in even years. I have been judging for three years in Texas, and judged at Heart of the Rockies Live in Montana. 

I got my first Breyer sometime before I turned 8. I think it was the palomino Western Horse, but Misty and Stormy have been with me for a very long time, I don't remember a time without any of them. I collect a little of everything now, I have just under 600 models. My collection is about 5/6 OF, with about 2/3 of that being Breyer, and the rest Stone and OF china/resin. The remaining 1/6 is spilt between resins and customs. I have a penchant for the Stone Pony (English only, please!), G2 appaloosa and saddlebred molds, and love all stock horses and the colorful warmbloods and ponies. I show in all divisions, including performance, but I only dabble a little in it. I paint/pastel a lot of my customs and resins and I find equine color genetics fascinating.

In my home life, I've been married for over 21 years, and have a 19 year old son, and 17 year old daughter with Silver and Nakota mold addictions (yes, she shows too). I work from home part-time doing web site design, which is why being NAMHSA's Web Manager, and now Facebooker and Blogger, is a great fit for me.

Hazel painted by me

Lynn Weber

New shows:

November 17, 2012: Crystal Creek Riders Double Judged Halter & Collector Show in Randolph, WI. Contact: Kathy Gunderson. 

December 1, 2012: WACCO in San Martin, CA. Contact: Jane Morehouse. 

January 12, 2013: High Desert Holiday Live in Ridgecrest, CA. Contact: Dixie Duggan. 

Join us tomorrow on Facebook for our question of the week!