Around the Rings – 2024 Arizona Sun Circuit – Tuesday, March 5th

March 6, 2024 | Filed under: Around The Ring Galleries,Featured,Show Results & Gallery | Posted by: Delores Kuhlwein

The Final Four Select Amateurs – image courtesy Arizona Sun Circuit

Tuesday at Arizona Sun Circuit in the Equine Chronicle Arena, the much awaited National Championship Showmanship Final Four were announced, and they faced off early in the afternoon to determine the winners of the tournament for the Amateur and the Select Amateur divisions.

This year’s National Championship saw a few changes – instead of using summer and end of year rankings, the changes allowed all exhibitors in the named classes to be eligible for the 2024 National Championship.

The Final Four Select Amateurs:

◊ Thad O’Boyle with Just The Rite Stryde

◊ Lauren Stopperich with Showin My Ace

◊ Carla Townsley with UF Certainly A Priss

◊ Karen Lee Manseth with Blessed With TheBest

The Final Four Amateurs – image courtesy of Arizona Sun Circuit.

The Final Four Amateurs:

◊ Eric Mendrysa with Never Sudden

◊ Katie Jo Jones with Im ExtremelySchmancy

◊ Ali Hays with DW Sudden Invitation

◊ Kaleena Weakly with Moonlite Cruiser

When the dust settled two talented winners were crowned:

Select Amateur: Lauren Stopperich and Showin My Ace

Amateur: Eric Mendrysa and Never Sudden

Lauren and Ace

Lauren Stopperich explains she has made the tournament list before, but not with this horse, who they call “Ace.” In fact, it is their first show together! “He came from somebody in our barn, and I’ve been doing showmanship with another horse in the barn so I kind of knew the program and how they worked,” she says. “Then I practiced with him at the barn, and he’s as honest in the show pen as he has been in practice, so that has been great.”

She says Ace is super sweet, and a little quirky. “They kind of call him Dennis the Menace a little bit, and you have to kind of stay ahead of him but he’s very sweet and honest at his job and he really likes it.”

Eric explains that he’s made it into the Final Four in Showmanship a few times, but he’s never actually won it, so this has been on his bucket list.

Eric and Boferd

“So it’s pretty exciting!” he says. Eric explains “Boferd” is a very happy and a very quirky horse. “But I absolutely love him, and I don’t think I’d trade him for anything. He’s so much fun and he keeps me on my toes.” Eric adds that usually every time he takes Boferd out, he’s a different horse, but he always tries in the pen. “He always shows for me – he has a lot of heart and a lot of personality.”

The rules for the National Championship, from Arizona Sun Circuit:

All exhibitors entered in the AQHA Amateur, Select and Youth 14-18 Showmanship, Horsemanship and Equitation will be eligible to compete for the 2024 National Champion title and the Final Four honors.

Tournament Format

The tournament style competition will remain in place. Exhibitors in the Amateur and Select Amateur divisions will have to be in the top sixteen of all judges composite placings after the first round of competition, in the second round of competition the 16 will be reduced to the Elite 8 then in the 3rd round of competition The Four will be determined. In the Youth pen after the first round of competition the Elite 8 will be named, of these 8 after the next round of competition The Four will be named. Each round of competition will run concurrent with the respective AQHA class.

As in the past when The Four are determined the competition will move to the head to head competition with matches between the highest composite placing of the 4 in the last round of competition and lowest composite placing of the 4 in the last round of competition. The middle two composite scores will match up for the semi -final round of competition. A tie in determining of the final Four exhibitors will be broken by the selected tie breaker judge. Ties in previous rounds of competition will advance. The winners of the semi finals will then compete in the Final round to determine the National Champion. As in the past The Four exhibitors in each division and discipline will be awarded leather jackets and the National Champion will receive the title and National Champion buckle.

More photos from the Showmanship National Championship:

In the Trail arena, the four and five year old horses competed for two illustrious titles on Tuesday:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗻𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽 𝗡𝗦𝗕𝗔 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿/𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 $𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 (sponsored by Kent Ray Taylor), and the 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 $2000 Added Limited Rider NSBA Four/Five Year Old Open Trail.