Following extensive discussion with its European Executive Board, the National Reining Horse Association announced plans for the future of the 2020 and 2021 NRHA European Derbies. The eleventh-hour cancelation of the 2020 Derby previously set for October 28–November 1 in Lyon, France had been made in consideration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following that decision, the goal was to create a pathway to maintain the ability of derby age horses to compete in four derbies in their careers and to create a plan in the best interest of European members, riders, owners, breeders, nominators, and fans. Ultimately, it was decided to go forward with the events with the following modifications.

The 2020 NRHA European Derby will be held in Wels, Austria May 13–16, 2021. It will be open to NRHA nominated horses that are 6 to 9 years old in 2021.

The 2021 NRHA European Derby will be held in Lyon, France in conjunction with Longines Equita Lyon October 27–31,  2021. This event will be open to NRHA nominated horses that are 5 to 8 years old in 2021.

“I have always believed in the NRHA European Futurity and Derby and have been a keen supporter of both events since their inception,” said NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee and NRHA European Council president Roberto Cuoghi. “In 2009, my good friend [NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee] Eleuterio Arcese took it upon himself to provide financial support for the first three editions of the Euro Futurity. In 2011, as I was serving on the NRHA BoD, I did the same for the Euro Derby.”

Cuoghi continued, “The NRHA European Council and I are thrilled to acknowledge that great organizers such as renowned GL events of Equita Lyon, France, and Otto Ziehfreund of Western Horse Show Wels, Austria, are willing to host the prestigious 2020 and 2021 NRHA Euro Derby next year. We truly appreciate their support and enthusiasm.“

NRHA Commissioner Gary agreed, “Both Otto and Christine Rigolet with GL events have been understanding throughout this process. I appreciate the flexibility of both the event organizers and the riders and commend their willingness to be innovative on solutions.”

For Immediate Release – October 18, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – As the temperatures drop, the excitement for the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity and the Adequan^® North American Affiliate Championships (NAAC) begins to build. NRHA is pleased to announce the officials for the 2020 event:

2020 Adequan^® NAAC Judges
Doug Allen, United Kingdom
Rick Weaver, Pennsylvania
Cathy Luse, Texas
Marlin Holroyd, Michigan

2020 NRHA Futurity Judges
Filippo Masi, Italy
Van Luse, Texas
Terry Thompson, Texas
Eugenio Latorre, Spain
Margaret Fuchs, Ohio
Tom McBeath, Mississippi
Pat Wickenheiser, California
Ollie Griffith, Ohio
Bob Kail, Arizona
Shannon Fowler, Indiana
Brett Walters, Indiana
Harvey Stevens, Florida

2020 NRHA Futurity Stewards
Matt Lantz, Michigan
Lyle Jackson, Alberta, Canada
Walt Larson, Arizona
Shawn McClurg, Montana

Selection Process

The selection process for judges and stewards at each major NRHA event occurs several months before the first horse ever enters the pen. Both judges and stewards are selected at the same time using the same process. Here’s a synopsis of how your judges and stewards are selected:

• Every eligible judge across the global is contacted for their availability of the event.
• All available judges are compiled into a list and sent to each member of the judges committee.
• The Judges Committee members make selections from the list to fill the allotted slots for the event.
• These names are compiled into a short list and discussed on a conference call with all members of the Judges Committee. Nominations are allowed to be made 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.
  1. Example: If five judges selected and all have judged an NRHA major event recently, the recommendation could be to move up a “newer” judge to replace the 5th judge on the list. If an inadequate number of international judges are selected, the recommendation could be to bring in the next highest-ranking international judge, etc.
• The ranked list with the Judges Committee Chair recommendations is submitted to the NRHA Board of Directors for final selection.
• Both judges and stewards

For a more detailed overview of the selection process, refer to NRHA’s statement of policy by clicking here.

For Immediate Release – October 17, 2020 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – After many negotiations with event management, the French government, and our European Executive Board, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) made the decision to postpone the 2020 NRHA European Derby until 2021.

Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in France, the French government made the difficult decision to cancel Equita, Lyon in an effort to keep the population safe. As it is now fall, and the story of this pandemic is not yet over, the European Executive Board and NRHA staff feel that moving the 2020 NRHA European Derby to 2021 is in the best interest of European members, riders, owners, breeders, nominators, and fans.

“This decision did not come lightly, as we know so many of you were ready to compete and have been waiting for this moment for many years,” said Samantha Oldfield, NRHA Director of Competition and Education and the European Liaison. “We know how invested you all are. We share your passion and are devastated that we cannot provide a European Derby in 2020.”

The European Executive Board, along with NRHA staff, are working tirelessly on a plan for next year. In 2021, the horses that were eligible for the 2020 European Derby will have the opportunity to run for the purse money their nominators invested in them for this pandemic year. The goal is to prevent those horses from losing the opportunity to compete in four NRHA derbies.

Updates on the progress of next year’s event will be available by the end of November.

“We want to thank our hosts GL Events and the entire team at Equita, Lyon for all of their efforts in trying to put on a 2020 NRHA European Derby,” Oldfield said. “Their hard work and dedication means a lot to NRHA and our members, and we are thankful for their time and energy.”