Ride a Quarter Horse… Gentle, Versatile, Athletic!
Welcome to the
Delaware Quarter Horse Association
Hi! My name is Megan Wise and I am honored to be the 2009 Delaware Quarter Horse Association Queen. I am 19 years old and a Junior at Washington College, majoring in Elementary Education. I have grown up around horses and have been showing for practically all my life. I currently show my black quarter horse gelding, Pocos Black Bart, in the Amateur classes. I am very excited to represent Delaware again this year at the Congress in the Queen Contest. It has always been a dream of mine and it has come true! Of course, I would not be able to do this without the help of my sponsors and the support of the DQHA. I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me. I am here because of you! See my year of 2008 in review below.
Thank you for visiting my webpage, feel free to contact me at dqhaqueen@gmail.com.
Megan Wise
Delaware Quarter Horse Queen
2009
DQHA 50th Anniversary Celebration
Past Congress Queens gather with Megan Wise.
From L to R: Jennifer Ridgely, Amanda Hastings Powell, Megan Wise, . Kim Fullwood, Tracy Maull
Megan helps present the 2009 Prince and Princess.
From L to R: Jacob Blacksten, Brittany Blacksten, Kelsey Willey, Brooks Spicer, and Megan Wise
DQHA Banquet Speech – 2008 in Review
Good evening. I would like to start off by congratulating the Delaware Quarter Horse Association and all of its members on its 50th Anniversary. It is wonderful to see members and friends of the organization gathered together during this momentous event.
My name is Megan Wise and I am your 2008 DQHA Queen. It’s hard to think that a year ago I was sitting in the audience at this very banquet anxiously waiting to be crowned. My reign as Queen has been an amazing journey. It is something that I have always wanted to do. Ever since I was a youth, I have dreamed of competing in the Congress Queen Contest, and this year, my dreams finally came true.
After being crowned last February, my first appearance was at the Delaware Horse Expo. Along with the DQHYA, I rode my horse, representing the breed of the American Quarter Horse. I also sat at the DQHA booth and, with the Prince and Princess, was interviewed to appear on a local Delaware TV station.
A few weeks later, I went to the Delaware Equine Dinner and Dance. I got to meet so many people in the equine community and I had a lot of fun. It was great being able to socialize and get the DQHA name out into the horse industry.
The rest of the year, I focused my attention on going to horse shows. I went to all of the Chick’s Quarter Horse Shows in Harrington. I set up a booth and fundraised during these shows. My fundraising slogan this year was, “Ride for Life with the DQHA Queen.” At the end of the year, I was able to take a portion of what I earned from t-shirt and mug sales and donate to the American Cancer Society. Through my fundraising efforts, I met many quarter horse owners who had survived cancer. It was amazing to hear all of their stories.
In July, I went to the DQHA Summer Sun Circuit. Not only did I meet many people and pass out awards for some of the classes, I was able to fundraise in a very fun and inventive way. I held the Mr. Sun Circuit Contest. During the first few days of the show, people could come up to my booth and nominate someone for the contest, whether it be their trainer, dad, or friend. Throughout the week, they could vote for their contestant by putting money in their jar. On Saturday night at the chicken barbeque, the winner was announced and he was paraded around in a pink sash and crown. The winner this year was Mr. Gene Schenk and he was a very good sport.
After the Sun Circuit, I focused all of my attention on the queen contest. I studied many hours, rode my queen’s horsemanship horse every week, and put the finishing touches on the other queens’ gifts. Soon it was October and I was ready! My parents and I drove out to the All-American Quarter Horse Congress for me to represent Delaware in the Queen’s Contest. This was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I competed with 27 other amazing ladies from across the nation for the chance to be the face of the Congress.
Throughout the week, I completed an oral interview, took a written exam on the AQHA Handbook of Rules and Regulations, and competed in a horsemanship class. I also walked around the Congress, signed autographs, met many quarter horse competitors, thanked the vendors, and took part in the “Couture for the Cure” style show. At the end of the contest, I was awarded a 10th place medallion for the interview and exam portions, and I won 9th place overall. I was so excited! This experience was very rewarding and one that I will always remember.
I would not have been able to experience any of this without the help of my sponsors. I had the support of many local businesses and community members during my reign. In addition, I had the support of many of my friends. I would specifically like to recognize the Diamon Family for sponsoring me this year and doing everything possible to help me as the DQHA Queen. I would also like to thank the Spicer family for always being there for me, supporting me, and for allowing me to use their amazing horse, Uptown Goods, affectionately known as Zane, in the Queen’s Horsemanship class. And thank you to Kerry Winter for helping me to learn how to ride Zane; it was quite a task since I had never ridden a spur-broke horse before! I would like to thank Bobbette and Brittni Collins for always being willing to step in and help me fundraise at shows. And I would like to thank Carl and Debbie Anderson for supporting me throughout the year and helping me with my fundraisers.
There are many other that have helped me this year, whether it be by purchasing one of my t-shirts, competing in the Mr. Sun Circuit contest, or simply paying me a compliment. I cannot tell you how much it meant to have your support; I am filled with gratitude.
I am also forever thankful for the support of my family. My dad and grandmom have stood by me throughout this year. My mom was with me every step of the way, whether it be waking up with me at 5am to set up the warm-up trail at a show or staying up with me late at night when we were at Congress so I could do some last minute studying. I would not be anywhere without them.
Finally, I would like to personally thank each and every one of the Delaware Quarter Horse Association members for selecting me to represent you as your queen this year. It has been an honor and privilege. You have all truly made my dreams come true. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and believing in me. I am forever grateful to all of you.
Megan at the 2008 Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio