2015 Stars N Stripes & Big A Off to Fantastic Start in Georgia
All photos courtesy of Lisa Lee.
By: Brittany Bevis
Competitors at the Stars N Stripes and Big A Circuit in Conyers, GA kicked off Fourth of July weekend with a Welcome Party and Pig Roast complete with delicious BBQ, water slide, bounce house, and live music provided by the Joe Yeoman Band! It was the perfect start to the ten-day event that will continue at the Georgia International Horse Park through July 12th.
A Top 10 show year after year, the Stars N Stripes & Big A introduced an all new schedule for 2015. The event will consist of nine complete shows and two special events to be judged by Andrea Simons, Daren Wright, Valerie Kearns, David Denniston, John Briggs, Melissa Dukes, Brent Maxwell, Scott Neuman, Kelly Chapman, Nancy Alto-Renfro, Jan Hoskin-Hay, Charlene Carter, Tyson Furlong, Debra Jones-Wright, Shawn Hays, Sandy Jirkovsky, Sara Simons, and Mindy Coleman.
The show awarded over $125,000 in cash and prizes last year and is set to dole out plenty over the next week of competition. Several special events are on the schedule, including a full afternoon and evening on Wednesday, July 8th. Be sure to stop by the arena to watch the ChelMar Farms Painted Pony Decorating Contest from 8:30-10:30 am, the Stock Market/GQHYA Dog Show from 11am-12:30 pm, and the ChelMar Farms Painted Pony Show from 1-2 pm.
Then, the National Quarter Horse League Huntfield Low Derby will take place “under the lights” with an approximate start time of 3 pm. The NQHL Huntfield Open Derby has an approximate start time of 6 pm. At 7 pm, join everyone for the Equine Sports Medicine/Powder Brook Farm/GQHA Exhibitors Party and the Derby Hat Contest at 8 pm.
If you’re competing at the show, be sure to enter the Custom Tails Big A Team Tournament by noon today, July 6th! Each team will consist of one novice competitor (an amateur or youth), one regular youth competitor (from 13 and under or 14-18), and one amateur or select competitor. It’s free to all and great prizes will be awarded!
Non Pro Trail Derby winner Dylan Patterson!
One special event that has already taken place was the Michael Colvin Performance Horses Non Pro Trail Derby. The scribe sheets for the class are now available on MarkHarrellHorseShows.com and complete results will be available soon. Congratulations to the big winner Dylan Patterson! Check out the pattern below. 
Special thanks to GQHA Executive Secretary, Lisa Lee, for sharing some great photos from the horse show.
