Being the All American Quarter Horse Queen is a great title to hold. The Queen Contest has been a tradition for almost 50 years. The Congress Queen represents OQHA, AQHA, and the equine industry as a whole.
Horses have been in Allison Hinson’s life for as long as she can remember. The Monroe, North Carolina native started riding when she was five and had her first horse by age nine. Allison started off competing at open circuits and moved to local South Carolina Quarter Horse shows around 2011. Going to the SCQHA shows created friendships and gave her a glimpse of what being the Congress Queen entailed.
queen2.png“When I was a youth I was friends with Paige Kubiak and Amy Brown, the current Congress Queen, and they were running for AQHA Congress Queen,” Hinson said. “I remember looking up to them. Paige was running before Amy. We went to a bunch of shows together and she was kind of my role model. I remember her studying and prepping for the contest and I knew I wanted to do that. I loved the role of being queen and seeing all the little girls looking up to them. It inspired me to be like that one day.”
The dream of having this role became a reality in June. Allison was crowned the South Carolina Quarter Horse Queen. This was the first step to her goal of being the Congress Queen. The test for becoming a state queen is very similar to how the contest is at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
“The contest is 40% on the entire AQHA rulebook test, 40% on an interview with a panel of random judges, and 20% on performing a Horsemanship pattern,” Hinson said. “The person with the highest combined score of all three wins.”
Allison will be riding her own horse, TheseIronsAreStraight, for the Horsemanship portion. Dillon is a 16.3 hand four-year-old palomino AQHA gelding. Dillon became part of the family in March and they have become quite the team with PHBA World Champion titles and top ten placings at the NSBA World Show.
“We have been working really hard on the horsemanship,” Hinson said. “It’s his first year so I don’t expect him to be perfect. He’s doing a really good job for his size and the little experience he has.”
Kimes Ranch Jeans are most definitely Allison’s favorite brand of jeans to wear in and out of the arena.
“Now when you go to shows, all you see are Kimes Ranch Jeans,” Hinson said. “The Betty 17 is my favorite style. I love them. They are so comfortable to ride in. You can’t find another pair of pants to ride in that fits you like Kimes do. They don’t ride up and they are simply perfect.”
“I want to thank my grandparents Doris and Claude Broome for first getting me hooked on horses when I was 3 years old. Also my parents, Pam and Lynn Hinson for all of their help and for always believing in me, as well as Carey Ready Performance Horses, Jamie and Cecilia Hylton, Amy Brown and the South Carolina Quarter Horse Association. Another thank you to JustJan show apparel, Brinks Hattery, Kimes Ranch, and all of my other family members and sponsors for all of their support along this amazing journey.”
We wish Allison the best of luck and support her this week in the Congress Queen Contest. The rulebook test, interview, and horsemanship portion will all be taking place from Thursday until Saturday evening. The crowning will take place during the Freestyle Reining.
If you are interested in more information about the contest or Allison’s journey check out the links below:
http://www.congressqueen.com
https://www.facebook.com/scqhaqueen/?nr
Photos Courtesy of Southern Horse Photography and Pixel Frames Photography
~ Courtney Hall
October 11, 2017
