The Ohio Quarter Horse Association had the dedication of the Denny Hales Arena on Thursday, October 15 at the 2009 All American Quarter Horse Congress.
Mr. Denny Hales (Feb. 23, 1946 – March 29, 2009) passed away on the morning of Sunday, March 29, 2009, due to a sudden heart attack.
Denny Hales served as the executive vice president of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association for over 20 years, beginning his position with OQHA in 1988. He was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of OQHA, oversaw state and nationally sanctioned Quarter Horse shows, assisted the board of directors
with long-term planning for the association, sat on many national and state equine boards, and advised other national equine associations.
Denny also served as the horse show manager (beginning in 1985) for the All American Quarter Horse Congress, which is held each October at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. Denny took the show to an event that now attracts more than 650,000 people every year during its 24 day run, making the Congress Ohio’s largest annual convention, the seco
nd largest convention in the United States, and the largest single-breed horse show in the World. The All American Quarter Horse Congress will celebrate its 43rd year in 2009.
Prior to his role in association and event management, Denny spent 17 years in education, 15 of which he served as principal of Maysville Junior High School in Zanesville. He had also served as a guidance counselor for the Maysville School System and a teacher in the Zanesville City School System. He held a master’s degree in Psychology, School Administration and Educa
tion from Ohio University, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from Muskingum College.
Horses were a recurrent theme throughout Denny’s life. Through the involvement of his daughters in the 4-H horse program, Denny became active with the
Muskingum County 4-H
Horse Council, and then the Stat
e 4-H Saddle Horse Advisory Committee. He also served as a director of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association and Eastern
Ohio Quarter Horse Association prior to his staff position with OQHA.
Through Denny’s staff position with OQHA, he worked closely with officials of the Ohio Expo Center, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service, the Ohio State University, the Mayor’s office and the Gover
nor’s office. Through his quiet, but effective, behind-the-scenes manner, Denny gained the respect of everyone he worked with.
The dedication of the Denny Hales Arena was held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15 at the All American Quarter Horse Congress.
