The 2014 Breeders’ Halter Futurity – The Future Has Arrived

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540 – October, 2014

By Delores Kuhlwein

Sometimes in the midst of adversity and uncertainty comes a point of light shining brightly – a glow that illuminates the pathway to follow. The beacon that has been steadily growing more vibrant for the halter horse industry is the Breeders’ Halter Futurity in Des Moines, Iowa, an event that began in 2011 as the brainchild of a group of ten stallion owners. The owners wanted to create more interest in the halter industry by bringing back the middle market with a focus on the amateur competitor.

The Futurity introduced a method of judging horses by unified decision in its first year, with 100% of the income going back into the show, arming this revolutionary program with the concept that the only payouts to the stallion owners would be the resulting breedings and sales. Due to the initial success in 2011, a national show was added during the second year for the owners of AQHA, APHA, and ApHC horses, which initiated more payouts and pride for attendees. The idea caught on.

The event gained momentum each year and exploded with its largest show September 10-13, 2014, with payouts that surpassed $1,000,000. The judges’ roster included John Boxell, Ronnie Casper, Clint Fullerton, Kenny Hall, Bob Kail, Debbie Kail, Chip Knost, Tommy Manion, Terry Sartain, and John Shepard. According to Show Manager Karen Kennedy, judges were rotated by random draw. “We drew out of a hat, so no one knew who was judging each class until the names were drawn out,” she explains.

The Champion of Champions classes on Saturday night crowned Made of Dreams, a two-year-old mare sired by Kid Coolsified. The mare, owned by Steven Jensen and was shown by Tom Robertson, was named the Open division Champion of Champions. The two-year-old mare, Alluring Intention, by My Intention, was awarded top honors as the Amateur division Champion of Champions. Alluring was shown by Sarah Headley and is owned by Steve and Kathy Headley. Alluring Intention was bred by Gwen Vawter and the late Jerry Vawter, who was highly respected as a horseman and breeder of some of the finest horses in the industry. Just before Vawter passed away, during the same weekend of the show, he was able to receive word that the mare he had bred and raised was named a Breeders’ Halter Futurity Champion. Both Champion of Champions winners received a check for $32,500, a custom Harris belt buckle worth $10,000, and a beautiful crystal trophy designed by Clay Gant.

This year’s lineup of prizes also included one year’s use of a 2015 horse trailer for two big winners, which was generously donated by Twin Cities Featherlite and Gary and Tammy Raak. The trailers were presented to the Breeders’ Halter Futurity High Point Amateur, Kaleena Weakly, and National Halter Championship High Point Amateur, Rick Adams.

Entries were up in this 4th year of the event, 34% over last year, perhaps also in part to the positive momentum the show has been gaining from exhibitor support. “It’s something the halter industry needed, and it’s working,” says exhibitor Robin Robinett, who won first place as owner and exhibitor of Never Tell A Secret in the Amateur Weanling Colts and Geldings class, receiving a payout of $20,000. “Anyplace you get almost 100 weanlings in two classes is amazing in this day and age,” she says. “Winning one of the highlighted classes was beyond words. We’ve gone every year since the beginning, and they make us feel welcome with an open arms kind of concept.”

Another reason for that welcoming feeling is the unique potential competitors have to earn the Amateur OBE (Owner/ Breeder/Exhibitor) bonus. “We paid 10 places for the Owner/ Breeder/Exhibitor in the Amateur Weanling classes, and first place in this division received $10,500,” Kennedy says. “If you look on Facebook and see all the people who are commenting about the wonderful things they experienced, you have to notice not all are the first place winners in the class. People feel good about breeding their mares, and now they have a place to go where they can come and win a prize for placing well in the class as an Owner/Breeder/Exhibitor. Even if they didn’t breed their own horse, it pays 20 places in the regular payout.”

With classes like the new 2-Year-Old Amateur and Open, which spread $25,000 over ten slots, and Amateur Weanling classes, which share $100,000 in payouts, the Futurity is literally changing lives for small breeders like Chris and Amy Page of Independence, Missouri, the owners of the highest placing filly of the show, Intended Too.

Chris ended the show as the highest placing OBE in the Amateur Weanling Fillies, bringing home over $45,000, and the Pages still wonder if they’re dreaming. It was a gamble, but it paid off in a huge way. “We went and watched, and we decided to sell our stud and invest in the breedings to these horses,” Amy Page says. “Since two didn’t take, we just ended up with the one baby in the gamble. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience, including watching our son, Isaiah, win Youth Weanling Mares in the National Show.”

Husband Chris agrees, “The event was definitely very well done on the part of everyone involved. It had a great atmosphere, and we’re extremely blessed to have been there. For small breeders like us, to have the chance to have the top placing weanling filly was not only a blessing, but just beyond belief. We’re grateful they came up with this idea, because halter needed something to boost it to where people get excited to come back to the show again and have an opportunity to sell their horses.”

Show Manager Kennedy knows the Breeders’ Halter Futurity and National Halter Championship programs are working because of the commitment of the stallion owners, along with the support of the sponsors, who believe in the industry. She explains that continual dedication from the organizers is key. “For any horse show to be successful, someone has to be personally committed to that horse show,” she says. “We have a conference call every other Sunday, and we also have personal meetings. There’s a lot of communication throughout the year. There are now 11 owners, and they show their dedication all through the year to this event.”

The Pages have every intention of growing and promoting the Futurity and its concepts, with plans to breed several mares to the sire they chose, My Intention.

“We picked the stud we thought would go best with our mare,” Chris Page says. “Dreams come true and it may make a lot of small breeders like us thinking they can do this, too. We’re definitely excited.”

For more information on the Breeder Futurity, along with complete results, visit www.BreedersHalterFuturity.com. The sister website for the National Halter Championships, also with complete results, can be found at: www.NationalHalterChampionship.com.