A youth representative for the California State Horsemen’s Association (CSHA), she spoke in front of a small crowd of high school and middle school students in the breed pavilion at Equine Affaire in Pomona. Her voice wavered slightly at first, but got steadily stronger the longer she spoke. The crowd listened avidly as she told them about possible careers in the equine field, how to find a college that would be most beneficial to their needs and how to be successful within the horse industry.
Success is something Brittany Voss of the Bay Area’s Pleasant Hill knows all about. At the age of 17 she has already been a two time CSHA Region Five Queen, is a published author and has received the President Award as a scholar by holding a 3.8 GPA. She manages many extracurricular activities, including holding a chair in student government, being an honor student, carrying three advance placement classes and her riding; but for Brittany the rewards are well worth all the hard work.
“All my life I have loved horses,” says Brittany. “For as long as I can remember all I wanted to do was ride horses and be a large animal vet.” However, having grown up on a farm, Brittany’s mother, Melinda, knew all about the commitment and responsibilities involved in owning horses. Brittany was not daunted by her mother’s hesitance. Brittany and her father, Drexel, formulated a plan. Over the course of a year they pleaded with and badgered Melinda until slowly her resolve broke down. When they moved from the city to Pleasant Hill Brittany started taking riding lessons at a local stable.
“I bought my first pony, Spring, for one dollar,” explains Brittany. “She was 25 years old and going lame from the amount of stress she was under and her developing arthritis. She needed a place she could get well and be a horse for while. We took care of her for a year and when she finally did get better, she got a lot better. It just took time and a lot of patience. At the time I was happy just to be with a horse, it didn’t matter that I couldn’t ride her, I was happy just to be there.”

Along Came Falcon
Even as a child, Brittany was always very focused. As her riding began to progress, she knew she needed to pick a direction she wanted to go with her riding. Though she rides both english and western, Brittany wanted to focus on stock events. She wanted a horse that was as versatile as she - that horse was a palomino gelding named Falcon.
“He was this big beautiful gold horse, going in six different directions,” says Melinda. “Originally he was Drexel’s horse.” “My dad wanted a palomino,” adds Brittany. “Then he became my horse.” “But in all actuality Falcon chose Brittany,” continued Melinda. “They sat together for seven hours and you could see him bonding with her. Since that day he has been her horse.”
However, Falcon still exploded when in high stress situations and they needed professional help to get him through his problem. Melinda enlisted the help of well respected natural horsemanship trainer, Charles Wilhelm. She had seen him work at his facility and really liked what he was doing.
“I just came down one day and we really hit it off,” says Brittany. “I wasn’t doing as much then and Charles really helped to develop me into the rider I am now. He gave me the horsemanship skills I needed to really compete.”
Since teaming up with Charles, Brittany and Falcon have caused a sensation in and out of show rings across California. The pair took home the title of CSHA’s 2006 English Champion and the 2006 Region Five Western Champion. They were the 2006 D’Alanzo Winter Series Western Champion and the Summer Series English Champion. The pair were so successful in 2006 that the Palomino Horse Show Association named Falcon their 2006 High Point Horse of the Year.
Falcon has appeared in several of Charles’ clinics and Brittany was pictured in his latest book Starting Baby Jaz. The pair also appeared in The Classic Western Rider by Donna Synder.
The skills Charles taught Brittany and Falcon helped them excel in the highly competitive equitation portion of the CSHA Queen competition. Her ability to perform well under pressure was a critical part of Brittany’s two-time victory.

The Road to the Region Five Crown
“I didn’t really know about the CSHA and their Royal Court until I attended my first Spring Stampede,” explains Brittany. “It’s Region Five’s big event. It’s cattle penning, ranch work or stock competition, trail and gymkhana all in the same facility. I was like ‘this should be fun,’ so we went to check it out. That’s how I got involved with the CSHA.”
Brittany immediately began competing and attending CSHA Region Five events and soon got involved in their Royalty Program. CSHA’s royal court serves as ambassadors for the CSHA and they represent and promote the CSHA and their region at various functions, shows and events across the country.
The competition for CSHA Region Five Queen consists of four phases: an interview, a formal speech, a written test and a professional level riding test. Contestants are judged on their appearance, personality, poise, speaking ability and equitation.
“The biggest difference between a rodeo queen and a CSHA queen is that the CSHA allows everyone to participate, no matter what discipline you ride,” says Brittany. “The first year I applied I didn’t really understand how high the level of competition was and how structured it was. I didn’t mind, it was just a little overwhelming. But the challenge really made me strive to do well. You really learn to respect the horse industry.”
Brittany immediately set her mind to becoming the next Region Five Queen. She studied the CSHA bylaws, rulebooks and other required reading; she practiced her horsemanship and patterns with Charles and continued to improve her public speaking skills. Her hard work and dedication paid off - in 2006 Brittany claimed her first CSHA Region Five crown.
Brittany went on to defend her title and reclaim her crown in 2007. Both years she was also named to the State Royal Court and in 2007 she was named First Princess to the State Court. Brittany’s duties as Region Five Queen have taken her from coast to coast. Last year she represented the CSHA at equine expos in Maine and Washington as well as throughout California.
“You learn to appreciate just how hard the queens work,” says Melinda. “They work just as hard as the cowboys. These girls are the first to arrive at events, setting things up and they are the last to leave because they have to take everything down. On top of that they have to look good and represent their association through out the event. It’s not easy.”
“My main goal is to be able to reach out to as many people as possible,” says Brittany. “My title is a resource to help educate and promote good horsemanship. It’s important to have people with strong interests and drives in the horse community if we want to keep our trails and big horse parks and pavilions open.”

A Bright Future
A senior at College Park High School, Brittany has already been accepted to three state colleges. Her goal is to do her undergrad work in Animal Science at a state college, then transfer to UC Davis for their veterinary program. She hopes to take Falcon with her and board him near her college of choice.
“I try to put my priorities in order,” says Brittany. “School comes first, then horses. I always want to spend at least an hour, hopefully two or three at the barn with Falcon. I go right after school.”
Brittany would be the first to tell someone that a great deal of her success has been due to her parents’ support. Melinda had computers installed in their truck so Brittany could do her homework on the way to the barn and spends a good portion of her weekends driving Brittany to and from events and shows.
“A strong foundation should always start with a parent,” says Melinda. “A kid only gets one shot at being a kid. It’s really all about balancing. Brittany does a lot on her own and it’s not very often I have to remind her, ‘well you took the title so you have to make it a priority.’ It’s great as a parent when you can say that.”
Until she starts college next fall Brittany intends to spend this next year spreading the word on CSHA and the different equine programs they have to offer. She hopes to continue to compete with Falcon while in college and has already put in applications for multiple rodeo queen competitions.
“If I could get one thing across to people, I would want them to understand that it’s hard work but it’s well worth the time,” says Brittany. “When it comes to horses there is something for everyone.”
For more information on Brittany Voss and the CSHA Region Five Queen program visit www.csharegion5.org.