10th Annual Have a Heart Barrel Race and Poles

Mother Nature again shone on us on October 26, 2025. Our Barrel Race was held under beautiful sunny skies. The rescheduled race was well attended by so many talented racers.

I want to thank everyone that helped to make our Grand Entry very special.

The tractor and wagon were provided by Gary Stow from Mile High Tractor and Engine Club of Prescott. This club raises funds throughout the year in order to provide scholarships to students who will attend agricultural colleges. A great mission! Visit them on Facebook for the club activities.

I’d like to thank the Olsen’s Equifest Royalty for participating: Queen Hennessy Ducote, Queen Tatum Pritchard, and Queen Harlynn Clem. Queen Hayleigh McBride carried the American Flag.

Thanks to Karen Magdeleno for singing the National Anthem, and Papa Joe Jaramillo for providing the race blessing and prayer. Both are so special and talented.

This year we had 69 entrants for the 4D Barrel Race; 28 entrants in the Pole Bending race; 22 Youth entrants in Barrels; and 16 PeeWee racers. Winners in each division are as follows:

Open 4D Barrels

1st place in the 1D division: Jordan Bassett
1st place in the 2D division: Julie Sellers
1st place in the 3D division: Delaney Larsen
1st place in the 4D division: Cadalyn Culp

Youth 3D Barrels

1st place in the 1D division: Hayleigh McBride
1st place in the 2D division: Hayleigh McBride
1st place in the 1D division: Ryker Vandermeer

Peewee Barrels

1st place in the 1D division - Hennessey Ducote

Open 4D Poles

1st place in the 1D division: Hayleigh McBride
1st place in the 2D division: Callie Knipp
1st place in the 3D division: Cindy Loerzel
1st place in the 4D division: Maddison Kerfoot

The Horse and Rider with the Most Heart prize was earned by Hayleigh McBride on her horse The Easy Jet to Heaven. This award is presented to the rider and horse with the fastest combined time for the 4D barrels and 4D Poles. This prize is a $850 certificate from the Corriente Saddle Co. Congratulations, Hayleigh!

This year, a special Tribute Award was introduced to honor Marge and Ray Freeland, long-time barrel race participants and supporters. Their daughter, Tonya Wiertzma, of Wiertzma Farms in Camp Verde, has established this annual award to be given each year at our Have a Heart Race. This year, the award was given to Trudy Chapman-Radley for her long-time commitment to barrel racing.

Thank you to racers, friends, and families who bought raffle tickets and bid on the awesome items offered in our silent auction. And thank you to the individuals who gathered items and donated the beautiful baskets.

Big thanks need to go to Olsen’s Events, Olsen’s Grain, and Shyan Ingroa. We wouldn’t be as successful each year without their assistance at this event and throughout the year. As always, please shop at Olsen’s for all your animal and agricultural needs.

Heartfelt appreciation goes out to all the Horses with Heart volunteers who help plan and carry out this fun and wonderful fundraiser. Thank you!

Most importantly, thank you to the sponsors and donors named below. Your support of Horses with Heart makes us able to provide important services for our special needs community, veterans and first responders, and seniors.

Sequins and Saddles 2025

We are happy to announce that our Sequins & Saddles Gala will be held at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on November 8, 2025. Come join the fun and help raise funds to support the Horses with Heart programs. Seats are limited, buy your tickets today!

Please visit https://auctria.events/sequinsandsaddles to purchase tickets and/or sponsor the event.

Volunteer of the Year Nominations are Open!

IT’S TIME!

Time to nominate the 2025 Volunteer of the Year. Please submit your nominations with your reasons why they should be Volunteer of the Year to Debbie Hutchens, hwhvolcoord@gmail.com or place them in her folder on the Operations Office door. Your nominations are due to Debbie no later than Friday, November 14th.

Remember that previous winners may not be nominated:

● Bonnie Moreau

● Sherry Hoover

● Mary Smith

● Kris Volrath

● Winkie Robb

● Trudy Chapman-Radley

● Helen Collins

● Melana Gonsalves

● Jan Grise

● Kris Dockum

Volunteers Are The Best

As our last session for 2025 comes to a close, I would like to take this time to thank and recognize a very valuable group that we could not function without. Our VOLUNTEERS! This organization could not run without all of you.

