| About the Virginia Miniature Horse Club |
| Originally the Virginia Miniatures was a group of Miniature Horse owners and breeders who had several reasons for organizing. One of these reasons was a unified interest in wanting to promote their miniatures in challenging as well as enjoyable ways with different projects. The goal of these projects was to take the members beyond the competitive confines of the show ring and allow them to work together as a team. Their goal was to make Virginia Minis a Maxi Attraction. |
| Their first project in 1993 was the formation of a Miniature Precision Driving Drill Team. Byrd and Gail Minter were responsible for the success of this drill team. Gail designed the driving pattern so that all the ladies turned to the left and the gentlemen to the right. She designed the costumes and chose the appropriate music, a selection of "ragtime" music and Sousa marches. When the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA, hosted the Virginia Miniatures at their All Breeds Festival, the smallest breed in the horse industry made their debut in the largest horse show facility in the country at the time. The Virginia Miniatures trotted into the big new arena to "ragtime" music. The drivers performed a driving drill that "wowed" the crowd of "big horse" owners not used to thinking of miniature horses at all. The arena resounded with applause and whistling from the enthusiastic crowd, and it was said "they were the best performance of the weekend!". The Virginia Miniatures' breeders had accomplished a well-planned goal: breed and train their horses for performance, and show the public that miniatures can achieve goals beyond the confinement of halter classes. |
| Other goals set included having non-pointed horse shows and trail drives, keeping in touch with all Virginia mini owners and breeders, and building lasting friendships. The Virginia Miniatures breeding goal was also their motto: "The Best of Virginia". |
| Bill and Bev Wilson organized the first non-pointed club show, "The Virginia Miniature Horse Classic", at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds in August of 1993. Due to Bill and Bev's ongoing hard work, this show became a very successful annual event through 1998, and laid the groundwork for more club shows in the future. |
| On October 27, 1996, Diana Rockwell and Peggy Toms convened an organizational meeting to form the Virginia Miniatures group into a more structured club with a president, vice-president, and treasurer. The Virginia Miniatures became the Virginia Miniature Horse Club (VMHC). Although the name had changed, the fundamental purpose and mission of the club remained the same: Education, Promotion and Commitment. The VMHC now publishes a newsletter four times a year, and also sponsors one non-pointed club show a year in Virginia. You can view a listing of all VMHC club events, as well as other popular "mini" events, by visiting our Events page. |
| Members of the Virginia Miniature Horse Club can look forward to more events and get-togethers to the benefit of their horses and themselves. Meetings are often held at mini farms throughout Virginia, providing a great opportunity to visit working mini farms and meet other mini lovers who share a great common interest: Miniature Horses. For information on joining the VMHC, visit our Membership page. |
| This page was created from an article titled "A Mini History of the Virginia Miniature Horse Club", written by Kendrick Taylor, Tagalong Miniature Horses. |
