The Sport Horse National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Show, which will be held at the Virginia Horse Park in Lexington, Virginia, on September 17-21, 2003, is the only national single breed competition focusing specifically on the sport horse disciplines. Owners of Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian sport horses are encouraged to attend the show, which will offer 63 classes in three divisions: sport horse in-hand and under-saddle, dressage and hunter/jumper. For a complete list of classes, check out the prize list by going to www.ArabianHorses.org/competitions/nationalevents/sporthorse. The closing date for entries is August 6, 2003.

To encourage riders showing on the open circuit to participate, qualifications will be waived for sport horse and hunters and jumper classes this year. Dressage horses will be required to have Nationals qualifications.

All horses need to be Arabians, Half-Arabians or Anglo-Arabians registered with AHA or the Canadian Arabian Horse Registry but do not need to be inspected or approved by any particular sport horse registry. Both rider and owner need to be AHA members. For information on how to join, go to the above website and click on join AHA or call (303) 696-4500.

The judges for the show are dressage judges Trenna Atkins of Coupeville, Virginia; Inez Propfe-Credo of Tucson, Arizona; Maryal Barnett of East Lansing, Michigan; and Dr. Max Gahwler of Darien, Connecticut. The hunter/jumper judges are Mrs. Robert A. Powers of Hugo, Minnesota, and Linda Allen of Salinas, California. The sport horse judges are Janet Brown of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Bitsy Shields of Petaluma, California.

Seven companies are sponsoring the Sport Horse Nationals. Primedia Business Magazines and Media has partnered with three of its publications as division sponsors: Dressage Today, Practical Horseman and Arabian Horse World. Award sponsors include AHA Corporate Partner Arabian Saddle Company, Schneider's Saddlery, Paint Rock Designs, Mobile Milling Services, Freedman Harness, Bennett Fine Jewelry and the Gorgeous Horse.

For each class, champions, reserves and top tens will receive Gladys B. Edwards horse trophies, garlands, plaques and ribbons appropriate for those placings.

Seventy percent of the total paid class entry fees will go into the prize money for each class. Seventy-five percent of this payback will be divided among the top ten horses, with 15 percent going to the champion and 10 percent to the reserve champion.

An Open Barn Night will be held for all exhibitors on Thursday September 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Barns will be offering various refreshments and goodies at their stalling locations and invite other exhibitors and spectators to drop by and chat "sport horse" with them.

On Friday, September 19 a special evening session will be held beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Anderson Coliseum featuring the Jumper Mini-Prix and a Dressage Pas de Deux Musical Freestyle exhibition.

Culminating on Sunday, September 21, the Practical Horseman Hunter Classic will be held after the amateur working hunter classes are completed. As the finale, the Sport Horse Supreme Champion will be named when all Champion In-Hand horses are brought back before the judges for their selection of the ultimate sport horse. The winner will be awarded a personalized 24 x 30 framed oil portrait of their horse by famed classical horse portraitist Joan MacIntyre.

Anderson Coliseum will also house a sport horse trade fair with dozens of booths offering art, jewelry, tack, clothing, books, barns and more.

When reserving rooms for this show, make sure you mention that you are with the Sport Horse Nationals so you don't get turned away. Hotels that have blocked off rooms for exhibitors are the Best Western at Hunt Ridge; Comfort Inn; Country Inn & Suites by Carlton; Days Inn, Lexington; Days Inn, Raphine; Holiday Inn; Howard Johnson, Lexington; Osceola Mill Country Inn; Ramada Inn, Red Oak Inn. Additional overflow room blocks are available at Best Western Mountain View, Covington; Holiday Inn, Covington; and Howard Johnson, Madison Heights.

AHA is a 40,000 member equine association that registers and maintains a database of more then one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. It administers more than $4 million in annual prize money, produces national events, maintains official event records, recognizes more than 400 Arabian horse shows and distance rides and provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership. For information about Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, call 303-696-4500, e-mail info@ArabianHorses.org or visit www.ArabianHorses.org.

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