One of the most popular contests at the All American Quarter Horse Congress is the Queen’s Contest. Since 1968, young women from all over the country travel to Ohio to compete for the coveted title of Congress Queen. Aside from numerous prizes from donors, the All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen gets the opportunity to travel to many national events including the AQHA Convention, AQHA World Shows and other major horse shows throughout the entire year.
Candidates compete by participating in a three-part test. The first portion, worth 40 percent of the contestant’s total score, is a written examination of the AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations. Next is an oral interview, which is also worth 40 percent. In this section, contestants are judged on their poise, appearance and personality. Finally, the last 20 percent of the competition is based on a Western Horsemanship pattern, in which contestants are judged by a panel of AQHA-approved judges on their performance. The goal of the Horsemanship class is to demonstrate excellent riding ability and horsemanship skills. The candidate who receives the highest overall score is crowned the All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen.
The 2012 All American Quarter Horse Queen will be crowned during the National Youth Activity Team Tournament awards ceremony, held Sunday, October 21st at 7 pm.
Applications must be postmarked by August 25th, and all candidates must represent a state, regional or provincial Quarter Horse association. Application materials are available online at http://oqha.com/aaqhc/contests/congress-queen.
