The stage is being set for the World’s Richest Reining—the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC). After an extensive review process involving the NRHA Judges Committee and Board, a group of highly respected professionals who bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and dedication were chosen to judge the event taking place November 26 – December 7, 2024 at the OKC Fairgrounds.
With a purse of more than $3 million and titles up for grabs, the competition will be bigger than ever.
Congratulations to the following individuals chosen to judge the 2024 NRHA Futurity and Adequan® NAAC:
Jim Norick Coliseum Judges:
- Eugenio Latorre: Sant Esteve de Palautordera, Spain
- Mark Turner: Evansville, Indiana
- Sandy Jirkovsky: Whitesboro, Texas
- Van Luse: Whitesboro, Texas
- Kelly Sapp: King, North Carolina
- Chele McGauly: Elm Grove, Louisiana
- Mack Weaver: Morgan, Utah
- Manu Maiocchi: Pavia, Italy
- Richard “Ollie” Griffith: Sarasota, Florida
- Alessandro Meconi: Castel Gandolfo, Italy
- Tom McBeath, Equipment Judge: Union, Mississippi
- Maik Bartmann, Judge Monitor: Osthofen, Germany
Adequan® Arena Judges:
- Buddy Fisher: Abilene, Texas
- Todd Arvidson: Purcell, Oklahoma
- Kain Emmons: Rancho Cordova, California
- Kelly Hedges: Perrysburg, New York
- Douglas Allen, Judge Monitor: Sandhurst, United Kingdom
For more information on what is certain to be another record-breaking NRHA Futurity & Adequan® NAAC visit nrhafuturity.com.
The judge selection process for the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel and the NRHA Futurity begins several months before the first horse enters the pen. The selection process for each judge is outlined below:
- Each eligible judge is contacted for their availability for the event.
- All available judges are compiled into a list and sent to each member of the Judges Committee.
- Judges Committee members make selections from the list to fill the allotted slots for the event.
- These names are compiled into a shortlist and discussed on a conference call with all members of the Judges Committee. Nominations are allowed on this conference call.
- The committee members, except for the chair, then rank their choices, and each ranking equates to a certain number of points. The points are compiled and submitted to the committee chair.
- The committee chair reviews and makes recommendations based on the outcome of the vote and the needs of NRHA.
- The ranked list with the Judges Committee Chair recommendations is submitted to a seven-person panel subcommittee for final selection.
This process is set in place to ensure the Futurity and Derby are well-judged competitions with quality, professional judges.
For more information, visit NRHA.com/judges