Equine Affaire MA

Our 12th year at Equine Affaire in W. Springfield, MA was a HUGE success. And while we weren't completely optimistic about that considering Hurricane Sandy and the path of destruction that brought her so close, our worries were all for naught. Shelly accompanied Frank this year, as did daughter Christa and nephew Brandon. Our consistent sponsors, Jim and Judy Mackler, were absent this year for the very first time due to a health issue, but the NHC booth was manned and well cared for in spite of that setback! We were blessed to have Dr. Castle McLaughlin drive in from Boston, as well as Nokota owners Pearl and Karen Neve and Linda Barcomb from upstate New York, who all pitched in selflessly to do whatever needed doing to accommodate demos, take pictures, man the booth, etc.

Also in attendance were owners Dave Scheuer and Glynda McKinnon from Vermont! Nokota horses there with their presence in the stall were Sinatra, an intelligent 4 yr old gelding owned by Brandon and currently being trained for reining, as well as Little Einstein, who is a 4 yr old Nokota Pony cross that charmed many a young girl and others with his good looks and impeccable manners. We saw many previous friends who always make it a point to stop in and see how things are going with the horses, as well as meeting MANY new friends who may not have heard about the breed before, but were interested, and now are firm supporters of our efforts. This has always been a particularly good event for us and this year just emphasized that fact yet again. Many thanks to those whose assistance was invaluable, including Nokota owners Jorja and Carl Mottayaw and Rick and Leigh Garber, who put up with us overnight while we were on the road. Kindness and support like that makes such a difference to road weary travelers who just need a quiet place to lay their heads for a few hours.