By Nancy Brannon
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The Volunteer Ranch Horse Association (VolRHA) welcomed riders back to the Show Place Arena in Memphis, Tenn. for their third show of the season, the Spring Fling, on April 13-15, 2018. Since the show offers classes affiliated with several organizations, the show attracted approximately 450 entries from Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ohio, Georgia, New York, Virginia, Missouri, and Canada. The VolRHA folks like the central location of the Show Place Arena, the fact that it’s easy to get to, and all the surrounding amenities. Show officers said they particularly like the Friday lunch at the Butcher Shop next door.
The show offered AQHA Ranch Versatility, Working Cow Horse, Boxing, and Roping; NRCHA classes; and ARHA classes; in addition to all the regular VolRHA classes. It’s this variety of classes and affiliated organizations that is so attractive to riders. “It’s the only place where one can show with four different associations at one show,” said Marvin Butler. “We are trying to please the exhibitors.” He also emphasized how family friendly the show atmosphere is, and how much fun folks have at these shows.
A special guest at this show was Phoebe Carter of Collierville, Tennessee, who sang the National Anthem to open the show on Saturday.
Photographer Ralph Harp spent the weekend photographing the show, too. Find his photos from the show on facebook at Fire Tower Photography.
Tammy Bledsoe commented about the show: “We thank all of you who came out to our Spring Fling in Memphis. It was a successful show in so many ways. We had a few bumps/growing pains, Mother Nature being a big one, so thank you all for bearing with us as we grow this show. We saw a lot of people, horses, and cattle go through the show pen this weekend. It also takes a lot folks to make a show successful, so thank you to the many volunteers who helped! Thanks also for all of the positive comments and support. It is so nice to go somewhere and hear all of the cheering, coaching, and support for each competitor. We have a great horse show family and that makes all the hard work worth it!”
Coming up are three more ranch horse shows this season. The Memorial Day show, May 26-27, will be at the Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tenn. It will be triple judged for ARHA, and will offer the VolRHA walk/trot and select classes along with some green horse classes. There are some changes to the weekend High Point Awards. To qualify for weekend High Point, a rider must show in at least one cattle class and one conformation class and be a VolRHA member. Whoever earns the most points at the end of the weekend will win the High Point Award for their division.
For Labor Day, the show moves to Martin, Tenn. on the UT Martin Campus, September 1-2, 2018. Then the Fall Finale finishes the season November 10-11, back in Murfreesboro at the Miller Coliseum. For more information about the VolRHA shows, and results, visit http://www.volrha.com. Find them on facebook at Volunteer Ranch Horse Association.
[View More Photos]
The Volunteer Ranch Horse Association (VolRHA) welcomed riders back to the Show Place Arena in Memphis, Tenn. for their third show of the season, the Spring Fling, on April 13-15, 2018. Since the show offers classes affiliated with several organizations, the show attracted approximately 450 entries from Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ohio, Georgia, New York, Virginia, Missouri, and Canada. The VolRHA folks like the central location of the Show Place Arena, the fact that it’s easy to get to, and all the surrounding amenities. Show officers said they particularly like the Friday lunch at the Butcher Shop next door.
The show offered AQHA Ranch Versatility, Working Cow Horse, Boxing, and Roping; NRCHA classes; and ARHA classes; in addition to all the regular VolRHA classes. It’s this variety of classes and affiliated organizations that is so attractive to riders. “It’s the only place where one can show with four different associations at one show,” said Marvin Butler. “We are trying to please the exhibitors.” He also emphasized how family friendly the show atmosphere is, and how much fun folks have at these shows.
A special guest at this show was Phoebe Carter of Collierville, Tennessee, who sang the National Anthem to open the show on Saturday.
Photographer Ralph Harp spent the weekend photographing the show, too. Find his photos from the show on facebook at Fire Tower Photography.
Tammy Bledsoe commented about the show: “We thank all of you who came out to our Spring Fling in Memphis. It was a successful show in so many ways. We had a few bumps/growing pains, Mother Nature being a big one, so thank you all for bearing with us as we grow this show. We saw a lot of people, horses, and cattle go through the show pen this weekend. It also takes a lot folks to make a show successful, so thank you to the many volunteers who helped! Thanks also for all of the positive comments and support. It is so nice to go somewhere and hear all of the cheering, coaching, and support for each competitor. We have a great horse show family and that makes all the hard work worth it!”
Coming up are three more ranch horse shows this season. The Memorial Day show, May 26-27, will be at the Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tenn. It will be triple judged for ARHA, and will offer the VolRHA walk/trot and select classes along with some green horse classes. There are some changes to the weekend High Point Awards. To qualify for weekend High Point, a rider must show in at least one cattle class and one conformation class and be a VolRHA member. Whoever earns the most points at the end of the weekend will win the High Point Award for their division.
For Labor Day, the show moves to Martin, Tenn. on the UT Martin Campus, September 1-2, 2018. Then the Fall Finale finishes the season November 10-11, back in Murfreesboro at the Miller Coliseum. For more information about the VolRHA shows, and results, visit http://www.volrha.com. Find them on facebook at Volunteer Ranch Horse Association.
