Fall Championship Season Awards $48+ Million to Quarter Horses

AQHA Publicity

Many people know how much fun it is to show an American Quarter Horse, but what you might not know is that each fall is championship season for owners whose passion is showing, racing and rodeo competition. In addition to seeing the world’s best American Quarter Horses in action, the fall championship season also awards more than $48 million to owners, making this time of the year a lucrative one for the breed.

Championship season typically kicks off each August with the Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show. There, hundreds of the world’s toughest AQHYA members from five countries competed for the chance to earn one of 35 coveted world championship titles.

Following the Ford Youth World, AQHA’s top amateur exhibitors who are age 50 or older converged in Amarillo for the AQHA Select World Championship Show, presented by Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan), and the opportunity to grab a share of the more than $527,000 in cash and prizes and 44 world championship titles.

For racing owners and fans, Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico is the place to be for Labor Day Weekend, where the All American Futurity and the All American Derby brought the opportunity for payouts of $3 million and $2.3 million, respectively.

The European Championship of American Quarter Horses is also an annual stop during championship season, giving European owners the chance to grab a continental title at the event held in Kreuth, Germany, just outside Munich.

The next big-money championship events are:

• All American Quarter Horse Congress, October 6-30 in Columbus, Ohio – $3 million
• United States Team Penning Association National Finals, October 9-15 in Fort Worth, Texas – $135,000
• Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association Wrangler World Championship, October 12-15 in Amarillo – $29,500 in added money
• Bank of America Challenge Championships, October 29 at Los Alamitos in California – $1.1 million
• United States Team Roping Championships National Finals of Team Roping, October 22-30 in Oklahoma City – estimated more than $6 million
• Clem McSpadden PRCA National Final Steer Roping, November 11-12, Kansas Star Arena, Mulvane, Kansas, $200,000 purse
• Los Alamitos Super Derby, November 6 in Los Alamitos, California – $1 million
• Golden State Million Futurity, October 30, in Los Alamitos, California – $1 million
• World Championship Ranch Rodeo, November 10-13 in Amarillo – estimated more than $100,000
• Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show, November 3-19 in Oklahoma City – nearly $3 million
• Texas Classic Futurity and Derby, November 12 in Grand Prairie, Texas – $1.4 million
• National Reining Horse Association Futurity, November 24 – December 3 in Oklahoma City – more than $2 million
• National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity, November 15 – December 10 in Fort Worth, Texas – estimated $3.4 million
• World Series of Team Roping, December 5-11, South Point Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas – estimated purse of $10.5 million
• Barrel Futurities of America World Championships, December 5-10 in Oklahoma City – estimated $1 million
• Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, December 1-10 in Las Vegas – more than $5.8 million
• Champion of Champions, December 11 in Los Alamitos, California – $600,000
• Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity, December 11 in Los Alamitos, California – $2 million

The All American Quarter Horse Congress, the world’s largest gathering of American Quarter Horses, will award more than $3 million in cash prizes to the top exhibitors who compete in Columbus, Ohio.

The Bank of America Challenge Championships offers owners of racing American Quarter Horses the chance to win more than $1 million in a single championship night. The Bank of America Racing Challenge annually awards more than $5.5 million to owners of racing American Quarter Horses in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

There’s no question the preferred breed of team ropers is an American Quarter Horse, and each year, American Quarter Horses are piloted by ropers in the United States Team Roping Championships National Finals of Team Roping to their chance to earn a share of more than $6 million in purses and prizes.

Of course, the dream of many who own American Quarter Horses is the chance to earn an AQHA world championship title. The 2016 Lucas Oil  World will crown 99 new world champions, plus offer nearly $3 million in cash and prizes. Other disciplines may have a world event, but there is only one world championship show for American Quarter Horses showing in the amateur and open divisions – the Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show.

The National Reining Horse Association and National Cutting Horse Association futurities bring the opportunity for horses and riders in specialized events to take home top honors as well as prize money in November and December. The NRHA Futurity is November 24- December 3 in Oklahoma City and will offer up more than $2 million. The NCHA World Championship Futurity is slated for November 15 – December 10 in Fort Worth, Texas, and will bring the opportunity to win an estimated $3.4 million.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the season-ending championship event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. American Quarter Horses carry cowboys and cowgirls to championship titles in steer wrestling, team roping (headers and heelers), tie-down roping and barrel racing. The event also features bull riding, saddle bronc riding and bareback riding. The event is expected to offer more than $5.8 million in prize money.

Los Alamitos Race Course is the place to be the weekend of December 9-11 when the Southern California oval brings together the finest racing American Quarter Horses for the annual Champion of Champions and the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity, which together pay out more than $2.6 million.

Stay up to date with the news and results from these championship events at www.aqha.com and follow AQHA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat for updates as the championships progress throughout the remainder of the year.

AQHA will provide AQHA Member Services at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association Wrangler World Championship, Lucas Oil World, National Reining Horse Association Futurity and World Series of Team Roping. This is your chance to get questions answered in person and paperwork completed all in one trip. Even if you don’t need assistance regarding paperwork, stop by to say hi!

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHAnews on Twitter and visit www.aqha.com/news.