AQHA’s #1 Novice Show in the nation, The Keystone Showdown was recently held June 17th to 21st in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. The Keystone Showdown gave out over $40,000 in prizes, awards and cash to the many who attended. In 2014, KQHA rented 550 stalls and booked over 7,000 entries while this year they had over 650 stalls rented. It is not just a the number one novice show, it also had very large class sizes in the regular amateur, youth and open divisions.
“The Keystone Showdown is always my favorite show of the year,” says Liz Arnold, a Novice Amateur competitor. “Despite increasing class sizes and the fact that the show often goes into the early morning hours it offers so much for exhibitors, from an exhibitors party with a DJ on Friday night, to the Mike Whitmore Memorial Walk-Jog, iPad giveaways and the chance to show to five judges amidst strong competition.”
Arnold adds, “I don’t know of many other shows that have 45 entries in Amateur Showmanship, and Level 1 classes with three splits. Several of the open hunt seat and western classes were split as well. When the show does run late, or the weather puts a damper on the day, the show committee goes above and beyond. Saturday night when the hunt seat was trying to show despite approaching bad weather, the show management ordered pizza and brought it ringside. Those kinds of gestures really mean a lot to exhibitors.”
The judges for the show included Lori Gingrich, Cindy Rucker, Chele McGauly, Steve Heckaman, Bob Kail and Clay Cavinder.
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