Kylie and her faithful friend, 27-year-old purebred Arabian An Exception, a.k.a Akua have been the best of friends since Kylie was very young. Kylie’s mother, Jennifer has owned Akua for 19 years and together they competed in endurance. Three years ago, he was gifted to Kylie.
Their bond is so strong that Akua prefers no one else to ride him other than Kylie. They compete in 4-H, attend jumping clinics, scout canned goods for the needy, 4-H Ranch Horse, compete in the open circuit in both Western and English, Showmanship and Liberty! Thank you Akua and Kylie for being such incredible ambassadors of the Arabian horse and welcome to the Arabian Horse Association!
Nyssa submitted a heartwarming photo of her 1989 gelding, El Alexandro. “Alex” was purchased at auction in 2006 and then spent 9 years as a lesson and camp horse, before being brought back to Horse Power Healing Center (HPHC), a therapeutic riding facility in Eagle, Wisconsin where he is on a life lease.
What's unique about HPHC is that they primarily use Arabian and part-Arabian (Morab) horses in the program because they are dependable, surefooted, and long lived. They are also amazingly versatile. Alex is a great example of this. At one show, he did western dressage, therapeutic dressage, and a traditional dressage test with several different riders! He can tune out the stray movements of a less able-bodied rider and turn around and teach the fine points of a leg yield to a more able-bodied one. He shows no signs of slowing down or retiring soon, and can even be rambunctious and naughty in the pasture when at play.
HPHC offers equine assisted therapeutic riding lessons (which Alex is used in), Horses for Heroes which is a cost-free program for veterans, and then Horses for Hope, which is also no cost for those diagnosed with a terminal illness.
A heartfelt thanks to Nyssa and Alex for your service to those in need and teaching them the value of the horse-human connection with Arabians!
