OTAHC is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Appaloosa breed.
We welcome all horse enthusiasts, regardless of where you live or what breed you may own.
10/05/2024
Have you ordered your photos from the show yet? They are very reasonably priced! Also contact Wild Cheyene Photography for a discount on your own personal shoot!
One of my favorites from the OTAHC All breed show last weekend! If you haven’t already, pictures are posted on my website! Get yours and tag my page for 20% off a personal shoot!
10/02/2024
The photos from the show are ready!!! Please help support our amazing photographer by buying some photos!
Photo collection by Wild Cheyene Photography
09/30/2024
We want to say a big THANK YOU to our all volunteer crew this weekend. With the rescheduling we somehow managed to be low on show crew and it was a LONG weekend for our crew. So to Leroy, Angie, Rosiland, Emma, Noell, Gina, and Kayla, you guys ROCK! Sure hoping we didn't forget anyone, but the horseshow hangover is a real thing for the crew also!
09/30/2024
Wow, we really are excited to see those Day 2 photos!! Make sure and purchase some photos from our amazing photographer, and we are also lucky enough to have her as a club member! Her prices are really reasonable!
09/30/2024
Lots of great photos to come from Day 1 of our horse show!!!
09/26/2024
We want to extend a "Thank you" and "Welcome Back" to our 2025 Queen Emma Shierk. Emma was previously Queen during the COVID years of 2020-2021 and is looking forward to a reign without so many stops and starts. The thank you is due to the fact that our 2025 candidate changed direction and Emma was asked on a Friday if she would consider the title again. She of course said "YES" and 2 days later completed her Horsemanship pattern, interviews, speech, flag carry, and Queen run. A big thank you also goes out to club member Kayla Cheyene for allowing us to use your good horse Roo and taking photos!
09/26/2024
We have Wild Cheyene Photography joining us for our show this weekend! She takes fabulous photos and is reasonably priced! Make sure and contact her for all your equine related photography needs! https://www.facebook.com/wildcheyene
ESTABLISHED 2021
Relocated to Deschutes County ❤️
09/26/2024
There is still time to come and join us for a fun horse show weekend! You can still email in your entries or enter at the show. Bring your horses and friends and come enjoy one of our last great weekends before winter arrives here on the High Desert!
09/24/2024
Please help Oregon Trail Appaloosa Horse Club reach our goal by purchasing from our Butter Braid and Cookie Dough fundraiser. Funds from this will be split 50/50 with the club, for future horse shows, and with Mark & Shawna Hoegh's GoFundMe for Mark's needed liver transplant. The sale ends on 10/18/2024, so don’t wait to order! Members of our group will deliver your products when they arrive on November 13th. Just in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday! You can place an order online by clicking this link. Please be in the Central Oregon area for delivery purposes. Thank you!
09/18/2024
As some of you may know one of our longtime members is in desperate need of a liver transplant. A couple weeks ago a GoFundMe was started for Mark & Shawna Hoegh to try and help them with their medical expenses. Mark's health has been rapidly declining and in their recent move to Iowa to be closer to family there were things not covered by insurance. We are sharing the link to the GoFundMe and if you are able to help in any way it would be so appreciated. We are also starting a fundraiser selling Butter Braids and Cookie Dough that will arrive just in time for Thanksgiving. We will have members out in the community selling items and we will also have order forms at our upcoming horse show too. Half of the proceeds from this fundraiser will be donated to Mark's medical bills.
I am creating this GoFundMe for my amazing friends Mark & Shawna Hoegh. N… Christine Harris needs your support for Support Mark Hoegh's Urgent Medical Journey
09/18/2024
We want to thank everyone who came out and participated at our Sept 7th ETS event. We had a great turnout and the weather ended up being perfect. We are working on planning a few fun/judged trail challenges in 2025 with some great prizes to win! Stay tuned for more information on that soon!
09/16/2024
The patterns for our show next weekend will be the same ones that were previously published for the show since we had to move it. Just in case you didn't see them when originally published here they are again! We are sure looking forward to seeing everyone next weekend! Please remember to bring along your chairs! We will also have burgers for sale at lunch that comes with chips and a drink, and we will have coffee and cinnamon rolls available in the morning!
09/09/2024
Our Fall Festivities 4-H & Open Show Flyer is finally ready! Planning to show both days?? Enter the OPEN classes for a chance to win a buckle! We have lots of high points for both days and special prizes for our gamers! Come out and have fun with us!
09/06/2024
If you are coming to our ETS ride at Crooked River Ranch tomorrow we are taking donations for groceries, clothing (size small), and household items for our long time club member Karen Ruybalid who lost her home to a fire this week.
