Mississippi QH Year-End Awards Ceremony Crowns Big Winners

January 16, 2020 | Filed under: Show Results & Gallery | Posted by: equine

All photos courtesy of Sally Blackwell Photography.

Mississippi Quarter Horse Association President Brooks Derryberry says, “Although the day started out with extremely bad weather, the evening brought out the stars in all our award winners for the Mississippi Quarter Horse Association Year End Awards Banquet. We are very proud of all the members who participate in our shows, and happy to present them with the awards for the 2019 show season.”

Two deserving individuals were inducted into the MQHA Hall of Fame.

Dot Cox was a very active member during her lifetime, but most of her time was spend behind the scenes. She was a do-er. If you needed something done, it went to Dot, and it got done. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Mississippi Junior Quarter Horse Association, now named Mississippi Quarter Horse Youth Association. She was also involved with the Mississippi High School Rodeo and was very active as these two state youth association evolved over the years. As a parent and grandparent, Ms. Cox was very proud of four girls in her family, who were crowned Miss Mississippi High School Rodeo Queen, and she celebrated her grandson Percy Quinn who was successful in the Cutting at the American Junior Quarter Horse World Show. Dot and husband, Murray, were owners of Heavenly Hills Ranch, in Madison, MS, where some of the largest MQHA shows in the 60s and 70s were held. Dot and Murray Cox were co-owners of Cox-Jackson Quarter Horses, a top breeding and showing facility, that spread many Skipper W horses throughout the state. Ms. Cox’s family was present and the award was accepted by her daughter, Dorothy Cox Terry.

Barbara Rodriquez was the next inductee to our Hall of Fame. A lifetime member of MQHA, Ms. Rodriguez follows in her family’s footsteps with this induction. Both her mother and father are members of the MQHA Hall of Fame. Ms. Rodriguez served over 25 years on the MQHA Board of Directors and served two separate terms as President. She also served on the finance committee of the Dixie National Quarter Horse Show for two years. Ms. Rodriquez and her family were instrumental in establishing the first “youth sponsored and produced” horse show for the Mississippi Junior Quarter Horse Association.

This show was first held in Carthage, MS, and later moved to her hometown of Natchez, MS. Still today the “youth show” is named in honor of her father, the Roland Stacey Memorial Horse Show. Ms. Rodriquez has made several contributions to MQHA activities. Two contributions that stand out are the Dixie National Quarter Horse Show and the MQHA Scholarship program. Over years of successfully showing quarter horses, MS. Rodriquez’s family acquired an enormous number of trophies from the 1960s and 1970s. After her father’s death, Ms. Rodriquez donated these trophies to the 50th Anniversary Dixie National Quarter Horse Show and Equestrian’s with Disability Shows. Given to class winners at the Dixie, these trophies retained their original plates, and a second plate was added for the 50th Anniversary Show.

Secondly, Ms. Rodriquez and family were also very good friends with Orrin Mixer, who is known for his western prints, one of which can be seen as “the official American Quarter Horse” image used by the American Quarter Horse Association. Over many years, Ms. Rodriquez has donated numerous of Mr. Mixer’s prints for auction with thousands of dollars being raised for the Mississippi Quarter Horse Scholarship Fund. Ms. Rodriquez was present at the banquet and jubilantly accepted her award surrounded by many friends and family.