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2020 Southeast Affiliate Regional Championship Moves to Jacksonville

Due to a host of uncertainties impacting the event, the Heart of Dixie Reining Horse Association cancelled the Southeast Affiliate Regional Championship Show originally scheduled for August 19–23 in Perry, Georgia. Fortunately, reiners came together to find a solution and a new home for the event.

According to HDRHA Board Member Kyndall Peeples, there were discussions with the Florida Reining Horse Association about the future of the event and the FRHA Board offered to run the Affiliate Regional Championships at its show in Jacksonville, Florida. Peeples noted, “This is the best option for our region and its membership. We know FRHA will highlight the ARC with pride and give it the recognition it deserves.”

The National Reining Horse Association Board of Directors gave its approval to the location change during its July 2 meeting. The 2020 Southeast Affiliate Regional Championship will now be hosted by the FRHA October 29 – November 1, in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Jacksonville Equestrian Center provides exhibitors with a large indoor coliseum and a large outdoor covered arena with additional outdoor riding areas. There are 470 permanent stalls at the facility as well as five local hotels (within 5 miles) and 80 camper hookups on site.

It’s a popular and familiar facility for reiners as the Florida Reining Classic, an NRHA Top 20 event, is held there each February. Besides the onsite accommodations, there are several restaurants nearby and an international airport within a 25-minute drive.

The FRHA has committed to hosting the ARC classes and providing the roughly $4,000 in added money that was planned by HDRHA. The ARC classes will run with the second slate of NRHA classes throughout the four-day show.

FRHA Secretary Shannon Rafacz noted, “We are fully staffed and ready to handle this event as we understand its importance to our Southeast membership. We will work hard to make this a true regional championship, putting emphasis on the ARC classes and providing championship awards for each division, including the short stirrup.”

She continued, “We are prepared to award down to 10th place for each ARC. This particular show was already slated to host a derby, futurity, and 7-Up. The FRHA was not able to hold its March or May shows so the club opted to pool the monies and put together a larger show, pushing our projected total added money over $57,000 for this event.”

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New Rules For 2020 Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships Qualifications

When the National Reining Horse Association Board of Directors met on July 2, a key discussion involved the qualification route for affiliate reiners hoping to compete in the 2020 Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC) at the NRHA Futurity November 26–December 5.

With the looming possibility of COVID-19 restrictions impacting future shows, along with the number of events having already been cancelled, the Board approved the Affiliate Committee’s proposal that anyone receiving a score higher than a zero at an Affiliate Regional Championship be eligible to enter that class at the NAAC. It was felt that this solution would encourage people to attend the ARCs and support the affiliate program without limiting the number of horses that will attend the NAAC.

The Board also removed the existing stipulation that if someone competes in a class at an ARC, they are unable to compete at another ARC. So, for 2020, riders will be allowed to participate in multiple regional championships with one exception. If they win a class, they cannot compete on the same horse in the same class in another ARC (for example, a horse and rider that won the Non Pro ARC class at the Northwest Affiliate Regional Championships would not be allowed to compete in the Non Pro ARC class at the Southwest Affiliate Regional Championships).

“We feel that this is a positive solution that protects all the different components of the affiliate program,” said NRHA Affiliate Committee Chairman Kelly Brummett. “We’re still supporting the ARCs by requiring that people attend one to qualify. The clubs and affiliates that commit the work and effort every year are an essential and very appreciated part of this program, and we want to do all we can to help their events.”

Another benefit for exhibitors is, since qualification from the ARC is not limited to the top 10, people will not be bumped out of qualifying in their own ARC by people coming from other regions to compete.

Affiliate Committee Staff Liaison Sara Honneger is excited about the possibilities created by these measures. She said, “If you have ever thought you wanted to be a part of the NRHA’s Affiliate program, this is the year to see what it’s all about. 2020 has been a difficult year for so many, but maybe these new rules will give NRHA members a chance to try this program that we are so passionate about. We hope to see everyone at the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships at the NRHA Futurity.”

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NRHA’s ReinerSuite™ Adds Eligibility Tool

For Immediate Release – June 29, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) has added a new feature to its popular ReinerSuite™ member software with the debut of the Eligibility Checker. The handy feature appears on the member dashboard after logging in and allows for simple checking of a horse/rider/class/date combination. More detailed searches are available to check eligibility for worldwide events or those specific to Europe and Mexico.

“We are very happy to announce this new offering,” said Angie Honeywell, senior manager of ReinerSuite and Futurity Sales. “Member service is our top priority, and this tool is a way to offer eligibility information quickly and accurately. If members have questions about eligibility or using  ReinerSuite, please contact us at memberships@nrha.com.”

Eligibility for various levels of competition is determined for the beginning of each calendar year. NRHA exhibitors are responsible for verifying eligibility for each class they enter to make sure their placings and earnings count, and this new tool streamlines the process considerably.

