Completing Your World Show Qualifying at Just One Horse Show? That’s What the 2013 Buckeye Classic Offered Some Exhibitors This Weekend in Ohio

Imagine a horse show so large that it could provide exhibitors with the opportunity to complete their AQHA World Show qualifying requirements by attending just one event. You’re not dreaming. That’s exactly what the 2013 Buckeye Classic offered a few lucky exhibitors at the event in Sunbury, Ohio, July 25-28.

The Buckeye Classic was the second portion of a back-to-back Buckeye Blowout that began with the Little Buckeye, July 20-21. The first horse show was impressive in its own right, with entry numbers like 30 in 14-18 Horsemanship and 36 in Novice Youth Western Pleasure. But that was just an appetizer compared to the number of exhibitors who came out in droves during the second week after hearing of the outstanding turnout the week before.

“We had a nine point Amateur Horsemanship class both days, and there were 50 entries in it on Sunday,” says Ohio Amateur Quarter Horse Association member, Chelsea Martz. “The numbers were absolutely huge. The turnout was unbelievable.”

“There was one [exhibitor, Marissa Dalton,] and it was the first show she’d been to all year. She qualified for the Amateur World Show in Horsemanship at just one show. She got 40 Amateur Horsemanship points at one horse show. It was amazing just talking to people. Kaleena Weakly put 135 points on her horse. It was just mind boggling.”

One reason for the outstanding turnout was the fact that all AQHA amateur entries were free. Thanks to corporate sponsors such as Bailey Farm, Leeman Farm, the Martz Family, and Pine Meadow Quarter Horses, all amateur, novice amateur, and select exhibitors paid no AQHA entry fees. Another reason for the large entry numbers was due to a beneficial partnership between OAQHA and the Buckeye Western Horse Association.

“We joined forces with BWHA,” Martz says. “They’ve always had a horse show on these dates in Findlay. Combining with them gave us an extra judge, and we actually moved the facility down to Eden Park. The shows have occurred before, but at different locations and on different dates.”

“The free entry fees provided a huge boost in entries. Because of that, it was bigger than any of us could’ve hoped or imagined. Eden Park is a huge facility, and we had two barns that had indoor stalls. We ended up with about 325 stalls inside and another shed row barn outside with 300. It was pretty close to full by the time the show was over. We had a lot of people come over for the weekend when they saw how great the numbers were during the week.”

Judging the event were Doug Huls, Liz Baker, Bruce Walquist, Scott Neuman, Karen Graham, and Rob Meneely. Classes were AQHA, NOQHA, EOQHA, and OMI approved, and there were two sets of NSBA points offered in addition to seven $1,000 NSBA added money classes. JR Wenger saddles, Rods.com custom sheets, neck ribbons, trophy cups, and three-foot-tall teddy bears were just a few of the fabulous awards presented by Martz and her fellow OAQHA members during the show.

While the weather was a bit warm during the Little Buckeye, a much-needed temperature drop during week two provided beautiful horse show weather conditions for the Buckeye Classic. Also helping exhibitors and spectators beat with heat with a few sweet treats were volunteers in The Equine Chronicle Hospitality Booth.

“It was really neat,” Martz says. “We had such a great response from people. We offered free water and popsicles every day. We also did other little goodies through the afternoon like snow cones, popcorn, and cotton candy. People just loved it, and it was fun to get to interact with people. We also had The Equine Chronicle Hospitality Cart that we’d drive around to bring water and popsicles to people at their stalls. It was great with the good weather.”

“The first weekend was really hot, and then it cooled down nicely for the last weekend. It rained a little on Saturday morning, but we couldn’t have asked for better weather.”

Although the show has just concluded and hard-working volunteers are still catching up on their sleep, we wanted to know if there are any plans to hold a similar event in 2014…

“If we don’t do it next year, we will have some very disappointed people,” Martz says. “There were already people at the horse show that were coming up to us wanting to be sponsors for next year and wanting to reserve stalls for next year. We are really excited about being able to put it on again and do even better.”

“This was completely different than what anyone has ever seen before. We are interested to see if other horse shows start following this lead. It was a big testament to the idea that if a horse show is affordable, people are going to come.”

We are expecting show results to be finalized soon, so stay tuned to EquineChronicle.com. In the meantime, check out these great candid photos courtesy of Andrea Kinter. Click on each photo to view in a larger format.