H is for Halter and Horsemanship.

By Jennifer Horton for The American Quarter Horse Journal

Jim's Hat Bar was kept busy keeping hats looking good for exhibitors, donating part of the cleaning fee to Region Three. Scroll down for the slide show.

Friday, July 16, saw halter horses strut their stuff in open, amateur and youth halter classes, with several new Region Three champions crowned.

The previous evening, AQHA Professional Horseman and judge Brian Ellsworth presented an informal clinic on preparing your horse for halter and showmanship classes. He made suggestions on halter fit, banding, grooming and how to present your horse to its best. With a question and answer session, the clinic proved to be very informative for many new exhibitors who were able to put their new knowledge to work on Friday during the halter classes.

Just before the horsemanship classes began, show manager Ron Miller drove the John Deere Gator into the arena carrying the official Region Three tack trunk for the pre-entry exhibitor drawing. Ten lucky exhibitors who made pre-entries were randomly selected to try their chances at unlocking the padlock to open the trunk and win it and everything in it. Jill Mueller is the lucky exhibitor who got to pack up the trunk and tote it home. But no one left empty handed, with goodie buckets given to all 10.

The horsemanship classes saw great entry numbers with competitive rides. The show that began at 7 a.m. finished up right at 6 p.m., allowing the exhibitors time to put their horses up and head over to a good old-fashioned picnic with grilled burgers, bratwursts and chicken with potato salad and brownies. The evening weather was simply ideal for relaxing and socializing with old friends and new. There were lots of opportunities to make new friends.

Tomorrow – Saturday, July 17 – it’s showmanship time!

Stay tuned for all the Region Three online coverage, including daily slide shows.

Check out the slide show below, and click on each photo to see the caption. All photos are by bar H Photography.

There are 11 Regional Championships in all, including one in Europe and one in British Columbia, put on by AQHA state, provincial or international affiliates. Region Three includes Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Manitoba.

Look for a Regional Championship near you at www.aqha.com.

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