AQHA announces judges and a flat entry fee for the 2012 AQHA Novice championship shows.

The American Quarter Horse Journal, February 15, 2012 – The American Quarter Horse Association recently announced the judges and ring stewards scheduled for the 2012 AQHA Novice championship shows, which will be held October 5-7 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Las Vegas. Also, exhibitors will only pay a flat fee of $275 for the show.

Slated to judge the  SmartPak AQHA Western Novice Championship Show at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are AQHA judges Joe Carter of St. George, Ontario, and Suzy Jeane of Valley View, Texas. They will be assisted by Tracy Hatakeyama of Atascadero, California, and Gale Little of Mebane, North Carolina, as ring stewards.

The  Nutrena AQHA Eastern Novice Championship Show at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro will be judged by AQHA judges Bruce Walquist of Cleburne, Texas, and Stephanie Lynn of Fall Creek, Wisconsin. They will be assisted by Roberta Skelton of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Ken Cochrane of Sandy, Utah, as ring stewards.

Additionally, AQHA announced the $275 flat fee for the Novice championship shows.

“Every exhibitor will be required to pay $275 per horse,” said Patti Carter-Pratt, AQHA executive director of shows. “What that pays for is their entry fee(s) and stall.

“Exhibitors who  nationally qualify for the event may enter as many classes as they see fit, and they’ll still only pay $275.”

In addition to class entry fees, the flat fee includes one stall for the horse; tack stalls can be purchased for an additional fee. The flat fee will include a fee for drug testing, because this is considered a championship show. However, shavings will not be included in the $275 flat fee, so exhibitors should budget accordingly.

For more information on the Novice championships, visit  www.aqha.com/showing.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal or America’s Horse, visit  AQHA Publications.

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Founded in 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest equine breed organization in the world. With headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, AQHA has a membership of more than 300,000 people in 86 countries and has registered more than 5 million horses in 95 countries.