Ranch Riding fundamentals are part of Smith’s daily life. She and her family live on 28,000 acres in Arivaca where they run 400 plus mama cows and have about 70 head of horses. Her horses grow up on the ranch and hone their skills in the real world.

While the Georgia Classic portion offers exhibitors six judges, the NSBA Riders’ Cup beefs up the added money offering with an estimated $50,000 purse.

New this year, the 2017 Arizona Sun Circuit is offering a group of Novice Select Classes: Showmanship, Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Trail, and Western Riding.

December 1-4, 2016, Carolyn Dobbins will be hosting The Goldmine Circuit at the beautiful Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center in Queen Creek, AZ. Then, just a few short weeks later, The Goldmine Circuit heads to The LA Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA, January 11-15, 2017.

The challenges are team events pairing amateur and pro riders, often from across barns, in a fun, supportive environment. They are judged following AQHA rules and standards, but have a structure that takes incentive and payback elements from Team Roping and Barrel Racing. There is 100% payback, along with added money, and a guarantee of $1,000 to the winning team.