Kicking off the 2010 fall season of American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) Regional Championship competition is the All American Horse Classic, set to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning Tuesday September 7, continuing through Saturday, September 11.

New to the 2010 lineup of Regional Championships is the North Carolina State Championship Horse Show, site of the Atlantic Coast Regional Championship in Raleigh, North Carolina, scheduled for Wednesday, September 15 through Saturday, September 18. The St. Louis National Horse Show, being held Wednesday, September 29 through Saturday, October 2, is the site of the Heart of America Regional Championship, and is pleased to be rejoining the Regional Championship lineup after a three-year absence. The California Saddle Horse Futurity, with dates of Friday, October 22 through Sunday, October 24, is a veteran of the Regional Championship program, but is sporting a new look for the West Coast Championships at its new venue in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Other Regional Championships include the Arizona Saddlebred Futurity for the Southwest Region; in the Northwest Region, the NWSA Fall Classic and Futurity; in the North Central Region, the Wisconsin Futurity; in the East Coast Region, the ASHAV Horse Show; in the Southeast, the Southeastern Charity Horse Show; and in New England, the Eastern States Exposition.

All horses that place 1st through 8th at three or more competitions within their respective regions are automatically qualified to contend for Regional Championship honors. Horses may qualify in more than one region, but can earn only one Regional Championship title each year. If a horse competes in a Regional Championship class and does not win the Regional Championship title, it may compete for a Regional Championship title at other Regional Championship competitions for which it is eligible. Residency and/or declaration of region are not required. The complete guidelines are available at www.saddlebred.com

ASHA is now displaying a complete database of all horses’ current competition records, by region and section, on its website. All competitors and show management can easily see the region(s) and section(s) for which a given horse or equitation rider is qualified. The qualifying lists can be found www.saddlebred.com. Competition results continue to be updated daily.

The Grand National program is once again partnering with the Regional Championships by offering $5,000 Grand National Championships at the following regional competitions: North Carolina State Championship, Southeastern Charity, St. Louis National, California Futurity, and Arizona Futurity. Classes for those $5,000 stakes are Five-Gaited Open, Fine Harness Open, Three-Gaited Show Pleasure Adult, Three-Gaited Open, and Three-Gaited Park Open respectively. For additional information on the Grand National program, visit the ASHA website, www.saddlebred.com.

Questions about ASHA Regional Championships should be directed to Susan Harris, Registry Associate/Competitions, at [email protected].