By Allison Rehnborg, photos by Ryan Rehnborg
Nearly 500 Novice exhibitors flocked to the Tennessee Miller Coliseum on October 1-6, 2013 to compete in the second annual AQHA Nutrena East Novice Championships in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With approximately 60 classes divided between two arenas, the judges saw more than 1,500 entries pass through the show pens.
The championships represent the crowning achievement for AQHA Novice youth and Novice amateur riders from around the nation. The Novice level is designed to give beginner riders an opportunity to compete against their peers, but even experienced AQHA exhibitors have the opportunity to compete at the Novice level in events that may be unfamiliar to them.
“The Novice Championships concept is to recognize our Novice amateur and youth exhibitors within AQHA and give them a qualifying show, one that’s equivalent to our world show for open-level exhibitors,” said Patti Carter-Pratt, AQHA Executive Director of Shows. “We have one in the east and one in the west, and you can choose which one you want to attend.”
While the East Novice Championships catered to riders from the eastern half of the United States, its sister show, the SmartPak West Novice Championships, ran October 2-6 at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The events were almost identical in size, and the Novice amateur horsemanship class served as the largest single class for both shows, with more than 140 entries on each coast.
“Last year was the first year of the Novice Championships, so we didn’t know how big it was going to be,” Carter-Pratt explained. “This year, we knew what we were up against and we were more organized all the way around. It went far better, and we added the over-fences classes this year. Next year, we’re going to offer core Rookie classes.”
In addition to offering Rookie classes in 2014, the East and West Novice Championships will also offer more awards, such as recognizing the top 13-&-under and youth 14-18 riders in each class. Two new coming attractionss will be featured in the coming years.
“We’ll have a new show in 2014 that’s geared toward the cattle events, and that will take place in April in Oklahoma City,” Carter-Pratt said. “We’re also planning to have a European one in 2015.”
Like other AQHA World Championship shows, the Novice Championships featured several Ride the Pattern clinics, which were typically hosted by local AQHA professional horsemen and were held after classes were completed for the day.
“Ride the Pattern clinics [are designed] to take the actual pattern being used at the show and break it down from a professional’s point of view on how to exhibit that pattern to the judges,” said Carter-Pratt. “[The clinician] tells the exhibitors what the judge is looking for, what parts of the pattern might be trouble, and how to make the most of their pattern and get the highest score.”
The week kicked off with a clinic on equitation over fences by AQHA Professional Horsewoman Anne Brzezicki, which helped prepare exhibitors for the next day’s over-fences classes. Additional clinics included equitation on the flat by Pro Horsewoman Stephanie Lynn, trail by Pro Horseman Ryan Cottingim, horsemanship by Pro Horseman Eugena Spagnola, and showmanship by Pro Horsewoman Charlene Carter.
On Friday evening after the halter classes were completed, Donna Mullins of Seaford, Delaware, and her horse, Shes Just Golddiggin, were crowned the 2013 Novice Youth Halter Champion of Champions, while Chase Alan Baker of Elizabethton, Tennessee and Won And Only Fella won the 2013 Novice Amateur Halter Champion of Champions award.
For Kevin Laswell of Santa Claus, Indiana, the last day of the show was his day to shine in the speed events. Laswell and his four-year-old bay mare, TC Playindoc Quixote, rode hard and fast to first place finishes in the Novice Amateur pole bending, at 21.747 seconds, and the Novice Amateur barrel racing, at 20.068 seconds. They also ran in the Novice Amateur stake race class, which was the mare’s first time to run stakes in the show arena.
While Laswell has ridden and shown horses before, this was his first year to show TC Playindoc Quixote. One of his friends, Chuck Givens, advised Laswell to purchase the mare in January 2013.
“[Chuck] started me [riding] in 1991 and kept me going,” Laswell said. “I rode until about 1997, and then I got out of horses. Then, in January 2013, our whole family started riding again and I got the kids involved. I told Chuck I needed a horse to get back into it, and he found her for me. She’s been a really good mare to run.”
When asked about why he chose to compete at the East Novice Championships, Laswell replied, “I knew quite a few of the people who were here. It’s a good bunch of people and a very nice facility. This’ll be my only year to run in the Novice, so we decided to come up and give it a try. I think it went great for me!”