09/06/2024
Don't forget we have our rescheduled open show coming up Sept 28 & 29!! We finally have our judges and so the updated flyer will be out this weekend! Also new we are adding an all ages division and the High Point and Reserve in that division will win a beautiful belt buckle!!!
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Oregon Trail Appaloosa Horse Club posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Business
Send a message to Oregon Trail Appaloosa Horse Club:
Mutual appreciation of the appaloosa horse breed, in 1969, led to the formation of the Appaloosa Horse Club established in Pendleton, Oregon, under the organization of local veterinarian, Dr. Frank Lieuallen; who presided as the first club president for many years. Dr. Lieuellen later moved to Hermiston, Oregon, where the club stayed until 2008.
The name of the club changed sometime after 2008 to the Oregon Trail Appaloosa Horse Club (OTAHC), and current members voted to move the club to Central Oregon where there was potential for more appaloosa activities as well as better access to arenas for horse shows and events. Edward Hounshell, Jr. represented the club after the move as President from 2007 until 2009. Successive club leadership has changed over the years from a small team of dedicated volunteers with many members serving tirelessly for many years. OTAHC also currently includes a social media presence with a website and pages for both the club and the queen.
OTAHC’s focus has always been to educate the public of the versatility of the appaloosa horse and encourage fun participation, but we gladly welcome horse enthusiasts of all ages, regardless of where they live or what breed of horse they own. Over the years, the club has organized, sponsored and partnered with other non-profit organizations to provide horse show events and trail challenges that are not only open to all riders, but also take time to recognize the appaloosa. These have included: Best in the West Horse Shows, Ranch Horse Trail Challenges, and the Silver Buckle Series. In addition, the club organizes monthly trail rides throughout the Central Oregon landscape and holds an annual overnight weekend trail ride trip.
In addition to horse-related events, club members also maintain a one-mile county road clean-up, volunteer for “Walk for the Cure” and “Heaven Can Wait” breast cancer events, members of the mounted sheriff’s posse, place flags for patriotic holidays for Redmond’s “Flag City USA,” and have donated a portion of show event proceeds to benefit “Make-A-Wish Oregon.”
The versatility of club members’ appaloosas is ever present. We have several club members that have competed in horse shows for many years at the state, regional, and national level. In addition, Marie Torrance’s, appaloosa “Marcy” was photographed for a book cover for “Woman of Courage,” a historical novel set in 1837, about a Quaker woman’s travel from New York to the Spalding Mission to minister to the Nez Perce Indians. Shawna Hoegh and her appaloosa, “Etche,” captured the “ACAAP Versatility Champion Award” in 2015 (earning Certificates of Superior Achievement in five different ACAAP categories). Carol Lukens and her daughter showed appaloosas for many years. Members Brandy Hershberger Lee, Marie Torrance, Carol Lukens, and Karen Ruybalid have all experienced the “Chief Joseph Trail Ride” with Brandy’s horse “Woody” achieving all 12 levels in 2018. Marie’s “Sunsiri” also successfully passed requirements for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Posse, and youth members have used appaloosas for Oregon High School Equestrian Team (OHSET) events. OTAHC has also sponsored year-end club awards for both adult and youth members participating throughout the year in areas such as trail ride mileage and participating in parades; in addition to horse show categories.
OTAHC is also one of only a few clubs, if not the only regional club, that has built a consistently successful queen and princess program over the past 10 years. The queen usually has been secured through recommendations of club members, and younger princesses have either been children or grandchildren of members. Our queen’s primary goal is as an ambassador promoting the appaloosa throughout the State of Oregon. Over the years, she has participated not only in parades and rodeos, but also at breast cancer events, local quilt shows, community fairs, libraries, and other events where they reach the public in local communities with brochures, coloring books, and autograph sheets promoting the appaloosa breed. Some highlights of our queens have been the annual Sisters Rodeo Parade accompanied by all the club members, the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade and recognized with third place in the “queen” category, leading a rider-less horse symbolizing the "fallen soldier" for the “On Patrol Project” during a Veteran’s Day Parade, participating in a live educational exhibit featuring the appaloosa in native regalia during the Deschutes County Fair, assisting disabled youth and adults at “Rascal Rodeos,” and of course attending the numerous “sister queen” coronation events during the spring of each year. OTAHC is also proud to share that our queen also receives a small scholarship at the end of their reign to acknowledge their efforts during the year.
As with other social riding clubs, OTAHC has seen successive decreased membership over the years, but for a small club, we have twice been recognized by ApHC; one year 4th place nationally and placed 2nd for the regional exemplary award. We are very proud of earning those credentials! We are thankful for a handful of devoted (and overworked) “appy” supporters that keep the club going while continuing the appreciation and history of the appaloosa breed in the public’s attention.
OTAHC is both blessed and thrilled to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2019!
**Thank you to all the club members who shared and submitted information about OTAHC’s history.**
