AQHA is trying to find different ways to increase membership and participation at the quarter horse shows across the country. One proposal that AQHA is considering is adding a separate Novice Championship Show starting in 2012 to get more new exhibitors a chance to compete at a major show during the year.
AQHA judge Holly Hover was part of a “Think Tank” to discuss this possibility. “It is in its preliminary stages, and AQHA is still trying to work out all the details including the venue, dates, and qualification rules,” Hover said. “I told the task force that there is such a huge jump from competing in the Novice to the regular classes that many exhibitors are frustrated because they need another venue to be competitive. There is an intermediate group between the very green riders and the seasoned youth and amateur riders. I think adding a Novice Championship Show would give these riders a higher level of competition to show against and gives them a way to gain more experience before moving up and showing at the World Shows.”
Hover adds, “I think that AQHA is really trying to make the show experience better for everyone. They want to provide different levels of competition where everyone can be successful and feel like they can compete. I think this is a huge step in the right direction.”
Find out what some people in the industry think about this idea. Also, let us know what you think!
AQHA Executive Committee Member Johne Dobbs
This topic is coming from a task force that met earlier in the month regarding the Regional Championship shows and focusing on Novice exhibitors. The executive committee will be discussing this subject this week when we meet in Amarillo. I think a Novice Championship show would be great!….We really need to encourage the beginners and grass roots exhibitors. The more the merrier. *Note the name Championship not World show is what preliminary planning is calling it.
Hunt Seat Trainer and AQHA Judge Nancy Sue Ryan
I would support it 100%, I think where we have reduced AQHA’s involvement in Regionals Show–the next best, maybe better would be a Novice Championship Show! Great Idea.
Trainers Leslie Lange and Jeff Burley
We both feel that If there is going to be a Novice Championship show it needs to be held the same time as the current Youth World and Amateur World. If we try and hold another large world show event, we are going to run into the same situation that occured this year with the Reichert and the Youth World over lapping. We think the idea is great to give the kids that may not be ready to compete with the older more experienced kids an opportunity to win their own world title but, like I said, I feel the Novice Youth classes need to be held with the current Youth World show and the Novice Amateur Classes with the Amateur World Show.
Novice Amateur Micah Howard
I think that novice competition at Congress is enough for the novice competitor. Personally, I believe that the novice competitor doesn’t belong at the World Show. World Show competition is something that all of us as horsemen/women aspire to—AQHA created the novice program at the weekend shows to help those of us who are new to showing gain as much experience, while allowing us to still make mistakes in competition, yet having the opportunity for success in the show pen. It takes years and years of dedication and hard work to compete/win at the Amateur level and I believe that the opportunity to turn Amateur and thus the chance of competing (if you even qualify) at the World Show deserves the utmost respect.
Multiple Amateur World Champion Elizabeth Floersch
I think they should keep any novice championships separate from the world show. Here’s my thoughts. I think we should consider having a Novice National Champion show for youth. There will be some youth that will never have the money or ability to get further, and as an adult often life gets in the way. However, I don’t think we ought to call it a world championship show, that should be something that you should still aspire to. Further, I don’t think we want to take away from the enormous investment it takes to win a world champion. Also I think that once you have won a class at the novice national show you should never be allowed to compete in that class again. If we are going to make the investment in doing this, I think they should open the doors and opportunity to as many people as possible.
Texas Quarter Horse Association Treasurer Pat Clements
My thought would be for AQHA to offer 3 shows in a different venue: 1. All cattle, novice amateur, amateur select, amateur. & open classes would be together. 2.Open Performance and halter, amateur, amateur select and amateur novice would be together. 3. Youth would stand alone…youth, novice youth. Possibly the novice youth should qualify in their states.
Novice Amateur Competitor Nicole Maulden
I think it would be a great opportunity for people who may not have the financial ability to compete at an Open and Amateur World Show level to have the chance to be competitive at a higher level and be recognized. It would also give novices a goal to strive for, which I do believe is missing in AQHA since their only recognition comes from pointing out of being a novice! However, I do think it will make it that much more important for AQHA to do everything they can to monitor and prevent those from abusing the novice program. I think it would mean more to have it be a part of the regular World Show or maybe even added to the Select World. I think that having a separate show makes it seem less prestigious.
AQHA Trainer Cheryl Hawkins
I think that is a wonderfull proposal, anything to bring more entries. I think the Novice Youth should go along with the Youth World and Novice Amateur should go at the Amateur World. I think a separate World show would be hard to do in the summer show schedule.