Of course, first the SST volunteers that help every day assist our riders day in and day out. You take such good care of our riders, keeping them safe while they ride and love on our horses. This is such an important part of what we at Horses with Heart are known for.

Next is a group of volunteers that a lot of us don’t see on a regular basis is the feeding and mucking crew run by Kristina McConnell. They work in the background taking care of our most prized possessions, our horses. They work diligently behind the scenes, cleaning the pens and feeding the herd. The “menu” as Kristina calls it, is constantly changing, sorry that’s my fault. But with our varied aged and needy horses you stay on top of all the changes and never complain. You report on how they are doing, if they eat or leave their food and…a delicate but important information is they report on the horse’s poop! This is usually a precursor to a problem and a heads up is very helpful. I alone could not take care of the horses without our volunteers.

Another group of volunteers that go unnoticed is the Supplement Team run by Winkie Robb. This is another under the radar group that gives our horses their very important medications and supplements that keep our horses healthy and comfortable. This group also puts up with changes that come at any given moment, with no complaints and just a reply “what can I do to help”.

Of course, there are more volunteers that just step up to help everywhere they can, the grooming team under the direction of Bonnie Moreau, any able-bodied male with muscles that Kristina gets to help with the maintenance, Dwayne that empties the trailer, Kris D that takes in all the donated tack, cleans then sells in the Tacks Fifth Avenue or Yard Sales to help bring income in for the horses. The phone answerers that sit in the office and the cleaning crew that keeps the office sparkling.

I’m sure there is someone I missed, but the music is playing, and they are going to cut me off. Just know, you all are what keeps the doors open, and I Thank You with all my heart.

Lovingly, Marcia Gagnon

Competition Team Update

It’s hard to believe our season is coming to an end, it seems like we just got started! It has been a busy year for the team. We competed in 4 shows at CVEP and on October 25th, attended their first ever Awards Luncheon. Congratulations to EQWD Division Champion Sutton King and Reserve Champion Lilly Dyndur! Also congratulations to Kris Vollrath who won the Walk/Trot Division Championship and Ranch Riding Reserve Champion!

We have one more practice on November 1st, then will finish up with an End of Season Play Day on November 15th. We will start at 10:00 with some fun and games both with and without horses, then finish up with lunch. Come on out and join the fun! If you’d like to join us for lunch, the menu is sloppy joes, we ask that you bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Thank you all for supporting the HwH Competition Team!

Reminder - Enter your Wrangler Volunteer Hours by November 30th!

Hello Valuable Volunteers,

This is a friendly reminder that your volunteer hours need to be logged into Wranglr by November 30th.

Volunteers, we count on your hours to receive grants for HwH. Also, we love to appreciate our volunteers. We use your logged hours to calculate the number of raffle tickets you will receive at our Volunteer Appreciation Luncheons. Raffle tickets are a fun way to win some wonderful prizes during these luncheons!

Thank you all for your wonderful hearts and willingness to volunteer with us.

If you need assistance with Wranglr, please contact Annette DeMarco at cyngrrl@gmail.com or Debbie Hutchens at hwhvolcoord@gmail.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Congratulations to Diane M and Remy for winning first place in the obstacle competition at Chino Valley Equestrian Park! Diane and Remy have participated in the Marvelous Minis program as well.

SAVE THE DATE!

Our Volunteer Appreciation and Awards Luncheon is scheduled for Saturday, January 10th. More info to come.

Marvelous Minis Events:

Our MM program schedule was slim for October. We had another amazing program at Abia Judd School special resources classes. We had taken Rocky last month, and this month we added Frosty to the lineup. It was one of those heartwarming experiences that lifts your spirit! Check out the photos! Photo credit: Gloria Reid.

We were scheduled to make our annual Halloween appearance at The Pioneer Home, but they had to isolate to keep everyone safe due to covid.

I should mention here that Rocky occasionally greets, and performs for, visitors and siblings who are waiting at the pergola during class times.

