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The Arabian Horse Association's 14th Annual Arabian & Half-Arabian Sport Horse National Championship Horse Show, the only breed show specifically for sport horses, wrapped up this past weekend in Nampa, Idaho.

Held at the Ford Idaho Horse Park, Sport Horse Nationals' West Coast rotation site, this annual event boasted 386 horses and more than 1,770 entries. Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians hailed from 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Showcasing the sport disciplines of the breed, horses competed in all levels of Dressage, Hunter classes on the flat and over fences, Jumping, Carriage Driving, Sport Horse Under Saddle, Sport Horse Show Hack and Sport Horse In-Hand.

Exciting new classes with more than $17,500 in prize money was added to the Sport Horse National Championship Horse Show this year, through two new classes designed to generate excitement and further opportunities for horse and rider.

The $15,000 Arabian Breeders Sweepstakes (ABS) Young Horse Dressage class took place on Saturday, September 24. The ABS program is an in-utero nomination program for Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians which allows horses to earn money for the lifetime of their show or distance riding career. This was the first year that the Young Horse Dressage class was held at Sport Horse Nationals and was open to all entries for 4- and 5-year-old horses. However, only those horses previously enrolled in the ABS program were eligible for the prize money.

With 27 entries, the class had a great turnout. The Young Horse Dressage inaugural class was won by Quinault Bey, ridden by Trisha Kerwin and the Reserve Championship went to HM Mystic Day, ridden by Dannelle Haugen. HM Mystic Day was an ABS enrolled horse and received $3,000 in prize money.

Another edition in prize money to the show was the AHA $2,500 Hunter Derby. The Derby allowed Arabians and Half-Arabians to compete at three different heights, 2'6", 2'9" and 3'0," according to the heights they had competed in during the show. A slightly higher option was given for each obstacle, rewarding riders with extra points. Round 1 consisted of 18 entries and 12 of those entries moved on to Round 2. The class's Champion and Reserve National Champion went to the same rider - Julia Werner Mahoney. She rode Intruders Nobella to the National Championship and Czantiago to Reserve.

While the classes at the show are the focus of Sport Horse Nationals, several extracurricular events were also highlights of the week. The 2nd Annual Sport Horse Nationals Silent Auction raised almost $3,000 for beneficiaries, the Arabian Horsemen's Distress Fund (AHDF) and the Boys and Girls Club of Nampa.

Additionally, more than 50 individuals participated in AHA's Total Arabian Interaction and Learning (T.A.I.L) tours during the show. This hands-on and interactive program introduces the Arabian horse to the public in an interactive and fun way.

AHA wishes to thank all of the Sport Horse Nationals exhibitors for supporting such a fun and unique show in 2016!

The 2017 Arabian & Half-Arabian Sport Horse National Championships will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina at the Governor James B. Hunt Horse Complex, September 5-10, 2017.

-- via AHA