U.S. Nationals Trots Into Tulsa

The U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) begins October 23 and continues through October 31, 2009 at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma. U.S. Nationals is the flagship competition for the Arabian horse industry and is produced by the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, Colo.

Exhibitors and spectators will have plenty of shopping at their fingertips at the U.S. Nationals Shopping Expo in the Exchange Center and Ford Truck Arena. The expo features dozens of equine lifestyle vendors that offer everything from jewelry, tack and furniture to small gifts and fine art. The Ford Truck Arena will be open for shopping October 23-31 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the Exchange Center will be open from October 23-32, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The nine-day show is the grand finale of the Arabian horse national show season, which also includes Youth Nationals, Canadian Nationals and Sport Horse Nationals. For the first time, the AHA National Endurance Ride and National Competitive Trail Ride will coincide with U.S. Nationals, October 27-31 in Lake Carl Blackwell in Stillwater, Okla.

Last year over 1,800 horses from all over the U.S. and Canada competed at U.S. Nationals for prizes and a chance at the title of National Champion. Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses will again go head to head in nearly 130 classes that span several disciplines including reining, cutting, working cow, trail, mounted native costume, pleasure driving, show hack, in-hand, sidesaddle, park, and English, hunter and western pleasure.

U.S. Nationals will again host the nationally accredited Arabian Horse Youth Judging Contest attracting more that 150 youth contestants, competing in three divisions: 4-H/FFA, Jr. AHA and Sr. AHA/Collegiate Teams. The contest awards youth contestants over $10,000 in scholarships and prizes annually.

The last two nights of the show include special evening performances which will feature some of the Arabian breed’s most popular spectator classes, including country English and English pleasure, mounted native costume, western pleasure and park. Admission to the show is free in the Ford Truck Arena for the duration of the show, tickets are required for Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Pavilion and can be purchased in the ticket office at the southwest corner of the Pavilion.

AHA corporate partners include Bank of America, The Hat Lady, Markel Insurance Company, PowerRV Inc. and UnitedHealthcare.