Midstates Horse Shows, Inc, established in 1985, is a dream come true for our founder, Kristin Ovrebo Rame, President/CEO.

Born 1956 in Muscatine, Iowa, Kris grew up living in New York, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. She began teaching and riding professionally at age 17 in New Jersey. While attending Buck's County Community College she was awarded a Scholarship to the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts, performing up and down the east coast as 1st chair Oboe in various orchestras and improvisational groups.

Teaching, training and playing throughout the late 70's Kris returned to the Midwest in the early 80's, to care for her aging uncle, Art Ovrebo, a retired seaman who owned the family farm in Bricelyn, MN

The rest as they say is history -- Kris met and married Neil Rame. Along with a group of neighbors they formed the Bricelyn Pony Club. Now they needed a place to show their horses.

Look at a map -- Interstate 35 - Interstate 90 - Interstate 80 -- all roads lead to Mason City, Iowa and The North Iowa Fairgrounds; they had stalls, they had a sand ring and they had an indoor arena!

• The pony dads began building jumps,
• The pony moms became horse show secretaries and we even had a pony mom who was a nurse,
• A date was chosen, April 23-27, 1985,
• Midstates had a logo (the horse jumping out of the middle of the US map),
• John Marciano one of Kris's former trainers came from the East Coast to serve as our technical coordinator,
• Buddy Brown was hired as our judge,
• Marvin Harwood was our steward,
• Dave Anderson our announcer, and
• Al Bronte was at the gate.

All we needed was horses . . . . . and we got them, hundreds of horses from all over the Midwest came to our one ring horse show. If you were there, Thanks for Coming, If you haven't been back, Come Try Us Again.

Both Kris and Midstates Horse Shows, Inc have grown. Kris is a Licensed Official with the USA Equestrian Association, she has her large "R" Judge's Card for Hunters, Jumpers and Hunt Seat Equitation as well a large "R" Steward's Card for Hunters, Jumpers, Arabs, Morgans, Saddlebreds and others.

Kris has served as a board member for both the Minnesota Hunter Jumper Association and the Iowa/Nebraska Hunter Jumper Association. She is a USA Equestrian Zone 6 Committee Member and serves on various National Hunter Jumper Council Committees

Her son Aaron turned 13, March 23, 2003 and works doing feed and bedding (Aaron's Feed and Bedding)

Midstates Horse Shows, Inc. produces five "A" rated horse shows per year:

• 4 - $15,000.00 Mini-Prixs (Mason City) and

• the $30,000.00 Grand Prix of Minnesota (St Paul, at the state fairgrounds)

• and manages shows in Lincoln, Nebraska, Anthony, Florida and Hugo, Minnesota.

We were privileged to manage 5 years of shows in Winnipeg, Manitoba in preparation for the most recent Pan Am Games.

Midstates Horse Shows, Inc. has invested in improving the North Iowa Fairgrounds. Major improvements include:

• The 200 x 300 Heritage (Fence Co.) Grand Prix Ring, all weather footing with a bank and roadway.

• Two all weather Hunter rings

• A large all weather Schooling area

• Enclosing numerous buildings to provide all weather stabling for 400 horses. and Paddocks for turn out

• Midstates Horse Shows, Inc is a member of both the Mason City and Clear Lake, Iowa, Chambers of Commerce.

Winter sends Midstates Horse Shows, Inc. to Anthony, Florida, where Kris administrates the housing program for Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) Ocala Winter Circuit as well as assisting in HITS local marketing. As time permits, she judges and stewards during the Ocala Winter Circuit, spends time at the farm (Midstates Horse Shows, Inc. Southern Division) riding, training, sitting by the pool and occasionally producing a schooling show.

Midstates Horse Show, Inc.

Kris Rame President/CEO
Barb Ahrens, 20 years