It’s the First Day of Fall! And the Arizona Fall Championship is Getting Underway
Are you ready to win one of these! Photo courtesy of Dug Huls.
By: Brittany Bevis
The timing couldn’t be better. Today is the first day of fall, and it’s come just in time, because horse trailers are filing into WestWorld for the 2014 Arizona Fall Championship. We caught up with Show Manager Doug Huls on this sunny Scottsdale morning to get an update on how the event is shaping up this year.
“Everything looks really good,” Huls says. “The WestWorld facility is in great shape, and we’re on track to do the same numbers we did last year. We have 480 stalls right now, and we’re very happy about that. Pre-entries looked very good. For the all around horses, the numbers in Trail, Western Riding, and Horsemanship will be really good. We have the Trail and Western Riding special event on Wednesday and then things really get started on Thursday.”
The event will continue through September 28th with six AQHA shows that will be judged by a pool consisting of Beckey Schooler, Pierre Brierre, Murray Griggs, Michael Colvin, Tim Finkenbinder, Jonathan Meilleur, Suzy Jeane, John Boxell, Andrea Simons, Stephanie Lynn, Michelle Pearson, and Laurel Walker Denton.
A few new additions to the schedule for 2014 include six classes for 11 & Under Walk/Trot competitors and Three-Year-Old Non Pro Hunter Under Saddle. As a special side note for those planning to compete in Trail and Western Riding, Level 2 and Level 3 will not run concurrently in Junior Trail, Senior Trail, and Senior Western Riding. That means competitors will be allowed to show two horses in each level. Furthermore, the Level 3 horses will receive points from the Level 2 and Level 3 entries combined.
Also new for this year is the United States Team Pattern Horsemanship Challenge, a fun competition that’s being spearheaded by Holly Hover.
“The United States Team Pattern Horsemanship will be run kind of like a numbered roping,” Huls says. “They will assign riders with numbers based on their point levels. If someone is a former World Champion, they might be a ranking of nine. That rider has to go find a four or less, a novice partner [so the team total adds up to a maximum of 13]. After the teams are put together, we will run the horsemanship patterns and judges will score both members of the team. They will add up the numbers and the highest placing team will receive #1,500. It should be a really fun event.”
The #13 Horsemanship Challenge is schedule to take place Friday Sept. 26th, and the cost for each team to enter is $100. See below to view the ranking criteria. Also, riders over 60 years of age will not be ranked higher than a six.
Ranking criteria:
- 9- World Show Top 3
- 8- Over 100 points or World Show Top Ten
- 7- 51-100 points
- 6- 26-50 points
- 5- .5-25 points
- 4- Have not earned any western pattern event points
In addition to many special event classes, added money has been spread throughout the schedule over a variety of different disciplines. Just like last year, the four-judge Championship Round format will be in effect, meaning awards and added money will be paid out during this round. First place winners will receive an embroidered leather Championship jacket, and competitors placing second through fifth will receive all-weather Championship jackets.
Logo courtesy of AzQHA.
Added Money Classes and Futurities:
- Open Ranch Horse Pleasure- $1,000 added Sponsored by Southwest Finance, LLC, Hamilton Quarter Horses, Chip’s Equine Dental
- NSBA 3 Year Old Western Pleasure- $1,000 added Sponsored by Mike Dunn & Nancy Keegan, $250 to High Placing Limited Rider Sponsored by Buddy Fisher Performance Horses
- NSBA 3 Year Old Non Pro Western Pleasure- $500 added Sponsored by Kail Quarter Horses
- NSBA 2 Year Old Western Pleasure- $1,000 added Sponsored by Platinum Partners/Dale Livingston-Sabrina Janis, $250 to High Placing Limited Rider sponsored by Buddy Fisher Performance Horses
- AQHA Green Western Pleasure- $1,000 added Sponsored by Mike Hawkins Performance Horses
- AQHA Novice Amateur Pleasure- $1,000 added Sponsored by Nancy Chapman
- NSBA 2 Year Old Hunter Under Saddle- $1,000 added Sponsored by AQHA Stallion Mechanic
- NSBA 3 Year Old Hunter Under Saddle- $1,000 added Sponsored byAQHA Stallion Mechanic
- AQHA Green Hunter Under Saddle- $1,000 added Sponsored by AQHA Stallion Allocate Your Assets
- AQHA Amateur Horsemanship- $1,000 added Sponsored by Evans Performance Horses
- 3 Year Old Trail Futurity- $1,000 added Sponsored by Sarah Faught Performance Horses
- AQHA Amateur Trail- $1,000 added Sponsored by Brendan Brown Performance Horses
- AQHA Novice Amateur Trail- $1,000 added Sponsored by Nancy Chapman
- AQHA Select Amateur Trail- $1,000 added Sponsored by Dawning Performance Horses
- AQHA Green Trail- $2,000 added Sponsored by T & L Quarter Horses
- AQHA Junior Trail- $2,000 added Sponsored by Robin Frid Show Horses
- AQHA Green Western Riding- $2,000 added Sponsored by Eric and Alexandra Chavez
What’s the cost to participate in such an event? The popular $375 all show fee includes a stall, all eligible classes, warmup Western Pleasure and Hunt Seat classes, entry into eligible added money classes, and the AQHA drug testing fee.
“With the very low show fee, people can show all day long,” Huls says. “We have a lot of Texas people here, that’s for sure, and a lot of out-of-state people from New Mexico, Colorado, Northern California, Washington, and even Connecticut. The low fee definitely helps the people that show in multiple events.”
Stay tuned to EquineChronicle.com for results and photos coming from the show. Also, the event will be streamed live on horseshowglobal.com.