“The response to ReinerSuite has been overwhelmingly positive,” said NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter. “We know this eligibility tool will provide added convenience for our members and is something they can use from any device connected to the internet.”

ReinerSuite was unveiled to NRHA members in late February 2020, providing advanced, online member services. The web-based software has innovated association records management for the equine industry.

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Kelsey Pecsek Hruska Takes the Reins at Reiner Magazine

Beginning with its August issue, the National Reining Horse Association’s Reiner magazine will have a new but familiar face at its helm. Kelsey Pecsek Hruska, former editor of Quarter Horse News, will bring her years of experience to the magazine.

“Moving into this new role as editor of the Reiner feels a lot like coming home,” Pecsek Hruska said. “The sport of reining ignited my passion for the Western performance horse world many years ago. I look forward to working closely with the industry’s players and with the NRHA to make the magazine the best it can be.”

There’s no question that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching, changing the way business is done. As the NRHA continued to streamline its fiscal and staffing profile, an opportunity presented itself and resulted in a joint venture between the association and its longtime Corporate Partner Quarter Horse News. Morris Equine Group, parent company of Quarter Horse News, Western Horseman, and Barrel Horse News, will take over the production and publishing duties of Reiner magazine, with Pecsek Hruska as editor.

NRHA Commissioner Gary Carpenter said, “The goal of this transition is for NRHA members to have a magazine that they enjoy, share, and consider a true reflection of NRHA. Since NRHA and Quarter Horse News serve many of the same people, it is a logical fit. The Morris Equine Group staff has a strong familiarity both with reining and with the unique and specific needs of association publications, as they already publish the NCHA’s Cutting Horse Chatter and the NRCHA’s Reined Cow Horse News.”

Pecsek Hruska is looking forward to working with NRHA and creating content that features, entertains, and educates the association’s 15,000 members. “It’s an exciting time to be part of the reining community. Reconnecting with our friends during the NRHA Derby presented by Markel and watching some of the sport’s best horses compete for the biggest purse in Derby history has me and the rest of the staff at Morris Equine Group more enthusiastic than ever,” she said.

Carpenter is confident that Pecsek Hrushka and her group will be carrying on in important legacy, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the previous Reiner team. “I appreciate their hard work, professionalism, and devotion to their craft. A lot of behind-the-scenes hours went into developing this publication and they were always too busy working to take credit,” he said.

Morris Equine Group will also handle Reiner advertising sales, with Karen Barnhart (karen.barnhart@morris.com, 620-951-4026)  handling commercial and breeder accounts. Pecsek Hruska can be reached by phone at 817-569-7170  or by e-mail at reiner@nrha.com.

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2020 NRHA Derby Presented by Markel Breaks Records

The 2020 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby presented by Markel was expecting a subdued look and feel. The Oklahoma State Fair implemented new protocols because of COVID-19. This included increased stall spacing, face mask requirements for staff, mandatory social distancing, and closing the event to the public.

All those measures were followed, but as the event unfolded it became clear that there was nothing subdued about the size of the show or the quality of the competition. The 2020 NRHA Derby presented by Markel became the largest in NRHA history. Not only was there a record number of horses, riders, and entries, the total purse for the show was also record-breaking, surpassing $1.1 million.

The combined payout for the Open and Non Pro Derbies set another record at $1,012,581. The Non Pro Derby had an all-time high payout of $354,620. The Open Derby had the third-highest payout in history, awarding $657,961.

“Our members were very happy that we were able to have this show and their enthusiasm was felt throughout,” said NRHA President Mike Hancock. “Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all the exhibitors for their spirit of camaraderie and cooperation. Not only was it a huge show – it was a great one!”

That off-the-charts momentum continued in the Adequan® Arena, where the traditional horse show classes sometimes went well into the night or even the early hours of the next morning. NRHA Events Manager Cheryl Cody said, “When the unprecedented entries became apparent for the first weekend, we were able to shorten two extremely long days by showing concurrently in Arena 6. Once the Derby competition began, we could not do that. Thanks to the commitment of our staff and officials and the cooperation of our exhibitors, we were able to get through those incredibly long days.”

In 2020, there were 1,433 stalls filled – another record. That translated to 820 horses actually entered in the show – up from 664 last year.

The number of riders competing at the event rose substantially as well, going from 499 in 2019 to 637 this year. All that equated to record entry numbers, up to 3,301 entries from 2,750 the previous year.

The huge show led to several career achievements, including three unofficial millionaire milestones. Andrea Fappani’s Open win in the Adequan® Arena early in the week made Rancho Oso Rio LLC an NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner. When Jason Vanlandingham won the Level 4 Open Derby Championship on Saturday evening on A Vintage Smoke, he surpassed the NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider mark in earnings, and his horse’s sire, A Sparkling Vintage, became an NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire.