“Go South For the Winner” Kicks Off Arkansas Show Season

By: Shelby Layne Ridgway

Arkansas Quarter Horse Association’s first show of the 2017-18 season was held in Texarkana, Arkansas on December 1-3, 2017 with six judges. Go South for the Winner’s mornings were a little chilly, but the weather was perfect during the day with temperatures in the low 70s. There were many exhibitors who pulled into the grounds for their first AQHA shows ever. The friendly atmosphere and great awards set off the new season with a bang and helped the newcomers settle into the AQHA circuit life.

The show had a great start on Friday night with the Open Ranch Riding pulling 30 entries and Amateur Ranch Riding pulling 20 entries. There were also 15 in the Open Reining and 13 in the Amateur Reining. The Team Penning and Ranch Sorting classes were held just down the road on Saturday. There were 30 teams in the Amateur Sorting, 25 teams in the Open Sorting and 15 teams in both the Open and Amateur Team Penning classes. Over the weekend, there were also multiple points in the Level 1 Trail, Amateur Showmanship, Open Barrels, and Level 1, Select Amateur, and Open Western Pleasure. Some future great showmen and women even showed off in the Lead-Line and Walk-Trot classes.

There were several awards given throughout the show. High-Point Event Horse titles were named in English (Hunter Under Saddle and Equitation), Halter, Ranch Riding, Speed (Barrels, Poles, Stakes), Trail, and Western Pleasure and was awarded to the horse who received the most points across all divisions in each event. There were also Overall High Points awarded to the youth exhibitor and horse with the most points in Level 1 Youth and Youth, the Amateur exhibitor and horse with the most points in Level 1 Amateur, Amateur, and Select Amateur, and to the Open horse with the most points in Level 1 and Open classes.

Overall High-Point Winners:

Youth – Samantha Faulkner with Hot Under The Covers

Amateur – Shelliee Dalluge with He Got It All

Open – Commodores Cadence, shown by Kristin Pokluda for owner Lizabeth Reynolds

High-Point Event Horses:

English – Im Hot For The Game, shown by Kelsey Garcia

Halter – Lazy Looker, shown by Brian Brady

Ranch Riding – Brennas Arrow, shown by Kerri Garber

Speed – Gotta Another Gear, shown by Maggie Smith

Trail – Huntin A Sweet Zippo, shown by Mike Massey and Karen Vance

Western Pleasure – Sole Sister, shown by EH Pait and Katie Johnson

The next ArQHA show will be the Circle G Classic with six judges in Tunica, Mississippi on April 6-8. Be sure to keep up with the latest news by liking the ArQHA Facebook Page or visiting arkansasquarterhorse.com. Full results from the show and 2017-18 ArQHA points will be posted to the website by the end of the week. We will see you all in Tunica!