The 2007 NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show is Here!
By now, thousands of NRHA reiners are just about ready to load up their horses and head to Oklahoma City for the biggest reining event of the year! The 2007 NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show kicks off next week, November 22 and runs through December 1 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, OK.
There may be a few changes in the Futurity schedule, so click here to view the latest schedule. You will also find it posted outside the Show Office and the NRHA booth at the Futurity.
Freestyle “Legends” Perform at the Futurity
The NRHA has lined up a very special event for Friday evening, November 30. Organizers have assembled a group of the absolute BEST Freestyle riders in the nation for a very special performance! The Invitational Freestyle event will feature; Doug Milholland, Drake Johnson, Josh Armstrong, Guy Vernon, Kirstin Foran, Pete Kyle, Trevor Dare and Stacy Westfall. Some will perform bridleless, some saddleless, but all with music, lots of laughs and maybe a few tears along the way! It’s another “must see” night at the NRHA Futurity in the Coliseum beginning at 7:00 pm.
Stacy Westfall Clinic presented by Horse & Rider magazine
Go from ‘beginner to bridleless’ with Stacy Westfall at the Futurity. The Stacy Westfall Clinic presented by Horse & Rider magazine, NRHA’s educational partner, will be held Saturday, December 1 from 11 am to 1 pm in Arena 6. Westfall is an NRHA Professional, the first and only woman to win the “Road to the Horse” Colt-Starting Challenge and legendary Freestyle competitor.
Westfall’s clinic will focus on how to go from being a beginning freestyle rider to what it takes to perform freestyle without a bridle; the physical and emotional strength needed between horse and rider. Tickets are $25.00 and include free admission to all of the Futurity events on December 1, including the NRHA Open Futurity Finals. All youth, 17 years old & under, will receive free admission by showing their membership card or wearing clothing showing their affiliation with any youth organization. Tickets are available at the Oklahoma State Fair Box Office or www.tickets.com. Don’t miss this great educational and fun time at the Stacy Westfall Clinic presented by Horse & Rider magazine.
Free Futurity Webcast
Can’t come to the 2007 NRHA Futurity this year? No problem! Log on to nrha.com for all the Futurity action, live on the World Wide Web – and it’s FREE! The webcast of the ’07 NRHA Derby was such a success, the NRHA is again providing live streaming video on the internet in conjunction with Alan Taylor, CEO of HorseAuctions.com.
Be sure to check out all the live Reining action at the 2007 NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show at www.nrha.com. You can watch the competition as well as the three NRHA/Markel Insurance horse sales. You’ll also be able to find the latest scores, pictures and updates during the show at nrha.com.
Check Out Your Stall Assignments Online
The stall assignments are complete! Exhibitors can check out their stall assignments and even print out a map. Click here for a link to all the maps.
IMPORTANT: New Fire Safety Codes at Fair Park!
With the brand new renovations to the barns at the Oklahoma State Fair Park come very important fire safety codes from the Oklahoma State Fire Marshall. These new rules are in place for our horses’ safety as well as our own safety in the event of a fire. Please click here to view these new fire safety codes BEFORE you come to the Futurity. FYI, we know the Fire Marshall has been checking stalls at the past couple of horse shows.
High Caliber Competition at the FEI World Reining Masters
15 Nations, 20 Top Riders, 20 Quality Reining Horses = 1 Night of High Caliber Competition! The FEI World Reining Masters is set for Thursday, November 29 and is definitely one of the “must-see” events during the Futurity & NAAC Show. There are reiners from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA.
While in Oklahoma City, the FEI World Reining Masters competitors and their countrys’ delegations will be treated to a few of the sights that Oklahoma’s capital city has to offer. There will be a special reception honoring the riders who have earned their place to compete in the Masters. They will also be given the opportunity to experience all the beautiful works of western art and Oklahoma history at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The riders and delegations will also visit several other Oklahoma City landmarks during their stay and shop 'til they drop at many of the western stores in the area.
Pack Your Pink for the Futurity PINK will be the color of the day on “Think to Wear Pink” Wednesday, November 28, at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity. Exhibitors, staff and fans are all being asked to wear pink in recognition of the “Rein In Cancer” campaign.
Pro Management, Inc., of Byars, Oklahoma, is sponsoring a special promotion to help recognize and promote the fight against cancer. Each time an exhibitor competes wearing pink on November 28, he or she will receive a special pink “Rein In Cancer” wristband, compliments of Pro Management. The wristbands will also be for sale in the NRHA Show office, the NRHA Outfitters booth, the National Reining Breeders Classic booth, and the Shorty’s Caboy Hattery booth. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the wristbands will be donated to the Shirley Bowman Fund at the OU Cancer Institute.
