Hockaday Senior is re-elected as president of the NYCHA

Austria Arnold, a senior at The Hockaday School in Dallas, was recently re-elected president of the National Youth Cutting Horse Association (NYCHA). The Fort Worth-based organization has more than 850 youth members across the nation.

The 17-year-old Terrell, Texas, native has been a member of the cutting horse organization since she was 9-years-old. Prior to being elected to the top officer position in 2014 and re-elected in 2015, Arnold served as the 1st vice president of the NYCHA for a year. She has also served as an Area Director for the NYCHA since 2011. In both 2012 and 2013 Arnold was honored to be named the NYCHA Outstanding Area Director for the organization.

“This is such a huge honor. The NYCHA is an incredible organization that works to promote leadership inside and outside of the competition arena,” says Austria. “We have an incredible group of youth working together to improve and grow our industry and organization. We truly are the next generation of leaders for our sport.”

Arnold has successfully worked to rally additional adult and corporate support during her time as NYCHA president, in an effort to increase scholarships, prizes and recognition of the organization’s youth competitors.

Both Kolby Moore of Williston, Florida, was re-elected 1st vice-president, and Marley Wood of Lingleville, Texas, was re-elected as 2nd vice-president of the youth organization. Elbert, Colorado-native Nicole Pietrafeso was also re-elected as secretary, while Madison Murray of Lindale, Texas, was elected Reporter for the 2015-2016 term.

Terrell cowgirl Austria Arnold, 16, and her good friend Trevor Pritchett, 18, of Quinlan successfully finished a plan in late-July that they had made more than a year ago. The family friends had made a plan to win two highly coveted titles with the National Youth Cutting Horse Association (NYCHA) - Arnold the Senior World Championship title and Pritchett the Senior Rookie of the Year title. The friends knew from the start that winning any year-end NYCHA title would involve a hearty will to win, an iron vow to the task at hand and multiple solid cutting horses as well as a family commitment to see it through.

Arnold, a junior at The Hockaday School in Dallas, had made the World Finals in the junior division in 2013. She knew what kind of commitment it would take not only to make the finals in the Senior division but to have a good chance at winning the World Championship when the year ended. Pritchett, a recent graduate of Quinlan Ford High School, was prepared for the task of a year-long learning curve and competitive haul after only a few years of participation in the sport. The friends spent most weekends since last summer on the road and hauled together multiple times during the twelve months. Both had times of great success over the year, and both experienced dry spells when they could not win points for weeks at a time.

The point year for the 850-member National Youth Cutting Horse Association began on June 1, 2013 and ran through May 31, 2014. Then last month the final 3-day showdown concluded on July 23 in the WR Watt Arena at the Will Rogers Memorial Equestrian Complex in Fort Worth. Arnold went into the prestigious July World Finals in 1^st place, a position she acquired in November of 2013 and never relinquished. Pritchett worked his way through the standings and spent the majority of the year in the 5^th and 6^th position of the celebrated top 15. They often battled it out at shows for precious points between themselves as well as with other top competitors from across the country.  Ultimately the competitive pair finished what they started, both winning their chosen titles.

An interesting side note: Both teenagers showed the same horse on different weekends with great success – a 13-year-old gelding named Cowcattin. Cowcattin is owned by Pritchett’s parents Doug and Lecia Pritchett also of Quinlan. Both teens used a total of four horses during the year to acquire their title winning points. Arnold finished the season with 131 points in 52 shows to win the NYCHA Sr. World Championship title, while Pritchett finished the season with 57 points in 24 shows taking the Senior Rookie of the Year honors for 2014.

On Saturday - July 12, 2014, Jake E’s Riding Round Up in Kaufman, Texas, held its first ever Volunteer Appreciation Hawaiian Luau. Hawaiian music filled the air as the volunteers arrived at the therapeutic horseback riding facility. Each volunteer was then greeted with an official ALOHA LEI WELCOME as they entered the Jake E’s Riding Round Up Welcome Center.

“It takes everyone working together, doing their part, no matter how great or how small, for this to happen,” said Jake E’s Riding Round Up Founder & Executive Director Jana Ewing to the more than 45 volunteers in attendance at the Luau. Ewing expressed over-whelming gratitude to all the volunteers for their part in making Jake E's Riding Round Up a place of healing for so many individuals in Kaufman, Rockwall and Van Zandt Counties.

The volunteers were entertained with a Hawaiian Stage Show, and even had the opportunity to enjoy hula dancers and fire dancers via DVD on the big screen. Many of the Luau guest retreated to the swimming pool after enjoying a Hawaiian themed lunch.

“We had a lot of fun, even swimming, delicious food and a great turn out with over forty volunteers in attendance,” says Joy Jones, Community Outreach Coordinator for the equine-oriented facility. “We just wanted our volunteers to know how much they are appreciated. A Hawaiian-themed Luau seemed like a unique way to treat them for once.”

 Jake E's Riding Round Up is a Christian non-profit healing center offering P.E.A.C.E. - People thru Equines Achieving Courage and Empowerment - located in Kaufman, Texas. The Center was established in honor of Founder Jana Ewing's 3-year-old son Jacob Eli who died in a tragic, non-equine related accident in April of 2010. The Kaufman-based therapeutic healing center focuses on improving the lives of individuals with a need to find peace. Today the non-profit offers services to a variety of clients in Kaufman, Van Zandt, Smith, Rockwall and Dallas Counties including Veterans and at-risk youth as well as elderly and special needs individuals. More information on Jake E.’s Riding Round Up can be found at jakesrr.com or by calling the Center at 972.962.2828.