To qualify for the Novice championship shows, competitors will go through national or state qualifying. The AQHA Western Novice Championship Show will be held October 5-7, 2012, at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and the AQHA Eastern Novice Championship Show is October 5-7, 2012, at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Two national invitation opportunities exist for competitors. Those include a top-10 placing at anAQHA regional championship show in a Novice class or to show to 20 AQHA judgesthroughout the year. For this latter option, competitors may show to judges around the nation – there is no regional preference or requirement. The national qualifying period for the Novice championship shows is May 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.
If a competitor nationally qualifies for a Novice championship show, their invitation to the event will not be for a specific class. As long as one of the two national qualifying options has been accomplished, an exhibitor will be able to enter any Novice championship class, provided that they are a Novice. If a competitor earns the required number of points to graduate out of a specific Novice class in 2011, the competitor will still be eligible to compete in that class at a 2012 Novice championship show.
In addition to qualifying, the AQHA Show Council announced that there will be no restriction on which Novice championship show an exhibitor may attend. If a competitor residing in the East wishes to attend the AQHA Western Novice Championship Show, he or she may do so. The same goes for competitors residing in the West who would like to compete at the Eastern Novice championship. However, a competitor may only compete at one Novice championship show per year.
The AQHA Affiliate Council has helped to coordinate with the state and provincial affiliates to determine the method of state qualifying. Methods of state qualifying will vary by affiliate – if a competitor is interested in state qualifying for a 2012 Novice championship show, he or she should contact their state or provincial affiliate.
