Silver Dollar AQHA Circuit Strikes Pay Dirt in Las Vegas With 38% Increase!
Photo courtesy of Delores Kuhlwein.
By: Delores Kuhlwein
What’s even better than going on vacation to a resort? Going to a destination resort for a horse show of course! Especially when it’s the 39th Annual Silver Dollar AQHA Circuit at the South Point Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Not only has the self-contained slice of paradise wooed exhibitors once again this year with its all-in-one package of resort-worthy rooms, great dining, 15 movie theaters, a bowling alley, child care, and casino nightlife, but the sheer 500,000 square feet of dedicated equestrian center hasn’t hurt either.
Photo courtesy of Delores Kuhlwein.
“One of the things people like best about the show here is that it’s all in one facility, and they never have to leave,” explains Jan Bruner, who has been the show’s producer since 1997. “They have access to four indoor climate-controlled arenas, a large outdoor arena, outdoor longing pens, and a feed store, veterinarian and farrier onsite.”
This year’s Silver Dollar Circuit has already rocked Vegas in 2015 as a premier AQHA show and it isn’t even finished yet. “We have over 600 stalls this year, which is an increase of thirty-eight percent from last year,” Bruner says.
On the first day of competition on March 17th, the show also welcomed over 196 Trail goes. Bruner explains, “That’s just the open horses, and it doesn’t include the amateur and youth. In this format, our open classes are completed before the amateur and youth riders compete. This allows the trainers to focus on their clients for the second part, and everyone seems to love that structure.”
Like many shows, the circuit provides warmup areas, Trail poles, and patterns for general warmup. This year, though, show management ramped things up with paid warmups for Trail and Western Riding, and the concept was met with overwhelming approval and participation.
“We all experience that our horses are fine in the pen, when they’re surrounded by other horses, but they can get scared, worried, or tense when they’re alone,” acknowledges Bruner. “So, in addition to the regular warmups, we set the competition Trail course exactly as it’s going to be for the class, and we did the same for the Western Riding. For $25 per ride, you can go in and totally be by yourself – and it’s timed – four minutes a ride. We scheduled three hours originally for each, but Trail was extended to seven hours, and we added an hour to Western Riding. We could’ve added more.”
As the circuit continues this weekend, exhibitors will be met with the show’s warm philosophy that is spearheaded by Bruner. “Our approach is to find a way to say yes,” she says. “If it’s something that needs to be fixed, we find a way to do it. The show is
Photo courtesy of Delores Kuhlwein.
run with the exhibitors in mind, as they are the customers.”
If possible, the show management team does its best to end at a reasonable hour, so participants can enjoy the Las Vegas and South Point experience. The Silver Dollar Western Gift Show at South Point offers a great variety of vendors for horse fans and tourists alike, and many of the vendors are sponsors who contribute to the show’s success.
“We’ve been a top ten show for a long time, and we’re the third largest of the AQHA shows without cattle,” Bruner reveals. The circuit has found great appeal for other reasons, including the broad range of competition allowed by leveling, which according to Bruner, is working. “You can see some of the best horses in the country here. But you don’t have to be at that level to compete, because of leveling.”
The combination of all these factors seems to be working for the Silver Dollar Circuit, which finishes up competition on Sunday, March 22, 2015. For more information, results, or to watch a live feed, visit silverdollarcircuit.com, and you can find daily updates and photos on Facebook by searching Silver Dollar Circuit!
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