Storms, split classes and speed, oh my!

Region Three finished with a solid weekend of full classes. Scroll down for the slide show by bar H Photography, for the Journal.

–By Jennifer Horton for The American Quarter Horse Journal

The morning of Saturday, July 17, saw the warm up arena filled with a sea of sparkly showmanship jackets as exhibitors prepared for their goes. Western pleasure was on the class schedule for the afternoon. Many classes had to be split to accommodate the large entry numbers.

The big story of the day ended up being the storms that rolled in bringing tornado warnings and rain to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

Just as the amateur western pleasure was called to the end of the arena for the placings, tornado sirens went off and people were directed to the coliseum for shelter. The horses in the arena were held in there, and people from outside and the barns were gathered into the coliseum, which is a safe haven from weather.

Despite losing the lights, and the uncertainty of the storms, everyone there kept good humor and remained calm and cooperative while waiting for the storm to pass. Several checked radar reports on smartphones while others socialized and enjoyed ice cream from the concession stand. Soon, the all-clear was given and the arena cleared out. The awards were made to the amateurs and then the seniors were given a brief warm up before their class began. To everyone’s relief, the storms passed without damage and those leaving were able to load and go and those remaining had a quiet night.

The cowboys came to town Sunday, July 18, for the roping classes. Highlights included JB Solano Joker Wild, owned by Jim and Kandy Kay Badje and shown by Brandon Weiland, winning the championship buckle in open heading and heeling.

Then the speed horses took over the arena for pole bending and barrel racing. Youth rider Travis Stolp of Nashwauk, Minnesota, returned to the winner’s circle again this year; he’s finished in the top 10 (winning two reserves) in multiple speed events in every Region Three since 2006.

Amateur exhibitor, Tony Anderman of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, ran Chocolate Tator Chip fast enough to earn enough points over his competition to take the high-point all-around amateur title and the award Tex Tan saddle sponsored by Markel Insurance.

The show closed with the reining horses. Several new exhibitors and repeat exhibitors came for the reining classes in youth, amateur and open classes.

The 2010 Region Three Championship saw more than 1,400 entries go through the gate to show this year. The show is run by an outstanding crew of committed volunteers who work very hard to ensure their exhibitors have a good time at the show. The show continued to offer AQHA first time exhibitor classes for adults and youth this year, with good results in getting new exhibitors to join in the fun.

With awards presented through the top ten, finalists also received participation awards from Region Three. Again this year, each exhibitor received a free Region Three Championship T-shirt to take home with their good memories of the show.

Find the all-around winners at the Region Three online coverage home, 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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