The American Quarter Horse Association has released the tentative schedules for the 2016 AQHA Central, AQHA West and Nutrena East Level 1 Championships.
CLICK HERE to view schedules
The newly added 2016 AQHA Central Level 1 Championships is slated for April 13-17 at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. The 2016 AQHA West Level 1 Championships will return April 20-24 to the South Point Equestrian & Events Center in Las Vegas, and the 2016 Nutrena East AQHA Level 1 Championships is tentatively scheduled for May 4-8 at the Gov. James B. Hunt Horse Complex in Raleigh, North Carolina. A horse/rider/class combination can compete only in one Level 1 championship per year.
The AQHA Central, AQHA West and Nutrena East will all offer AQHA’s core and over-fences classes; the AQHA Central will be the only show to offer cattle classes. View the show-by-show class list for 2016.
For 2016 only, AQHA has also changed the qualifying rules. To be eligible to enter the 2016 Level 1 Championship, an exhibitor must:
• Be Level 1-eligible in the class they wish to enter as of January 1, 2015.
• Be an AQHA member at the time of entry and at the time of the 2016 Level 1 Championships.
• If a competitor graduated out of Level 1 in the 2015 show season, he or she is still invited to enter the event.
• If you won a Level 1 championship in 2015, you cannot show in that same class at future Level 1 Championships, including the 2016 Level 1 Championships. However, you can still show in that class at AQHA shows (excluding the Level 1 Championships) until you meet the point level. You can still show at the Level 1 Championships in any other class(es) for which you are still Level 1-eligible. Learn more about AQHA Rule SHW245.3 in the AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations.
Level 1 eligibility is determined on a class-by-class basis. Exhibitors are encouraged to use the online level verification system at services3.aqha.com/leveling to determine if they are Level 1-eligible in a particular class.
Rookie classes will be offered for exhibitors and horses that are eligible for the Rookie level as of January 1, 2015, for the AQHA Central, AQHA West or Nutrena East Level 1 Championships. The horse you intend to bring for the class must also be Rookie eligible.
Call AQHA Customer Service at 806-376-4811 or visit services3.aqha.com/leveling to verify your and your horses’ Rookie eligibility.

AQHA recently announced the qualifying methods for the 2017 AQHA West, AQHA Central and Nutrena East Level 1 Championships. View the 2017 qualifying methods.
Rookie and Level 1 are the two levels of AQHA competition designed for beginner to minimally accomplished competitors, respectively. The Level 1 Championships were designed to celebrate the accomplishments of these riders and their horses in an environment that provides education and fun competition.
To learn more about AQHA’s show levels or to determine the levels you are eligible for, simply use the online level verification system at services3.aqha.com/leveling.
For more information on the 2016 AQHA Level 1 championships, visit www.aqha.com/level1championships.