AQHA Judge Cheryl Crawford Sarsi
I think we are in an emergency situation. I have never seen the shows as small as in recent years, and shows cancelled. We must all encourage our Novice exhibitors and help nurture them, clap for them, tell them what a great job they are doing, and generally help them any way we can as a general exhibitor population. Judges can help the exhibitors to relax and enjoy themselves, and also offer “Ask a Judge” after the novice classes, this was introduced about 5 years ago, and I received only positive responses when I offered help and gave novices something to “work on” at home. Many novice exhibitors find judges intimidating… that notion can only be remedied by the judges him/herself. We must encourage our novice exhibitors, they are our future, and if they are discouraged, they will leave. A Novice Championship show/or adding classes to the world shows are also positive ideas that could work well.
Tim “The Trail Man” Kimura
I like the idea of a novice youth/novice amateur world show. We need to keep motivating people to show. The core of riders out there is deep and motivating novice riders to shoot for something besides Congress is a good idea that time of year. Now a days maintaining interest to show and getting better is a necessity. I like seeing this event in the middle of the year and during the summer when school is out. I like the idea–gives novices an opportunity to qualify and have a goal to shoot for. You want those riders to continue to show AQHA and not go to other breeds. Each level of rider would like to show on a level playing field! This show may also motivate younger youth riders to qualify for both world shows and show twice too. I’m just a small guy in this big idea. I just like kids and amateurs to have fun and enjoy showing like I did when I was young. Showing travel and training is expensive but showing is such a great opportunity.. A gift and a curse as a monk would say!
Trainer Tammy Denlinger-Lickliter
I like that idea! Add Novice to the Amateur World. Anything we can do to invite the common person/horse to play! Also, it would let the Amateurs set the precedent for the Novice exhibitor, so they would know exactly where they need to be next year. Our association is to geared to the $$ side of the industry. We leave a big piece of the pie at the table when we do this. I work with a new Open Horse Show Association and we are finding a lot of people will come to our shows that can’t afford the horse it takes to win the open youth or amateur events in Ohio. We are giving them a place to play.
Amateur Competitor Sarah Elder Chabot
I think a Novice Championship is a great idea as a show on its own. The one thing I love about the current format of the world show is everywhere you turn there is the top of of the top warming up and showing. There is a quite prestige about the show grounds. I think adding novice exhibitors would certainly increase numbers but would add a lot of stress on trainers and coaches – and probably drive the other exhibitors batty in the warm up arenas.
Amateur Competitor Molly Kehoe Cherry
Having a young daughter starting out I would love a novice championship show for sure. It would give someone like her, who is very competitive but so young, a chance to compete at a higher level but not thrown into the big show at age 10. For financial reasons, it would probably be better to just add it to another show, but maybe at the end so it does not cause other people to have to stay longer on account of adding more to an already long show. That way it would still have a big show feel. And it would not add another big world show for all the trainers to have to attend they would already be there. And it might give some of their more novice customers a chance to get out and show some place big!
Amateur Competitor Stephanie Griffin
I could see where it might help address the need for more ways to bridge the gap from novice to the main stream classes as right now it seems as though we are losing a lot of the novices once they point out and are frustrated when they attempt to compete with the seasoned exhibitors at the larger shows.
At first blush, I would think it might be better to try to add them on to the already existing World Shows for trainers that are already going to these shows and have packed schedules as it is. Being at the same shows will also allow the novices to see the non-novice classes and see what they are aspiring to. The whole idea of the novice program is to give inexperienced riders more experience and what better place to culminate that and help prepare them for the next level than at a World Show?
My fear is that most trainers might not have enough novice customers to be able to make it affordable for one or two clients to attend a separate show. Not to mention they are spread so thin already with long shows that I’m afraid if it was during the fall months they would not be supportive of it. I’m sure it would be fine for the novices that don’t use trainers but usually to make a show successful long term it needs to have buy in from trainers.
AQHA Western Pleasure Trainer Katy Jo Pickard
I think its a great idea! i would rather have the novice classes added to the world shows. For me I have more than enough shows to attend without adding yet another week that I have to be gone. I think the Novices should for sure get the chance to show at the world show though and I think that the Novice horses should carry that kind of title on their record. I feel like it will help improve the value of horses and give Novices another goal besides the Congress and a reason to go to more shows.
AQHA Judge Daren Wright
I love the idea of Novice classes at the World Show or even having their own World Show. I truly feel it will increase entries significantly. Anytime we can give a youth exhibitor a chance to win a great prize its a good thing!
By separating it, it does give the show some prestige from the exhibitors point of view because its something just for them. However in the grand scheme of things can the association afford to take on the expense of another show? Plus there is always time and location to be considered. Maybe adding it to the current World Show would be the right choice in the beginning.
Trainer Karen Evans Mundy
I don’t think that AQHA would or could add classes to the World show. I don’t think time will permit. But, I personally do not think that Novice classes should be considered being added to one of the World shows. The World shows are for the cream of the crop in our industry, and I don’t think Novice should be awarded World Championships. Having a separate Championship show for Novices is what the Regional Experience shows are. I don’t believe there should be a completly separate Championship show for Novices.
