APHAÂ’s Ranch Horse Round-Up event offers versatile competition

FORT WORTH, Texas— With an event that takes the competition outside the traditional show arena, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) is offering Regular Registry and solid Paint-bred Registry enthusiasts a chance to prove their horse’s all-around talents. The next Ranch Horse Round-Up competition, scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 28–29, at the NRS Training Center in Decatur, Texas, includes an outdoor trail course and tests the practical skills of a horse and rider in both Open and Amateur divisions.

APHAÂ’s Ranch Horse Round-Up competitions, sponsored by Hart Trailers, the official trailer of the APHA and The Kent Group, the official equine feed products of the APHA, offer participants a relaxed atmosphere, where show practices such as hoof polish and tail extensions are not allowed and functional, everyday tack is preferred.

“We’re trying to reach a segment of our industry that we’ve felt hasn’t been reached at this point— and that’s the working cowboy,” said APHA Executive Committee member Carl Thurow, who was instrumental in the contest’s development.

The one-day event will feature classes that include:

Stock Horse Pleasure —contestants must walk, trot and lope horses smoothly and efficiently on a designated course.

Stock Horse Versatility —horses perform some of the many tasks required of them in the course of actual ranch work. They may be asked to walk calmly over bridges, walk through brush, back into confined spaces, jump over obstacles, or drag hay bales, just to name a few challenges.
Working Stock Horse— entrants demonstrate the skill and athleticism necessary to move cattle to specific areas horseback. Roping may be performed in this class.

Stock Horse Reining —horses must show they can be guided and ridden willingly, without resistance, in specific patterns.

“These events showcase a well-trained, all-around horse,” said Tom Neel, who rode Paint stallion Delta Flyer Gold Bar to the Open title at the last two Texas competitions. “The horse needs to be relaxed enough for the pleasure, guide well enough for the trail and reining and have the desire to work cattle for the stock horse class.”

More about the classes

The Ranch Horse Round-Up events are a bit different from usual show classes, which are commonly held in an arena and have standardized routines for contestants. The Stock Horse Versatility class, for example, has involved outdoor trail courses in the past that incorporated natural terrain like a tree-lined creek into the obstacles.

Another departure from standard classes is the Working Stock Horse event, which gives entrants a choice to either control a cow by guiding it in circles in the middle of the arena or roping it. Thurow said the non-roping option was allowed in this event because roping is a skill that many capable riders havenÂ’t had the opportunity to learn. The competitionÂ’s creators didnÂ’t want riders intimidated and avoiding the event because of one part of a single class.

The classes do, however, encourage many aspects of usual show classes; giving competitors incentive to polish their riding abilities. The Stock Horse Reining event, for example, looks for several of the skills found in a typical reining class.

“This event might be one of the hardest for the competitors,” said Thurow. “In a days’ work, ranch horses don’t do many spins or sliding stops.”

Thurow feels the extra horsemanship the contest requires can only benefit competitors in their other endeavors.

Winner recognition

For their efforts, winners will receive awards for each class and overall division title. A special head-to-head challenge will determine the Top Hand in both the Amateur and Open divisions.

For more information

To learn more about APHA Ranch Horse competitions visit apha.com/ranchhorse. For further information phone (817) 834-2742, extension 331 or e-mail sbarnhouse@apha.com.