Nearly 500 Novice exhibitors flocked to the Tennessee Miller Coliseum on October 1-6, 2013 to compete in the second annual AQHA Nutrena East Novice Championships in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With approximately 60 classes divided between two arenas, the judges saw more than 1,500 entries pass through the show pens.
The championships represent the crowning achievement for AQHA Novice youth and Novice amateur riders from around the nation. The Novice level is designed to give beginner riders an opportunity to compete against their peers, but even experienced AQHA exhibitors have the opportunity to compete at the Novice level in events that may be unfamiliar to them.
“The Novice Championships concept is to recognize our Novice amateur and youth exhibitors within AQHA and give them a qualifying show, one that’s equivalent to our world show for open-level exhibitors,” said Patti Carter-Pratt, AQHA Executive Director of Shows. “We have one in the east and one in the west, and you can choose which one you want to attend.”
While the East Novice Championships catered to riders from the eastern half of the United States, its sister show, the SmartPak West Novice Championships, ran October 2-6 at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The events were almost identical in size, and the Novice amateur horsemanship class served as the largest single class for both shows, with more than 140 entries on each coast.
“Last year was the first year of the Novice Championships, so we didn’t know how big it was going to be,” Carter-Pratt explained. “This year, we knew what we were up against and we were more organized all the way around. It went far better, and we added the over-fences classes this year. Next year, we’re going to offer core Rookie classes.”
In addition to offering Rookie classes in 2014, the East and West Novice Championships will also offer more awards, such as recognizing the top 13-&-under and youth 14-18 riders in each class. Two new coming attractionss will be featured in the coming years.
“We’ll have a new show in 2014 that’s geared toward the cattle events, and that will take place in April in Oklahoma City,” Carter-Pratt said. “We’re also planning to have a European one in 2015.”
Like other AQHA World Championship shows, the Novice Championships featured several Ride the Pattern clinics, which were typically hosted by local AQHA professional horsemen and were held after classes were completed for the day.
“Ride the Pattern clinics [are designed] to take the actual pattern being used at the show and break it down from a professional’s point of view on how to exhibit that pattern to the judges,” said Carter-Pratt. “[The clinician] tells the exhibitors what the judge is looking for, what parts of the pattern might be trouble, and how to make the most of their pattern and get the highest score.”
The week kicked off with a clinic on equitation over fences by AQHA Professional Horsewoman Anne Brzezicki, which helped prepare exhibitors for the next day’s over-fences classes. Additional clinics included equitation on the flat by Pro Horsewoman Stephanie Lynn, trail by Pro Horseman Ryan Cottingim, horsemanship by Pro Horseman Eugena Spagnola, and showmanship by Pro Horsewoman Charlene Carter.
On Friday evening after the halter classes were completed, Donna Mullins of Seaford, Delaware, and her horse, Shes Just Golddiggin, were crowned the 2013 Novice Youth Halter Champion of Champions, while Chase Alan Baker of Elizabethton, Tennessee and Won And Only Fella won the 2013 Novice Amateur Halter Champion of Champions award.
For Kevin Laswell of Santa Claus, Indiana, the last day of the show was his day to shine in the speed events. Laswell and his four-year-old bay mare, TC Playindoc Quixote, rode hard and fast to first place finishes in the Novice Amateur pole bending, at 21.747 seconds, and the Novice Amateur barrel racing, at 20.068 seconds. They also ran in the Novice Amateur stake race class, which was the mare’s first time to run stakes in the show arena.
While Laswell has ridden and shown horses before, this was his first year to show TC Playindoc Quixote. One of his friends, Chuck Givens, advised Laswell to purchase the mare in January 2013.
“[Chuck] started me [riding] in 1991 and kept me going,” Laswell said. “I rode until about 1997, and then I got out of horses. Then, in January 2013, our whole family started riding again and I got the kids involved. I told Chuck I needed a horse to get back into it, and he found her for me. She’s been a really good mare to run.”
When asked about why he chose to compete at the East Novice Championships, Laswell replied, “I knew quite a few of the people who were here. It’s a good bunch of people and a very nice facility. This’ll be my only year to run in the Novice, so we decided to come up and give it a try. I think it went great for me!”
