Photo courtesy of Gordon Downey
In today’s horse industry, stallion incentive programs are a dime a dozen. But seldom do you come across a program that was designed specifically to encourage participation among amateur and non-pro exhibitors.
At the forefront of this effort to help reward amateur exhibitors for showing their own horses, is Rita Crundwell, who has introduced a brand new incentive for amateurs who plan to compete at the 2011 All American Quarter Horse Congress and AQHA World Show.
“If you’re leading RC breeding” at this year’s Quarter Horse Congress or AQHA World Show, you will have the chance to win your share of $50,000 that is up for grabs in the Amateur Yearling classes and Amateur Weanling classes, respectively.
The amateur exhibitor who leads the highest placing RC-sired yearling at the Congress in the AQHA Amateur Yearling classes will win $25,000.
In the same fashion, the amateur leading the highest placing RC-sired weanling at the AQHA World Show in the Amateur Weanling classes will win $25,000.
The creator of this new “Fine Breeding Pays,” Incentive Program, Rita Crundwell, gave us a little insight into the thought process behind the development of this new type of incentive program for amateur exhibitors.
“We are laying down some new territory with this, so we are not really sure how many exhibitors will be eligible for this first year,” Crundwell says. “We just wanted to give amateurs, who own horses by my stallions, the opportunity to show their horses and have the chance for a little extra incentive.”
“And they don’t have to win the class to win this incentive money. This is just the highest placing RC-bred horse in the classes. Most of the time, for incentives like this, you have to be the winner of the class to receive this type of money. But we decided that we wanted to do something different.”
In order to be eligible for the program for 2011 classes, participating horses must have been sired by any of the following RC Quarter Horse stallions: Acoolest, Execute, Mr. Touchdown Kid, Good I Will Be, Invest In A Hot Star, Iron Enterprise, NI Fabulous, Un Forgettable and WF Two Thumbs Up.
To be eligible for 2012 classes, the stallions include Acoolest, Cowboys Style, Execute, Mr. Touchdown Kid, Touchdown Cali, Good I Will Be, Invest In A Hot Star, Iron Enterprise, NI Fabulous, Un Forgettable and WF Two Thumbs Up.
And the best part about this program is that there is no nomination fee or additional entry fee required. All you have to do is show your RC-bred yearling or weanling in the amateur halter classes at the Congress or AQHA World Show for your chance to win. However, the horse must be owned by the amateur exhibiting, and horse registration and parentage must be confirmed by AQHA rules.
“There is $50,000 up for grabs to be won by someone,” Crundwell says. “And it doesn’t even have to be a halter horse per se. Some of the longe liners by these stallions are pretty nice-looking, so if they compete in the halter and are the highest placing RC-bred in the class they can win the money.”
Crundwell has also included a special $5,000 bonus incentive for the trainer who acted as the agent in the purchase of the RC- incentive winning weanling or yearling. She also gave us a sneak peek about the possibility of expanding this program to different classes in 2012.
“I love the western pleasure and the hunter under saddle as well as halter,” she says. “Five of my studs are halter studs and five are western pleasure and hunt seat, so we have an all-around of stallion choices.”
“We will have to see how this is received this first year, but we might do something similar for next year, for longe line horses, instead of just the halter, to give those western and hunter bred horses an opportunity. After we get our feet wet with it this year, we will just have to see what kind of response we get from it.”
For additional details about the RC Quarter Horses Amateur Incentive Program, you can visit www.merijranch.com
