Page 96 - March 2016

“The current situation in Texas is tough and, sadly, I think the struggle to survive is wearing on people.”
VAL CLARK
by John Moorehouse
Val Clark originally hails from Canada. She’s also lived abroad in both Europe and Sri Lanka. She found her home, however, and her passion, in Texas. Clark and her husband, Dave, live in the Lone Star State capitol of Austin.
The Executive Director of the Texas Quarter Horse Association (TQHA), Clark is the recipient of the 2015 Mildred N. Vessels Special Achievement Award, which annually is given to a woman for her contributions to the racing industry.
As Executive Director of the TQHA, a position Clark has held since 2013, she certainly has a full plate. The TQHA is the largest American Quarter Horse Association affiliate with more than 2,500 members. The TQHA racing program is topped by the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity with a seven- figure payout. The association oversees an Accredited Texas-Bred Program that provides millions in purse supplements each year, as well as the TQHA Yearling Sale every summer in San Antonio. The TQHA
also provides scholarships for involved TQHA youth members and has a show division that runs approximately 50 events each year.
Get to know more about this influential and award-winning figure in the industry in this latest installment of “The Lighter Side.”
Q: Where were you born?
A: Manitoba, Canada—where winter lasts eight-plus months...for real.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of horse racing?
A: Recreational riding and camping with my hubby and horses.
Q: What is your favorite movie, and why?
A: The last movie I watched was “War Room” and I thought it was very good! I felt it captured the empowerment of what so many of us long for... the transformation and change that comes from prayer. Powerful stuff.
Q: Give an interesting fact about your family.
A: My grandparents on both sides of the family emigrated as teenagers to Canada, so we still have many ties to “the motherland.” All of my family lives in Canada except for the extended bunch in the UK.
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about?
A: Not sure you would call “Val” a nickname or not, but my full name is Valerie. Most people call me Val. My Mom only used my full name when I was in trouble.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have ever seen in a horse?
A: I have a quirky retired cowhorse gelding, appropriately named Fred. He is crazy curious and has the toddler mentality of checking everything new out with his mouth—not to bite or eat it, rather in an exploratory way. That went bad for him a few years back, with the result of him cutting off half of his tongue.
Q: If you were not in the horse racing business, what job would you like to have? A: Sadly, we face that reality in Texas with the current climate of racing. I would love to continue in the horse industry if that were possible in some form or fashion; or go totally in a different direction— missionary work.
by John Moorehouse
94 SPEEDHORSE, March 2016
THE LIGHTER SIDE