You can find out more about the Quarter Horse Association here https://www.facebook.com/AQHAES
Q.— Diane, how did you end up in Mallorca, and what drew you to stay?
A. — I first came when I was 15, obviously, with my parents. I’ve studied in England and lived in France, but for most of my life, I’ve lived here. There’s just something about this island that keeps drawing you back, you know? It drives you freaking crazy, but then when you leave, you realise maybe it’s not quite so bad.
Q.—You’ve had an interesting journey before founding the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) in Spain. How did your involvement with quarter horses begin?
A. — My first horse was a French trotter because that’s all I could afford at the time... But I always wanted a “proper” horse. And when I came to live in my finca here with my husband, I thought, well... this is my chance now of having a better horse. Firstly I bought an Appaloosa mare. And then we saw a quarter horse mare that was for sale, and we went to see her and bought her. And then it just sort of snowballed. My husband was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which led to a double lung transplant in Barcelona. Despite the transplant giving him four more years, the powerful anti-rejection drugs caused tumors, ultimately leading to him dying, but his passion for our horses was a huge source of joy for him.
Q.— What motivated you to establish the AQHA in Spain?
A. — I wanted to do that because I wanted to breed my mare, but I was finding that nobody knew anything about how to register them. Nobody really knew about the breed. And I just started reading up about it, and I read it up about the AQHA and the association, everything they do. And I thought, heck, why not? I’ll do that. And I just fell into it, really.
Q.—Founding the AQHA must have been challenging, especially with the pandemic. How did you manage?
A. — So I started in 2019... but then, of course, came Covid. So although we got accepted as an organisation, we didn’t really do much in those first years. But then after Covid, we started up, and it’s slow work as it’s all voluntary. We don’t get paid for it, but we do get a grant from AQHA, which helps us put on things and do shows, and then they send us trainers from America for different things, for doing clinics. Like the clinic we had recently with this amazing teacher, Gary Roberts, who they sent over from the USA.
Q.— How did the first quarter horses come to Mallorca?
A. — Some of the first ones were imported from Germany by a guy which they called ‘the Sheriff.’ He was a Mallorcan guy and he always dressed like a cowboy. He had a German girlfriend, and she was into quarter horses and that’s how he got into bringing the first quarter horses to Mallorca. So they came from Germany, because Germany is very big in quarter horses. Very, very big.
Q.—What has been the biggest success of the AQHA in Spain so far?
A. — Our greatest thing so far has been doing the Quality Samples Program... That gave us $75,000 worth of frozen semen from the best stallions in America to breed to 30 mares in Europe. Obviously, not all of them took. Some didn’t take, but now the foals are hitting the ground, and we’ve got some absolutely spectacular foals. I think we are going to get it again next year, which is unheard of. No other country has had it for two years running.
Q.—Why do you think the AQHA in America is so supportive of international affiliates like yours?
A. — Because the Americans, the AQHA in America, can see that we’re really trying, and if they see that you’re really trying, then they give you every possible help. When they see that you put something into it, they give back, which is really nice.
Q.— It sounds like you’ve found your true passion with the AQHA. How has this journey impacted your life?
A. — I am now a crazy horse lady. I didn’t come from a horsey family. It’s just something that sort of came on with old age! And now it’s sort of deeply ingrained in me, I love my life here with my horses and my dogs... It’s just become a bit of a passion. And I think probably because I can see that the more I put in, the more we’re getting out of it, the more help we’re getting. It’s becoming more interesting.
Q.—What does the future hold for the AQHA in Spain?
A. — Next year, I’ll be going to the convention, which is in Las Vegas. It’s quite nice because you get to know all of the other people and the other affiliates in Europe, so you get to meet a lot of people that normally you wouldn’t get to meet. It’s incredibly good fun!
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