Normally the last stop on the road to the National Reining Horse Association Futurity is the Southwest Reining Horse Association’s Futurity & Horse Show. The event draws the future equine stars of reining to south central Oklahoma.
This year’s SWRHA Futurity & Horse Show kicks off Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the historic Hardy Murphy Coliseum in Ardmore, Okla. The event, which features the Billingsley Ford Open Futurity as well as the Custom Made Dunit Non Pro Futurity, runs through Sunday, Oct. 24.
While the show officially begins tomorrow, the show grounds have been bustling for more than a week, as exhibitors move in, acclimating their horses to the event and taking advantage of several days of paid warm-ups.
The horse show office is in full swing, with SWRHA Show Secretary Kathy Gould noting that the first day already boasts more than 200 runs, with 153 entered in the Novice Horse Open Levels 1 – 3, which will be held in the Coliseum Arena, and with 37 in the Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 1 – 3, which will work in the Ancillary Arena.
While the show is serious business, there is still plenty of fun to be had and camaraderie to enjoy while in Ardmore. On Thursday, Oct. 21, everyone is invited to the Smoking Trash Salute to the SWRHA Sires Exhibitor Party, featuring the Stallion Auction Golf Cart Giveaway and the Pinnacle Equine/Dr. Chelsea Makloski Embryo Transfer Auction.
On Friday, following the Custom Made Dunit Non Pro Futurity, the Nutrena Pizza Party kicks off an evening of entertainment including the Rein In Cancer Dog Races, the Leadline, and Walk/Trot. Once those activities have cleared the Coliseum Arena, the more experienced exhibitors of the SWRHA will compete in the Outta Dough Masters Non Pro (open to riders 60 and older), and the Petroll Reining Horses Platinum Non Pro (open to riders 70 and over).
On Saturday, many of the top 3-year-old reining horses in the country will compete in the Billingsley Ford Open Futurity. At 2 p.m., SWRHA youth members and their friends will have a youth meeting.
Equine Promotion will be hosting the live webcast, which can be found at www.SWRHA.com, and Traci Davenport Photography will be capturing the memories in both arenas. Be sure to follow Traci Davenport at Facebook.com/TraciDavenportPhotography