Chas Roberts NSBA Non Pro Ranch Horsemanship Debuts at Sun Circuit

March 8, 2026 | Filed under: Around The Ring Galleries,Featured,Show Results & Gallery | Posted by: Delores Kuhlwein

By Delores Kuhlwein

Excitement continued to build throughout the 2026 Arizona Sun Circuit as the day of the Inaugural $1,000 Added Chas Roberts NSBA Non Pro Ranch Horsemanship approached, sponsored by NSBA and Sissie Shank of Chas Roberts Air Conditioning & Plumbing.

The class entry total was 47 by the time the first exhibitor and horse set foot on the fresh dirt of Arena 6 for the pattern, and the buzz about the new class was evident among a great mix of youth and amateur exhibitors.

Holly Hover, AQHA judge and Arizona Quarter Horse member who assisted Sissie Shank in distributing awards, explains that the payback ended up close to $2500 because the entry fees were 100 percent payback. “It will pay ten places,” she says. “We are actually awarding awards to 20th place. So nearly half the horses will leave the arena with money in prices.”

The inspiration behind this class, also happening at the upcoming 2026 NSBA World Championship Show, is a celebration of the horseman. “This genre of rider is really a great example of a horseman,” reveals Holly. “These are good horses, and lot of people have these horses at home and do a lot of it themselves. I think it’s very reflective in the positivity of the horses’ maneuvers. So we wanted to give another avenue for people to show their ranch horses, especially people who might be the do-it-yourselfers. I think it’s very advantageous that they know their horses. They really can read their horses, and the horses really respond to them, so it’s a great class for all kinds of non pro exhibitors. We have a great mix here of youth and amateurs, men and women. So I think it’s going to be very popular.”

During the previous event, the Ranch Trail, AzQHA held an exhibitors’ meeting to answer questions and clarify format and judging, and Holly says it was well attended and they were able to address questions. “It in no way is to mirror the ranch version of the traditional horsemanship class,” she notes. “It’ll be its own genre, as kind of a throwback to the traditional horseman.”

She clarifies, “The emphasis is on the maneuvers, on presenting the horse to its best ability, and on the connection between the rider and the horse. You have to have good basic position, but that will be secondary to actual horsemanship skills. We just want the rider to be in tune with their horse.”

Katie Fox Milligan, who won the class with Seismic Reaction, aka “Dusky,” by Hollywood Dun It and out of Herbs Lady, rode in traditional horsemanship classes in high school, but she liked how this was geared toward ranch and toward horsemanship skills. And just like any savvy horseman, she approached the more difficult elements by breaking it down and taking one step at a time.

“I want to say thank you to Sissie Shank and Chas Roberts for sponsoring it,” Katie says. “I had a great time, and it was fun to do a pattern that’s something new; it was a good challenge.”