AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE HERITAGE CENTER & MUSEUM CELEBRATED ITS 11th BIRTHDAY SUNDAY, JULY 21

AMARILLO, Texas

The American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum is celebrated its 11th birthday-with the celebration scheduled during the American Quarter Horse Association's Member Appreciation Month.

In honor of its 11 years in Amarillo, the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum had a special event Sunday, July 21. Special guests providing entertainment for the afternoon included Woody and Jesse, the classic cartoon characters from Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2.

Also throughout the month of July, in honor of the 11th birthday and AQHA Member Appreciation Month, the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum is offering free admission.

On August 14, 1989, ground was broken for the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum, immediately to the west of the international headquarters of AQHA. To be built on the same 10-acre plot of ground on which the headquarters sits, the two-story, 35,600-square-foot facility was the culmination of 14 years of effort by numerous interested American Quarter Horse people and the American Quarter Horse Foundation.

As construction began, plans were devised for the Heritage Center & Museum to include space for changing exhibits, two classrooms for educational programs and meetings, and a store for selling American Quarter Horse-related items. The Heritage Center & Museum would also feature a demonstration arena adjacent to the Heritage Center, to introduce visitors to the American Quarter Horse and some of its activities.

In addition to serving as an educational and historical outlet for the American Quarter Horse, the Heritage Center & Museum was planning to serve as the center for equine and historical research. The Museum would also house the American Quarter Horse Foundation's extensive collection of books and materials, and copies of all reports resulting from equine research grants from AQHA.

For more information on the birthday celebration, contact the Heritage Center & Museum at (806) 376-5181 or for information on AQHA's Member Appreciation Month celebration visit AQHA online at

www.aqha.com.