It’s Mom and Dad’s Turn! Parent’s Showmanship is a Big Hit

By: Brittany Bevis

First there was the Blind Horsemanship Challenge at the Missouri Quarter Horse Association Mapleleaf Show. Then, there was the Dad’s Walk-Trot Western Pleasure at the Southern Ohio Quarter Horse Association Madness. Now, MQHA is back with another creative class offering- this time the Parent’s Showmanship at the MQHA Gateway Classic!

The Parent’s Showmanship included an additional component of audience participation with a calcutta and a unique nomination feature. Nominations for competitors took place Thursday through Saturday during the show. There was an initial nomination cost of $20 per parent, and individual jars were set up for each participant. Parents could continue to be nominated based upon any value of money that was placed into their jar. The 12 parents with the most money were chosen to compete in the Showmanship Challenge on Saturday evening at the show.

Next, each parent and horse team was placed into a calcutta. The purchaser of the winning team and the purchaser of the fourth place team would win cash! MQHYA would keep 20% of the calcutta earnings. The remaining 80% would be split between the purchaser of the first and fourth place parents- 60% and 40% respectively. In addition, the first place parent would take home $50.

There were so many parents nominated that the decision was made to split the nominees into two groups- Trainer/Professional and Non-Pro. The winner of the Trainer/Professional division was Stacey Roberson. The winner of the Non-Pro division was Joe Eddy, who is the father of Justin and Abby Eddy.

Complete class results:

Trainer Division:

1st: Stacey Roberson

2nd: Sabrina Seaboldt

3rd: Amy Kirkland

4th: Valerie Kearns

Non-Pro Division:

1st: Joe Eddy

2nd: Ken Inchiostro

3rd: Doug D’Albini

4th: Brad Wellendorf

5th: Jeff Feager

6th: Rick Coonce

7th: Aaron West

Click here to watch the winning runs!

This type of speciality class that promotes involvement, inclusion, and a bit of fun are making the rounds at horse shows across the country. What type of fun class would you like to see next?

Scroll below for more fun photos from the class.