Upcoming programs for November include visits to Mingus Springs School in Chino Valley and Touchmark Senior Living in Prescott.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Marvelous Minis Team!

A Special Thanks to our Winter Fosters

As we prepare to send our horses out for their winter vacation we would like to acknowledge and thank the winter fosters for opening their hearts to our herd.

Duane Watkins – Casey
Kay Lyons – Copper
Traci Ranic & Larry Larsen – Gladys
Kris Dockum & Kate Adams – Jazz
Jerry & Robin Zneko – Meiko
Dusty Spitler – Peanut
Mary Smith & Lisa Cuthbertson – Rocky
Marcia Gagnon – Romeo
Sherry Hoover – Stumpy
Sheri Heiney – Swifty
David Sharrock - Zip

We also want to thank the generous owners who trust us with their horses during our riding sessions.

Tom Gallowy – Boots & Sunshine
Jeremy Owens – Jesse & Chili
Kris Vollrath – Cowboy
Kay Oden & Gayle Lowery - Catera

Congratulations to Diane M and Remy for winning first place in the obstacle competition at Chino Valley Equestrian Park! Diane and Remy have participated in the Marvelous Minis program as well.

Barn Buddies

Being a Barn Buddy is a great way to ensure that your equine buddies are happy and healthy. All donations made through the Barn Buddy program go towards horse care: veterinary care; feed; supplements; bedding; blankets; and other horse care expenditures which benefit our entire herd.

Visit our site, click “Donate” in the top right corner, scroll down and click “Donate”, under “Select an Initiative" select “Barn Buddies.” This donation can be made in any amount and once or recurring. Your donation will benefit our entire herd.

BE A BUDDY

Debbie Hutchens, RWOP Rep Marianne Compton, Anne Spiess, and Helen Collins

Republican Women of Prescott Luncheon

Horses with Heart was honored at the Republican Women of Prescott Luncheon as the non-profit organization of the month in October by Caring for America. This organization works to acknowledge non-profits, encourage donations, and raise awareness of their mission.

Use Your AZ Tax Credit to Support Horses with Heart!

Horses with Heart is a qualifying charity in the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit Program. Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar cuts in your state tax liability: donate $938, for example, and you could cut your tax bill by $938. Under Arizona law, your dollar-for-dollar tax credit could be up to $470 for a single person, $938 for a married couple filing jointly in 2024. Be sure to consult your tax advisor to see how your HwH donation can benefit you.

DONATE

Volunteer of the Month: LINDA TALCOT

Linda is such a kind and friendly person. She has been with Horses with Heart for four years and has the most willing spirit. Linda volunteers on our Safety Support Team, our mucking and feeding team, helps to turnout our horses, and is also on our substitute list. She is a friend to everyone she meets and has a warm smile to give. Thank you Linda, we are so grateful to have you.

How long have you been with HWH? This is my fourth year at HWH
Why do you volunteer at HWH? As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in horses. I’ve also always loved the part of teaching when you get to see the pride in the eyes of someone who masters a challenging skill. Horses With Heart became a place where I could learn and watch others learn-a perfect fit for me.
What is your favorite memory? I remember a very serious rider that would smile the tiniest smile when she heard praise from the instructor and the beaming of riders that just loved being with people they trusted and their horse. I remember laughing the first time I saw Rocky rolling and wondering why a horse poops just when you leave their stall after cleaning it? I remember all the days I’ve gone home feeling “good tired", content and blessed.
What would you share with new volunteers? I would tell new volunteers that everyone is willing to help if you have questions and that Horses With Heart is a wonderful place where you can help others and give some love and care to the horses that give so much.

Blue Ribbon Moments Winners:

Week of 9/29 Pam Coulter
Week of 10/6 Taylor Elliott
Week of 10/13 Sally Gray
Week of 10/20 John Smith

Appaloosa Tack Sale Recap

Thank you all for another successful tack sale. And, a big thank you to everyone who donated items throughout the year. If you missed the sale, please stop by the store and browse. All 2024 items will be half price through the end of the year, including saddles.