The Not So “Little Buckeye” Kicks Off First Weekend of Six-Day, Sold-Out, Sunbury Super Event With HUGE Entry Increase
By: Brittany Bevis
The not so “Little Buckeye” kicked off the first portion of the six-day, sold-out, super show that’s currently underway in Sunbury, Ohio. The Little Buckeye was only the tip of the iceberg, because the four-day Buckeye Classic will begin on Thursday and continue throughout the weekend.
If entry numbers for the Little Buckeye were any indication, the Buckeye Classic is on track to be bigger and better than ever. Over the two-day event, that took place July 19-20, youth competitors flocked to the show grounds to take advantage of three sets of AQHA points and 1 set of NSBA points with FREE entries thanks to Coughlin Automotive and G&G Feed and Supply. Judges for this first show were Mike Hay, Chad Evans, and Suzy Jeane.
At one point over the weekend, the arena had to be divided in half in order to run the large showmanship classes simultaneously. Following a similar trend at other shows across the country, the largest class sizes were seen in the leveled classes. The Level 1 Youth Showmanship had 43 entries, 14-18 had 36 entries, 13 and under had 22 entries, Level 1 Amateur had 24 entries, Select had 13 entries, and Amateur had 35 entries.
Large class sizes continued with 40 entries in Level 1 Youth Horsemanship and even 15 competitors in Leadline! Show management has indicated that entries were up by 750 for The Little Buckeye over last year.
First place recipients in some of the largest classes included Hallie McClintock with Krysum Investment in a 27 entry L1 Youth Western Pleasure, Angela Wade with Huntin Big Dreams in a 20 entry Amateur Western Pleasure, Brittany Woodard with MNZ Sonnys Zippo in a 39 entry L1 Youth Horsemanship, Brent Tincher with Hes Invited in a 23 entry Senior Trail, and many more.
Click on the link below to view individual judges’ results from The Little Buckeye.
Little Buckeye 14 Publication Rpt
Tuesday is an off-day for the show, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing fun on the schedule! Today marks the second annual Buckeye Open Golf Outing at the Bent Tree Golf Course in Sunbury. The Golf Outing will help raise money for the Ohio Quarter Horse Association Scholarship Fund.
Competition starts up again on Thursday with The Buckeye Classic providing competitors with six sets of AQHA points and two sets of NSBA points. Judges will be Stephen Stephens, Terry Cross, Stephanie Lynn, Patty Campbell, John Briggs, and Holly Hover. Amateur classes are expected to be large considering the fact that FREE entries will be provided, thanks to Royal Wire, Fritz Leeman Farms, The Martz Family, and Buckeye Western and Ohio Amateur Association.
The show is already huge, but Show Secretary Kristin Martin confirms that even more competitors are heading to Ohio to compete at the second portion of the event.
“We even have more people pulling in today,” she says. “It’s very exciting! We weren’t really sure what to expect. We have 60 entries in the Team Tournament again and 20 teams, which is awesome. We’ve already given out six iPads and two pairs of boots!”
In fact, every day during the show, there will be three random drawings for iPad minis. One iPad will go to a youth competitor, one to an amateur competitor, and one to an open exhibitor. Each iPad comes complete with a custom Buckeye Classic case.
One of the lucky recipients of an iPad mini just happened to be a youth exhibitor competing at her very first AQHA show. Savanna Whisman attended the Little Buckeye over the weekend with her 27-year-old mare Done Classically. New AQHA exhibitors like Savanna will also be eligible for the New AQHA Exhibitor Award that has been generously sponsored by Pine View Farm Stallions, Roger Landis, and Debbi Trubee. A new custom saddle and Greeley hat will be given away to two lucky exhibitors who are in their first year of AQHA competition.
Another unique program making its debut is the Random Acts of Kindness. If you’re at the show, look for the nomination box in the Equine Chronicle Hospitality Tent.
“Rocky Western has sponsored six pairs of boots,” Martin says. “We have a box in the Equine Chronicle Hospitality tent and forms where people can nominate someone they know or even someone they’ve just met. On the first day, we had a gentleman named James who works at the facility. He got three nominations from exhibitors from Canada whose alternator had broken on their truck. He helped to replace it and got the truck going.”
“Savanna, the little girl who had never shown at a Quarter Horse show before, nominated another girl who helped walk her through the show process and gave her pointers. We chose her as our second winner. Ken, our announcer, reveals the selection at 6 o’clock every night, and he talks for 2-3 minutes about why they were chosen and how they are giving back and doing nice things for other people, not because they were expecting anything in return, just because. I didn’t understand how awesome it would be, but when you’re in the arena and you hear about what people are doing it’s really moving.”
“Now, we have a box full of nominations. It’s a great way to inspire people to do the right thing and to highlight those that are doing just that.”
While you’re in the Equine Chronicle Hospitality Tent making your nomination for a Random Act of Kindness, feel free to enjoy sweet treats like candy, chips, and bottle water.
“We also have Buckeye Classic Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches,” she says. “It’s an ice cream made right here in Columbus. They’re made special Buckeye Classic Ice Cream. Also, we drive the Chronicle Hospitality Cart around and people can grab ice cream sandwiches. It’s a really huge asset to our exhibitors and they love it.”
Be sure to stay tuned for more photos and results coming from the Buckeye Classic soon!
