Review staff
A Rimbey-area horse breeder received some substantial recognition and was presented with a 50-Year Breeder Award by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).
Carl Wilson received the recognition during a ceremony held in Amarillo, Texas last year.
“As a young person of about 20-years old, I was reading and admiring the new breed of quarter-horse that was being promoted and advertised,” Wilson recalled when asked how he got into the industry. “Canadians knew very little about quarter-horses so my dad and myself went to Montana and I bought two mares and a yearling filly, and it kind of all evolved from there.”
He said back when he started, most people knew very little about the breed, however the quarter-horse soon became noteworthy for its faced speed over a distance of one-quarter mile – hence the name.
The recognition from the AQHA had a bit of an added bonus when Wilson discouvered that of the 120 individuals who have received the award since the AQHA was formed on March 15, 1940 at Fort Worth, Texas, he is the only Canadian to be honoured.
“I felt very honoured,” he said of the award. “I was surprised – when I received the award I didn’t know I was the only Canadian. I knew I was one of the few, but they told me I was the first.”
During his career, Wilson has a number of executive positions including as a director with the Alberta Quarter Horse Association, the Alberta Rein Cow horse Association and the Alberta Cutting Horse Association.
During his career, Wilson has a number of executive positions including as a director with the Alberta Quarter Horse Association, the Alberta Rein Cow horse Association and the Alberta Cutting Horse Association.
Wilson said one of his biggest accomplishments was raising and training the son of a three-time world champion cutting horse that sold for $3 million.
The AQHA is the world’s largest horse breed registry with over five million of the horses having been registered.
In addition to receiving the award, Wilson was also featured in the AQHA’s 50th anniversary edition of their magazine.