Graphic courtesy of Ilker

Equine Chronicle.com is proud to be the first to announce that Reichert Celebration show management is currently preparing to sign a contract that will move the 2011-2015 shows from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Fort Worth, Texas.

Not only will the Reichert Celebration have a new venue for 2011, the dates for the show will also be changing. As soon as the ink dries and negotiations are complete, the 2011 Reichert Celebration will be scheduled for September 2-11 at the Will Rogers Complex in Fort Worth, Texas.

Founded in Iowa in 1999, the Reichert Celebration has quickly become known as the nation’s #1 All Breed Horse Show and Futurity for its incredible payouts, innovative futurity programs and intense level of competition. The original mission of the Reichert Celebration was to make a positive difference in the definition, promotion and improvement of the quality of equine athletes, while at the same time fostering growth and expansion within the horse industry.

Over the course of the past twelve years, it has become clear that the Reichert Celebration has far surpassed its original goal, now attracting horses, exhibitors and spectators from all over the World. At the 2010 Reichert Celebration there were several Canadian provinces and European countries represented, including British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

J.R. Reichert and Terry Schroeder were kind enough to take a few moments out of their busy schedules to give us the very latest details about this exciting new development.

“The change was really out of necessity more than anything else,” Schroeder says. “We enjoyed our time at Tulsa. It is a beautiful facility and it helped us grow, but this change was purely out of necessity because of the way the calendar changes and moves.”

“When we were scheduling for this year, we were approached by both Linda Brown and Wayne Holt, who both suggested to us separately about moving the show to Fort Worth. Linda was instrumental in setting up a meeting with the people in Fort Worth, and we sat down and worked out a time for us and made arrangements that I think will benefit us both.”

This is not the first time that the Reichert Celebration has made a major location change. After the show’s founding in Waterloo, Iowa in 1999, the show then moved to St. Louis in 2005 before making the journey down south to Oklahoma in 2007. Although each new location provided the show with many opportunities for growth and expansion, the world-class Will Rogers Memorial Center is by far the largest and most prestigious facility to host the Reichert Celebration thus far.

Recognized as one of the largest equestrian and livestock facilities in the world, the Will Rogers Equestrian Center can host more than 2,600 horses within the Center’s campus, exercise arenas, stalling areas and underground transport system. In addition, the Texas Room of the Amon G Carter Exhibitors Hall will be able to accomodate 400 air conditioned stalls if necessary.

“One of our concerns was of course for our northern friends,” she says. “It will be a little farther away, but not by much. When we were faced with the calendar changes, we contemplated many options. We looked at Kentucky, Iowa and Albuquerque, but when this came up at a meeting with Fort Worth, we knew it was meant to be.”

Besides Will Roger’s world-class facility and centralized location, Reichert show management hopes that the city of Fort Worth itself will draw a whole new group of exhibitors and spectators to the show.

“He hope that the new location will allow many of our current exhibitors and spectators the ability to show at this world class facility and to experience all that Fort Worth has to offer,” she says. “The move to Fort Worth will allow us to make a few schedule changes, as we are currently working with AQHA, APHA, ApHC and POA associations.  Our intent is to work with each state association to find the best possible time for each of their shows.”

JR also believes that Fort Worth’s rich historical district, as well as the cultural and shopping areas around the complex, will be a big draw to what is already known as a world-class equestrian event.

“They are doing a lot of maintenance and improvements on the fairgrounds with new areas for riding,” he says. “Wait until you see the two new riding arenas that will be ready for 2012.  In 2011, we plan on having a minimum of three outside riding areas, as well as multiple round pens and warm-up arenas. We have every intention of Fort Worth being our new home for the Celebration. As long as everything goes as planned, we hope to be there from 2011 to 2015.”

Stay tuned for more exciting inside scoop news about the 2011 Reichert Celebration, as it becomes available, right here on EquineChronicle.com.