WHUK talks to Carly Kinder about the life of a Congress Queen.
There is a quote that says, “From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand. From the inside looking out, it’s hard to explain it.” These words help put into perspective the life of being a queen within the equine industry. From the outside looking in, I have been perceived as just a pretty face. From the inside looking out, it can be difficult to put into words not only the amount of work I have put into achieving my queen titles and the commitment of being a reigning queen, but also all that I have gained from my titles, which include 2014 All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen. I have been active with breeding and showing American Quarter Horses my entire life, growing up on my family farm in Ohio.
Before competing for the national title of the All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen, I reigned for a year as the Ohio Quarter Horse Association Queen. To be the best spokeswoman possible for my state and the quarter horse, I had to study constantly to remain educated on the latest in the industry. I began the daunting task of learning the AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations a couple of years before I even competed. It is even fair to say the rulebook travelled the world with me going on my study abroad trips to Zambia in 2012 and Australia in 2014. Between juggling my full-time load at college along with being a member of the varsity cross country team, it was all about finding any second I could to expand my equine knowledge. Often waking up long before the sunrise, I studied my box completely stuffed full of thousands of rulebook notecards, worked on interview and public speaking skills, and rode my horse to continue to improve my horsemanship. Each year the state quarter horse queens compete at a week-long competition during the All American Quarter Horse Congress including an impromptu question, interview, written test, horsemanship, and style show.
