American Saddle Horse Breeders Futurity of Wisconsin
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The American Saddle Horse Breeders Futurity of Wisconsin, aka the Wisconsin Futurity, is extremely pleased to announce that it awarded $130,000 in prize money to colts and fillies competing in American Saddlebred futurity classes hosted by the Wisconsin Futurity Horse Festival, September 19th thru September 23rd.
Pat McConnell expertly presented a breathtakingly elegant colt, Sir William Blue, to win the Limited Breeders Weanling Championship for Margo Baird-Valentine’s MBA Equestrians. Devin Curran flawlessly exhibited her equally athletic and beautiful colt That Kinda Answers That winning the Futurity’s Open Weanling Championship. Devin is an amateur and junior exhibitor once again proving that winning is about hard work and good horses. While much prize money was awarded in the Futurity’s limited breeders weanling class, $45,000 in prize money was won by other nominated colts and fillies. The $45,000 was shared across amateur only and open classes offered for futurity nominated weanlings, yearlings, two-year-olds, and three-year-olds.
Big money futurity horse classes share the spotlight with the American Saddlebred Horse Association’s National Pleasure Equitation Championship. The National Championship attracts exhibitors from across the United States and is a “must do” for the most accomplished pleasure equitation competitors. The competition includes rail work followed by a workout. Competitors are scored using a numerical scale by each of three judges. Scores for rail work and the workout portions of the competition are combined. Prize medals and ribbons are awarded. And, the top three competitors receive scholarships to help with their future education needs. While all competitors delivered outstanding performances, Nick Maupin took home the national championship along with a $3,000 scholarship. Nick is expertly coached by Scott and Carol Matton (Knollwood Farm; Hartland, Wisconsin).
The Horse Festival was held on the Alliant Energy Center grounds in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to futurity classes, the Horse Festival offers a complete schedule of performance, pleasure, and equitation classes. Spectators are always welcome. Horse show classes are held indoors in the coliseum with comfortable theatre style seating. Indoor and outdoor rings are available for working or warming up horses in addition to the coliseum. “Holding” stalls are set-up in the coliseum for weanlings and broodmares or yearlings. Needless to say, the “holding” stalls make it easy to put the finishing touches on your colt or filly. The Festival and individual barns hosted nightly exhibitors’ parties; and, a very well prepared brunch was served after the Limited Breeders’ Weanling Championship on Sunday morning.
The breeding of American Saddlebred horses and futurity participation continues to be strong in Wisconsin. Futurity nominations for 2007 increased by a very healthy 6% over 2006. The largest increase was for 3 year olds, three year nominations increased by almost 40% over 2006. The Futurity’s members and board of directors are looking forward to the Futurity’s annual limited breeders stallion service auction scheduled for January 12th at the Radisson Hotel located in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. In-person, telephone, and advance written bids are welcome. The January, 2007 auction raised $104,000 representing an 18% increase over 2006. This prize money will be awarded in the 2008 Limited Breeders Weanling Championship bringing total prize money paid out by the Limited Breeders program to $1.4 million. Wisconsin was the first futurity to offer a limited breeders program; and, the 2008 class will mark the program’s 22nd
year in operation.
|