How to Qualify for Novice Championships
February 15, 2012
Learn the three ways to qualify for the inaugural AQHA Novice championship shows.
Competitors can qualify for AQHA's Novice championship shows three different ways.
By Megan Brincks for America’s Horse Daily
It’s nice to be Novice, especially now that AQHA is offering championship-level shows for this division. The AQHA Novice program is available to youth and amateur competitors who have earned fewer than 25 points in the class they are competing in.
The inaugural SmartPak AQHA Western Novice Championship Show in Las Vegas and the Nutrena AQHA Eastern Novice Championship Show in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will be held October 5-7.
Want to know how to get there?
Three Ways to Qualify for a Novice Championship Show
- Competitors can qualify by placing in the top 10 at an AQHA regional championship show in a Novice class.
- Showing at 20 AQHA shows during the qualifying period will complete eligibility. For this option, there is no requirement about where the rider competes geographically.
- Competitors can qualify through their state or provincial affiliate. For this option, competitors should become familiar with their affiliate’s rules because they vary state to state.
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Important Information
The national qualifying period for the 2012 championships is May 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.
If a competitor graduated out of a Novice class during 2011, he or she is still eligible to compete at the 2012 Novice championship shows.
Once a competitor is qualified, he or she can go to either the eastern or western show. There is no restriction, but competitors can only show at one championship each year.
If the competitor qualifies nationally, his or her invitation to the Novice championship is not class-specific. Once nationally qualified, competitors can participate in any of the available classes.
Classes at the Championships
The following classes will be available at the 2012 Novice championship shows.
- Halter: yearling, 2-year-old, 3-year-old, aged and performance halter geldings and mares
- Showmanship
- Horsemanship
- Hunt seat equitation
- Western pleasure
- Hunter under saddle
- Trail
- Western riding
- Reining
- Barrel racing
- Pole bending
- Stake race
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Please see the Novice championships state qualifying page for more information.
Comments
4 Comments on “How to Qualify for Novice Championships”
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February 22nd, 2012 at 9:00 am
If I qualify nationally for “novice amateur reining”, does that mean I can ride I any other or ALL events at the championship show, despite the fact that I have “superiors” in those other events? This question was asked at a meeting last night. Thanks for input.
February 22nd, 2012 at 3:28 pm
My daughter just got a letter from AQHA saying she had noviced out of halter, but she would have still been novice last year correct? Also we have very few novice halter events here so it would be impossible to get 20 show in novice halter. So it would be up to the state than? How can we find out what events we are elegible for.
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Please clarify the 20 AQHA shows qualifying option. Must an individual show the SAME horse in the SAME novice class under 20 judges during the national qualifying period from May 1, 2011 until June 30, 2012, to be eligible to attend either the eastern or western Novice Championship show? Or, can a novice show in any combination of novice events, on the same or different horses, during said period, under 20 judges, and become nationally qualified to attend the Novice Championship? Thank you in advance.
March 14th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
These are all good questions and I would also like to know the answers.