Female ranch-horse riders with good communication skills, excellent horsemanship knowledge and abilities, and a passion for horses are invited to apply for the inaugural American Ranch Horse Association Queen contest, which will be held at the ARHA World Show in Murfreesboro, Tenn., June 21 – 26, 2010.

The Queen title will provide one ARHA member with a host of prizes from ARHA sponsors, excellent exposure in the equine industry and the chance for her to help promote the organization. During her year-long tenure, the ARHA Queen will serve as an ambassador of the association, encouraging membership in ARHA, making appearances at state and regional ranch-horse functions, and visiting related competitions and events to raise awareness about ARHA.

The ARHA Queen will be selected as a result of her performance in four categories: – Horsemanship based on the Working Ranch Horse class as decided by four judges (30 percent). The contestant will ride her own horse for the cattle-work element of Working Ranch Horse; for the dry-work element (reining pattern), contestants will draw to ride a different horse. – An interview with a panel of judges about her knowledge of and involvement in horses and ARHA (30 percent) – A three- to five-minute speech at the ARHA World Show about what ARHA means to her (20 percent) – A written test of ARHA rulebook knowledge (20 percent)

“Given that Working Ranch Horse is our signature class, we thought this would be the perfect class for the contest,” says ARHA judge Kim Miller, the chairperson of the Queen Committee. “Riding an unfamiliar horse in the dry-work portion of the class is a true test of horsemanship.”

Queen candidates must be 17 to 25 years old as of June 1, 2010. Complete information and a downloadable application are available at www.americanranchhorse.net. Contact the ARHA office at 606-872-2742 or Kim Smith at 615-714-3202 or [email protected] with questions.

Formed in 2004, the American Ranch Horse Association promotes the abilities of the all-around versatile working horse in a positive atmosphere where western tradition is genuinely honored. Rapidly growing with more than 7,000 members, ARHA hosts competitions, clinics and educational events throughout the year.