Second Annual WCHA Ranch Horse Challenge- Sept. 23-24 in IL.
By: Brittany Bevis
The Equine Chronicle is also a proud sponsor of the WCHA Ranch Horse Challenge in 2016. The event has a new format for this year’s competition that will take place Sept. 23-24 in conjunction with the WCHA Breeders’ Championship Futurity in Springfield, IL.
During this event, horse and rider pairs will compete in Ranch Halter and Ranch Riding for the opportunity to win thousands in prize money, trophy saddles, halters, and tack. Ranch Trail has also been added this year.
This event is open to ALL breeds and has an estimated purse of $5,000. The purse will be divided 75% among the top ten placing exhibitors in both open and non-pro challenges, and 25% will be paid to the top 10 in the Ranch Riding portion. A special prize will be presented to the top three non-pro placing competitors who ride in the open division challenge. Also, the top ten in both the Halter and Ranch Riding portions will receive awards, and every competitor gets a goodie bag!
The judging breakdown will be as follows:
- Riding- 60%
- Halter- 40%
- Four judges will be used for the Ranch Horse Challenge, and the low score will be dropped. Those scores will be added to all three scores from Ranch Halter to determine the overall champions.
Just as in typical Ranch Riding classes, exhibitors should wear traditional working attire and their horses should be similarly outfitted: silver on tack is discouraged, no hoof polish or tail extensions are allowed, and no mane banding or braiding is permitted. Either a rope halter or plain leather halter is recommended for the Ranch Halter portion of the Challenge.
Click here to view the Ranch Riding pattern.
Click here to view the Ranch Trail pattern.
The WCHA Ranch Horse Challenge is part of a larger event, the WCHA Breeders’ Championship Futurity, scheduled for Sept. 23 and 24 in Springfield. Taking place on Sunday will be The Big Money Futurity on Sept. 25th at the same location.
