Skip to content

Saddlebred Ambassadors Share the Breed with the NHS



By Michelle Krentz

The oldest indoor horse show in America, the National Horse Show has historically kicked off the winter social calendar in New York City when held in Madison Square Garden. In its 128th edition, the show was lured to Lexington, Ky., after 10 years in various locations, and sponsored by Alltech, also the sponsor of the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Although the Saddlebred breed was not a part of this year’s roster, there were persistent rumors throughout the week that a Saddlebred division would return to the National Horse Show in 2012. The possible return of the Saddlebred division may be due in large part to the American Saddlebred breed booth located in the Alltech Arena in the high end corridor of furriers, jewelers, and antique dealers. The American Saddlebred Horse Association was the only breed association with a booth, and it was a fantastic promotional tool.

Throughout the week of the National Horse Show American Saddlebred ambassadors volunteered their time to work the booth. From Wednesday through Saturday volunteers including American Saddlebred Horse Association and American Saddlebred Registry Staff, as well as Saddlebred enthusiasts Terri Chancellor, Josie Forbes, Nelson Green, Brent and Jane Jacobs, Germaine Johnson, Julie Kaufman, Darryl Leifheit, Lesley Miles, Jean Mutrux, Foster Roberts, and Ethan Roetman spoke with the thousands of visitors to the show.

The booth volunteers passed out a wide array of promotional materials and answered questions and informed curious passersby. The greatest promotional tool the volunteers had however was the Equestrian Life free ride or drive coupons. People of all ages flocked to the booth to claim their free lessons, while the Equestrian Life videos played on a large television in the booth. Hundreds of free lesson coupons were given throughout the week, sparking a great flame of interest in the American Saddlebred. 

During Sunday’s performance, several top Saddle Seat Equitation Riders were invited to work at the booth. These riders included DeLovely ’s Abby Mutrux, Hunter Chancellor, Macey Miles, and Remi Adams, and Werk Way’s Brooke Jacobs. Just two weeks prior to the National Horse Show, Abby Mutrux was named the National Horse Show “Good Hands” National Champion, Abby also holds multiple world titles.  Hunter Chancellor, Macey Miles, and Remi Adams, and Brooke Jacobs all hold multiple world titles.

Not only did the enthusiastic girls do a wonderful job of working the booth, they were also announced during the show, listing some of their accomplishments. Abby Mutrux was honored by presenting the trophy to the ASPCA Maclay National Champion rider, Sarah Milliren. The Maclay finals are the hunters’ equivalent to our “Good Hands” finals. The girls did an especially good job of handing out the Equestrian Life programs free lesson coupons to nearly everyone walking by. They shared their love of their American Saddlebreds with everyone who stopped by the booth, surely helping the promotion of the breed in a big way!

The American Saddlebred industry is truly indebted to these wonderful ambassadors to our breed who donated their time and resources to promote the American Saddlebred, especially Darryl Leifheit, without him this booth would not have been possible. 

More Stories

  • Latest Issue 2 25 HW

    Read More
  • ASHBA Annual Meeting Highlights

    The annual meeting of the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association saw a substantial turnout of membership. More than half of the active, eligible members at the time of the vote let their voices be heard either in person or by proxy on two topics: a bylaw amendment proposal and the vote to elect two people to represent the membership on the nominating committee for the board of directors. Read More
  • Morgan Stallion Sweeps Date Changed

    The New England Regional Morgan Horse Show and Association along with the United Breeders Committee announces a date change for the upcoming Morgan Stallion Sweeps drawing to March 15th. Read More
  • AHHS Board of Director Election Results

    The results are in and the AHHS would like to congratulate the five successful candidates on their election to the AHHS Board! The five candidates elected are Chris Gantley, Maureen Quackenbush, Bryan Earehart, Amber Kildow, and Melissa Moore. Read More
  • Latest Issue 2 10 25

    Read More
  • Update on ASHBA Website

    Earlier today, we noticed that the server that supports the ASHBA database was experiencing a lot of activity. After a brief investigation, we discovered that certain parts of the system were being hit almost constantly and slowing down the server. This was leading to performance issues across the board. We pulled server logs and saw more than 77,000 requests for show results for this morning alone. Read More
  • Over $60,000 Raised At New York Morgan Stallion Service Auction

    It was a new year and a new committee for the New York Morgan Stallion Service Auction. With committee members emeriti Ivan Beattie and Lynn Peeples, Chairperson Jennifer Peek focused on the young trainers in the New York area, tapping Anna Kufs, Chris Bernard, Keith Friday, Lindsay Perry Atkinson, Rebecca Arotsky and Will Vidler, and Tuffy Owens to fill out the revamped team. Read More
  • Topping The Ladies Division

    Read More
  • 2025 Annual Membership Meeting of American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association

    The Annual Membership Meeting of the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association, Inc. will be held on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 2 pm EST at the Lexington Marriott City Center, 121 West Vine Street, in Lexington, KY.  Read More
  • Michigan Morgan Horse Breeders Futurity Activities

    The Michigan Morgan Horse Breeders Futurity (MMHBF) will host its annual stallion service auction on Saturday, March 1, with a full day of activities on Friday, February 28. The events will be held in the Middlebury, Indiana area with the Hampton Inn serving as the host hotel.  Read More