Buckeye Classic Recap With Kelly Rauschenbach

EC Blog by: Kelly Rauschenbach

The Buckeye Classic held at the World Equestrian Center was HOT! HOT! HOT! The show was held during the hottest week of the year in Wilmington, Ohio and was presented by the Buckeye Western Horse Association and the Ohio Amateur Quarter Horse Association. Judges for the Buckeye Classic included Charlene Carter, Clint Fullerton, Lori Gordon, Clay MacLeod, Rob Meneely, Scott Neuman, John Tuckey, Kendra Weis and Daren Wright.

Once again, The Buckeye Classic was able to offer FREE amateur entries! Thanks to the support of the show’s amazing sponsors, the Little Buckeye and the Buckeye Classic shows have given away over $275,000 in free entries since 2013. That being said, the exhibitors showed up in force with over 45 in Amateur Horsemanship, 50 in Amateur Showmanship, 45 in Youth 14-18 Showmanship, and over 200 Trail goes each day showed.

The Buckeye Classic kicked off the show schedule with NSBA Day, which had a variety of futurity and maturity classes. A few of the winners included Gone Viral, owned by Kari Craft, the Champion in 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure; Shesa Hot Selection, owned by Sunni Duke, Champion in the Open Limited Maturity Hunter Under Saddle and Champion Non-Pro Limited Hunter Under Saddle; and Stick It Out, owned by Sophie McEntee, Champion in Limited 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure.

One of the biggest highlights of the show was the Exhibitor BBQ dinner and Donkey Races. Not only was this special event absolutely hysterical and entertaining, it was for a great cause. The $30,000+ proceeds raised through donations and rider sponsorships were all donated to military veterans. Colt Romberger and Kenny Reichel from Expedition Orange were on site the entire show sharing their stories and spreading awareness for veterans. The Buckeye Classic also presented several Vietnam Veterans of America with $1,000 checks as a small token of appreciation. The veterans were Cliff Riley, Ray Autenrieb, and Larry Frazee. The Donkey Races involved more than just racing; the rider with the best costume was awarded a FREE stall at the 2018 Buckeye Classic show. The best costume award was won by Melissa Shetler, who was dressed as Fiona from the movie Shrek. The winners of each split were awarded with $100 and second place was awarded $50. All riders donated their winnings back to the association. In the finals of the Donkey Races, riders were auctioned off and the highest bidder on the winning rider won an All American Quarter Horse Congress package valued at $4,500. The winning donkey rider was Julian Harris.

The Buckeye Classic is known for inspiring the youth of the industry. The leadline class held Saturday was a sign that the equine industry is strong and growing. Over 15 leadliners showed their horses and were all awarded giant stuffed elephants.

Throughout the Little Buckeye and The Buckeye Classic, a Team Tournament Challenge was underway. Exhibitors signed up and were randomly placed on a team with three other exhibitors. This Challenge encourages exhibitors to engage with each other and meet new people. It also helps the rookie and level 1 exhibitors get to know some of the more seasoned competitors. Winners of the Team Tournament Challenge were awarded Rod’s gift cards ranging from $500- 100.

High Point winners for the Buckeye shows were awarded saddles, neck ribbons, and glass trophies. Some of the winners include: Sarah Lebsock- L3 Amateur, Shelby Brady- L2 Amateur, Emma Gore- Small Fry, and Emma Brown- Youth 14-18.

If you’d like to become an EC Blogger like Kelly, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.