The 2013 AHP Student Internship listings and applications are now available online to college students who have an interest in horses and seek a career in equine publishing media.

"We've redesigned the listings to make them more user-friendly for students to search on the internships which interest them," says Judy Lincoln, AHP Student Programs Coordinator.

The AHP Student Internship Program is a great way to provide students with the resume-building experience that's so critical to today's job market. Interns gain valuable hands-on real life experience and AHP members acquire additional help when and where they need it most.

Student Membership is open to high school, college, and graduate students for an annual fee of $25. Student Members receive an opportunity to attend the AHP annual seminar at a reduced registration fee, a free listing in the online AHP Membership Directory, the AHP e-newsletter, "AHP For the record," and are eligible to enter several classes in the AHP annual Awards Contest. Learn how to become a Student Member.   

AHP Student Award Contest awards up to three $750 travel awards to attend the AHP seminar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 20-22, 2013. Travel Award winners have an opportunity to meet leading equine publishing professionals and discuss career possibilities during the three days of educational sessions and related activities. One Travel Award winner will be selected at the seminar as the 2013 Student Award winner and receives a cash award of $1,000. Students are eligible to enter the contest if they are a high school senior or an undergraduate college student during the 2012-2013 college year before graduation. All qualified applicants receive a complimentary Student annual membership, a complimentary Student registration certificate for the 2013 seminar and a critique of their resume. The AHP Student Award Contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only. Rules and entry forms will be available online in October.

Many of us who grew up in the horse industry believe in "my heroes have always been cowboys." Our family headed to Boston Garden every time the rodeo came to town when I was a kid. We loved the tales of the Old West and the nail-biting thrill of rodeo events like bronc riding and barrel racing. Whether you are a rodeo fan or not one yet, AHP members who attend the 2013 seminar in Colorado Springs will have an opportunity to explore the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy as it's only a few short steps from the Colorado Springs Marriott.

It's hard to miss the one and a half life-size bronze of Casey Tibbs on Necktie in front of the building. The Hall, established in 1979, is located adjacent to the national headquarters of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).  

The Hall includes presentations on rodeo's history from trail drives and ranch work as well as contemporary rodeo and the "road to a championship." The evolution of gear, equipment and clothing is explained in Heritage Hall. Exhibits featuring memorabilia from 160-plus inductees fill the Hall of Champions.

Ready to book your room?

The Colorado Springs Marriott has set up a link to AHP group reservations. The group code has already been entered with the king/double standard room rate of $120. All rooms come with either a mountain or city view, but views cannot be guaranteed at this rate.

The survey was limited to men and women, 18 years of age and older, who currently own or manage at least one horse and live in the United States. This study was anonymous, meaning no one, not even members of the research team, are able to associate survey information with responses.

Upon the conclusion of the survey, 11,320 responses were collected.  After removing duplicates, respondents from outside the U.S., and non-horse owners or managers, there were 10,539 usable responses. 

The complete results of this survey are now available online  at the AHP website under Resources. Excerpts from this study must be referenced as 2012 AHP Horse Industry Survey sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, Merck Animal Health and Pfizer Animal Health.

I may be the only one in the horse industry who had never heard of this sport before, but I thought it might be newsworthy just in case I wasn't the only one who was clueless.  Skijoring or ski joring (derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring meaning ski driving) was brought to my attention by a new student member who writes a blog called Snow Horse.

Equestrian skijoring consists of a team of a single horse, generally guided by a rider, pulling the person on skis who carries no poles and simply hangs onto a tow rope in a manner akin to water skiing. Skijoring behind a horse is said to have originated as a method of winter travel, but today is primarily a competitive sport. Skijoring was a demonstration sport in the 1928 Winter Olympics.

The North American Ski Joring Association holds competitions in which a rider guides the horse while the skier navigates a series of jumps and obstacles. More informal competitions are held on flat ground over short courses, often as simple sprint races on a straightaway, sometimes with turns on the course. Competitors often use short skis and modified water skiing towing equipment, though often this is as simple as a single tow rope looped around the horn or attached to the back of a western saddle.

Thrilling Extreme Horse Ski Joring Races!