The Northern Minnesota Arabian Horse Association was
incorporated on August 5, 1966.
Its first officers were Les Sellnow, President;
Reynhart Arvidson, Vice President; Dawn Lundgren, Secretary; and Don
Gilbertson, Treasurer. Other charter members were Muriel Besser, Shirley Motley, Virginia Reed, Willie Hargest,
Mrs. Ed Hargest and Steve Vollmer.
The purpose of NMAHA is to encourage interest in
Arabian horses, to cooperate with other organizations and
individuals in developing and maintaining the highest qualities of
this incomparable breed and to encourage ownership and enjoyment of
Arabian horses at all levels.
The first show sponsored by NMAHA was a Class C
Arabian Show held at Alexandria, Minnesota in the late summer of 1966. From the late
1960's through 1984, with only a couple exceptions, the shows were held in Brainerd,
where it also eventually developed into a Class A Show. In 1985 the show moved to Sauk
Centre, where it remains.
In addition to the shows, NMAHA was one of the
earliest clubs to sponsor an endurance ride, showcasing what the
Arabian can do on the trail. The Pillager Cup 50-Mile Endurance
Ride and the 25-Mile Competitive Rides were held at Pillsbury State
Forest near Pillager, Minnesota, beginning in the late
1960's and continuing well into the 1980's. Many of our members still enjoy riding the trails
of Pillsbury and other Minnesota state forests and parks as part of
our spring and fall club sponsored trail rides. Our club has also supported recreational riders with clinics and
booths at horse expos for a number of years and through donations to
help improve trail facilities in the state.
We enjoy the camaraderie of our potluck meetings and
the annual Christmas Party which are all held at members homes or at
various locations in central and northern Minnesota. We have
recently added two other activities that we sponsor. One is the
NMAHA Ambassador Program, an incentive program with points to be
earned from a wide variety of horse activities. This culminates in
an awards ceremony at our March meeting. In addition, we have been
sponsoring an ACS Show (Arabian Community Show) that has been held
at Litchfield the past couple years.
NMAHA also participates in the Region 10 Presidents'
award program which provides beautiful plaques to help affiliated clubs honor hard
working members. See write-up below the officers list.
Welcome to Region 10
