Tomorrow, the Stock Show is offering fans a chance to enjoy the grounds at no cost. Tuesday, January 10th is FREE Grounds Admission Day at the National Western Stock Show. Visit the NW box office to get a ticket and enjoy the day.

The Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association announces Mike Carter and Debbie Kail as Western judges for the horsemanship and reining classes at the 2017 IHSA National Championships, May 4-7, at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Color breeds are available to compete in the 2017 Elite Halter Futurity, which will be held in conjunction with the All American Quarter Horse Congress! Don’t miss the deadline for 2017 stallion enrollments. The first deadline is January 15th. Click here to download a form.

In her new position, Carter will be responsible for determining and formulating policies and procedures and providing overall direction of AQHA judges and stewards within guidelines set up by the AQHA executive vice president, executive committee and chief show officer. Carter will also be in charge of planning, directing and coordinating operational activities related to judges and stewards at a high level of management with the help of subordinate staff.

One million dollars is also up for grabs in the Semi-Finals, held at Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards February 14 – 17, 2017. This year, RFD-TV added $500,000 to the purse, making the Semi-Finals a $1,000,000 rodeo in its own right. Payouts will be larger and deeper for qualifiers. In addition to the added money in the Semi-Finals, qualifiers will have a chance to win their share of the $1,000,000 side pot should they win their event at The American.

APHA will end a decades-long fee for those using shipped semen. The association’s Executive Committee voted to eliminate the $100 transported cooled/frozen semen permit fee and, earlier this year, voted to lower the cost of entry into APHA’s Breeders’ Trust incentive program as a way of rewarding breeders for their commitment to breeding Paint Horses.

In the middle of a raging wildfire, Brian Minton drove his truck and horse trailer up a gravel road to transport a pony to safety. The trip was one of several Minton made evacuating horses from the wildfire sweeping through the Great Smoky Mountains and Sevier County, Tennessee, forcing evacuations at tourist destinations in Pigeon Force and Gatlinburg.