Penn National Grows With Saddlebreds In Mind
Monday, June 16, 2008
It was at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show that Saddlebred greats such as Wing Commander competed before crowds counted in the thousands. It is true—American Saddlebreds and "Harrisburg" have a history together. This year the show has once again shown that it values this history by looking at the requests made by Saddlebred exhibitors and carefully planning the schedule with these requests in mind.
The PNHS is the nation’s largest multi-breed indoor horse show, awarding 11 national championships and drawing top horses and riders from across North America. It has an extremely high profile on the national equestrian scene. With roughly 4,000 participants (exhibitors, trainers and support) and 30,000 spectators, it is a remarkable showcase for the breed.
The 2008 show, held October 9-18 at the recently expanded Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg, PA, will feature a complete slate of Saddlebred divisions including, for the sixth time, the National Horse Show ‘Good Hands’ Saddle Seat Equitation Championship. For the third year it will also host the ASHA Northeastern Regional Championships, which were a big success last year with champions honored in ten different divisions.
This year, as per request, a few new classes were added to the schedule. These include a section of walk/trot equitation as well as a division for open road horses.
Saddlebred and roadster divisions will be judged by Bret Day. The judge for the Good Hands class will be Lisa Waller of Knoxville, TN. All classes are held in the 7,700 seat coliseum and the complex features 26 acres of stabling, warm up, arenas, vendors and seating under one roof. World class dining, attractions and shopping are located in the Harrisburg area, which also offers 8,500 hotel rooms and easy highway access from all points. Prize lists are available on the website, www.panational.org, or by calling (717) 770-0222. Entries close September 17.
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