Bull Riders Buck Tradition
Be sure to attend the 4R Performance Horses “8” Second Celebrity Slide, Saturday, November 24th at 5:00 pm. Several popular bull riders have spent the past few weeks training to ride a reining horse! It’s not an easy task for some! Bull riders J.W. Hart, Cody Lambert, Justin McBride, Cord McCoy, Ross Coleman, Matt Bohon, Rob Smets, Paulo Crimber and Ednei Caminhas will hop on top of a reiner for the ride of their lives. Their equally famous trainers are several top NRHA Two Million Dollar Riders, Million Dollar Riders, and NRHA Professionals. The trainers will also be assisted by kids from Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma®.
Fans will have the opportunity to meet their favorite bull rider “up close and personal” at a VIP Reception at the conclusion of the event. Tickets to the VIP Reception are $100 and can be purchased by contacting RHSF Coordinator Heather Cline at 405-946-7400. Ticket sales are limited so don’t delay! Proceeds from the 4R Performance Horses “8” Second Celebrity Slide and VIP Reception will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma®. Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 24th at 5:00 pm.
Enjoy Thanksgiving Day Feast with your NRHA Family
The 1st annual Americana Day Thanksgiving Feast, hosted by the Reining Horse Sports Foundation, will take place November 22 in the new Sale Arena in Barn 3. The meal will feature roasted turkey, country ham, cornbread dressing and all the trimmings, plus a variety of desserts for $25/adult and $10/children 10 and under. Children under 2 are free. Tickets purchased after Tuesday, November 20th are $40 for adults and $15 for children. Proceeds benefit the RHSF and reservations are requested. The meal will take place between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. For more info, call 405-946-7400 ext. 137, email rhsf@nrha.com or visit www.reininghorsesportsfoundation.org.
40 New Sires added to the NRHA Sire & Dam Program Online Auction
The NRHA Sire & Dam Program Online Stallion Auction is now underway! From now until December 1, mare owners will have the opportunity to purchase 2008 NRHA Sire & Dam Program breedings through the online auction. Stallions participating in the Top 20 Sires Program will be available in the auction along with any other stallion whose owner chooses to join the auction. Click here to place your bid. For more information contact Sire & Dam Program Coordinator Dandy Oltermann at ext 120 or doltermann@nrha.com.
AQHA Reining Finals Webcast on NBCSports.com
Get a taste of fine Reining action before you come to the Futurity! NBC Sports is offering a live webcast of the Reining and Cutting Finals at the 2007 AQHA World Championship Show going on right now at the Oklahoma State Fair Park.
You can watch the AQHA Junior Reining Finals on Friday, November 16 at 8:00 pm ET. Then on Saturday, November 17 at 8:00 pm ET you can see the AQHA Senior Reining Finals. Go to http://www.nbcsports.com/aqha for more information.
Jim Bret Campbell, Editor of the American Quarter Horse Journal, will be the host of the show with commentary by NRHA Million Dollar Rider Todd Bergen.
The actual show will be televised on NBC, Saturday, January 12, 2008, from 5:00-6:00 ET. This is the third time Carr-Hughes Productions has produced the show for NBC.
Save the Date for the 2008 NRHA Convention
No rest for the NRHA staff! The Futurity hasn’t even started, but we’re busy planning the 2008 NRHA Convention. Oklahoma City is the place to be from January 28 – February 2 for the 2008 NRHA Convention. It will be an action packed week in OKC, for once, without horses! Normally when NRHA members are here, it’s all business with no time to see all the sights Oklahoma City has to offer. That’s one of the reasons why the NRHA chose Oklahoma City as the site of the upcoming Convention.
The ’08 Convention will feature six days of important NRHA business along with a good mix of fun and sightseeing! Members can look forward to a Show Secretary Seminar, Judges Applicant Seminar, Affiliate Congress, full Board of Directors meeting, Committee meetings with open sessions, 2008 NRHA Hall of Fame Inductions along with the 2007 Awards Banquet. Attendees are also invited to an Evening in Monte Carlo – Casino Night; a fundraiser presented by the RHSF.
The NRHA Convention will be held at the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel in Downtown OKC, just two blocks from the historic Bricktown area. Click here for more information about the hotel.
There are a lot more activities in the works – so check back for further details about the schedule along with registration information.
The NRHA is proud to have Adequan® as a member of its family of corporate partners, the title sponsor of the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show and sponsor of “NRHA Inside Reining” seen on RFD-TV. Adequan®, NRHA’s official joint therapy, is one of the nation’s leaders and is the veterinarian’s-trusted name in the fight against degenerative joint disease in equine. For more information on how to keep your horse’s joints healthy, visit http://www.luitpoldanimalhealth.com/
This newsletter is provided by the National Reining Horse Association as a service to its members and anyone interested in the sport of Reining. NRHA does not assume any liability for errors and/or omissions. To learn more about NRHA and Reining go to NRHA.com or call the NRHA office at 405.946.7400.
The 2007 NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show is Here!
High Caliber Competition at the FEI World Reining Masters
Bull Riders Buck Tradition
40 New Sires added to the NRHA Sire & Dam Program Online Auction 
