The American Quarter Horse Association will host its inaugural Pleasure Versatility Challenge at the association’s World Championship Show at 8 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 10.

The concept for the new class emerged from a town hall style meeting for Western Pleasure enthusiasts, hosted by the AQHA Executive Committee at the 2017 World Show, to initiate conversation and ideas on how to best serve the Western Pleasure discipline.

Since conformation and Western Pleasure have been the foundation disciplines of showing American Quarter Horses, the new event will combine them and then add the talents of performing lead changes and navigating trail poles to create a horse and trainer contest.

Three-year-old horses will be shown in three classes within the event: versatility pattern, Western Pleasure, and conformation. Horses must show in all three parts, with the pattern and pleasure each counting 40 percent and the conformation counting 20 percent to the overall score.

The pattern, pleasure and conformation portions will be run consecutively, with warm up time between the pattern and the rail portions. Horses may be shown in a hackamore or snaffle bit in the pattern portion and any AQHA-approved bit in the pleasure. The conformation will be held immediately after the pleasure, with up to two grooms allowed to enter the arena to assist unsaddling and haltering the horse.

Katy Jo Zuidema, Micanopy, Florida, is very supportive of the concept, however has reservations about the open eligibility for the event.

“First off, I want to say that this is an amazing idea,” she said emphatically. “I’m not trying to be negative, it’s a great concept. But, the deck is stacked to the all-around horses, and it was supposed to be a pleasure horse event.”

When the Pleasure Versatility Challenge was announced, Zuidema was vocal in her thought that it should be limited to horses who have not earned points in Trail or Western Riding. With the popularity of Trail and Western Riding, many 3-year olds are already competing and racking up points and experience in those classes that used to see them started there as 4 or 5-year olds.

Zuidema is among those who believe the pattern designed for the event is too extensive for 3-year-old horses who have strictly been trained and shown in Western Pleasure, and have not been preparing for Trail and Western Riding.

“It’s an intense pattern,” she said. “Four lead changes – just a week after the Congress.” While the all-around horses can fit in to perform the pleasure portion on the rail, the penalties for hitting a pole or missing a lead change can take a pleasure horse out of that portion.

Without limiting the competition to horses who have not been shown in Trail or Western riding, Zuidema sees an unfair advantage toward young all-around horses that may already have points in these events versus the Western Pleasure horses who have not. The pressure is on the trainers and horses to compete against accomplished all around trainers and horses in the event as it is set up.

“There’s only so much knowledge you can get into a 3- year-old in that year,” she said. “It is asking a lot of young horses. They (AQHA) have been telling us to step on the brakes (in training), but now here’s $25,000 – step on the gas.”

Zuidema plans to show in the Pleasure Versatility Challenge, on a 3-year-old Western Pleasure stallion that will be showing in the pleasure events at the Congress in October.

“That’s his bread and butter; he’s a Western Pleasure horse. I’m willing to roll the dice if we are all in the same boat, but right now this is stacked to reward the all-around trainers and horses, and not the Western Pleasure horses, and that bothers me,” Zuidema said.

Gil Galyean, National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) Hall of Fame Rider and one of the Professional Horseman members of the governing board, sees it as an exciting opportunity for the industry.

“We are combining three of the most popular events at the horse show into one,” he explained. “It’s never been done and I think it’s a great concept. It will be great for spectators and a great addition to the World Show.”

Galyean dismisses any concern that the Pleasure Versatility Challenge is too demanding for a 3-year-old.

“Why would I think that (it’s too demanding)? The week after we leave the World Show, the 3-year-old reiners come in and they are asked to do so much more. Both 3-year old reiners and cutters are asked to perform way more strenuous tasks than what we have here. And just six weeks later these horses will be 4-year olds.”

Galyean knows of what he speaks here. He has $300,000 in National Cutting Horse Association earnings and more than $550,000 in western pleasure earnings.

Galyean feels the pattern, with four lead changes, is very doable for the three year olds. The lead changes may be simple or flying. “A great moving pleasure horse should be able to change leads and pick his feet up,” Galyean said.

Galyean agrees that the event, showcased at the World Championship Show, could become a great place for people looking for their next show horse to see these young horses perform.

“They will still have two years to be eligible for the junior division.”

“We have a couple that we are looking at entering,” Galyean added.

“I think it’s a great thing for the industry and I really appreciate Norm Luba on the AQHA Executive Committee for his hard work in helping organize this. He’s been very positive in it all.”

Galyean feels that the Pleasure Versatility Challenge will continue to grow in interest and participation as it gets off the ground.

Oklahoma Trainer Angie Cannizzaro specializes in producing Western Pleasure futurity horses. She hesitates to believe that 3-year-old Western Pleasure horses, horses that are specifically being trained to show in the Western Pleasure futurities, can be suitably prepared for this versatility pattern.

“I’m still getting my 3-year-olds to do the pleasure,” she shared. “I’m not about to go pushing them into lead changes. Maybe as a 4-year-old event I would see it differently. I think it will be a big spectator event.  I will go watch it. I think that it could be a great place to shop for an all-around prospect.”

She doesn’t believe that the class is designed to, or will, spotlight a Western Pleasure horse, but it will be an all-around horse contest.

The Pleasure Versatility Challenge is guided by a governing board of AQHA Professional Horsemen. Membership to the board is $25 annually. No AQHA staff members serve on this governing board.

The event is sponsored by Terry Bradshaw Quarter Horses. Bradshaw recently purchased the Western Pleasure stallion, Extremely Hot Chips, and, with his background in Halter horses, has said he is excited about the opportunity to promote structurally correct performance horses on the world stage. His daughter has shown Western Pleasure horses for several years in American Paint Horse Association competition.

The Pleasure Versatility Challenge highlights form-to-function, conformation, quality of movement and trainability using traditional AQHA class rules.

Only cones will be used as pattern markers, and other than the poles, no other course decoration will be present. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to practice on the exact pattern prior to the event.

The AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations will apply to the judging and scoring of each class, with the following adaptation: a) there are no one (1) or three (3) point penalties on lead changes; b) all five (5) point penalties will apply throughout the pattern; c) a simple lead change is not a credit-earning maneuver; d) the greatest achievable simple lead change maneuver score will be a zero (0); and e) a completed, simultaneous, flying lead change is a credit earning maneuver score.

Only 20 entries are being accepted. The entry fee of $1,000 was due by Sept. 17, or up until Oct. 27 for an additional $1,000 late fee.

The event will be officiated by 12 judges, with each class using four judges, separate from the other Pleasure Versatility Challenge classes.

Justin Billings, AQHA Manager of Shows, agrees with the opinion that the event will be a marketplace for trainers shopping for all around prospects. “As 3-year-olds, these horses will have two more years of junior eligibility in the all-around events,” he explained.

The Pleasure Versatility Challenge includes poles and lead changes, offering a start to the Trail and Western Riding. The pattern has already been published.

The purse, made up from entry fees and added money, will be paid only on overall results. The AQHA leveling eligibility will, therefore, not be affected by results from this single event. Award and money sponsors have come forward to support the event.

Information on the Pleasure Versatility Challenge qualifying and entry information can be found on the AQHA website, under Competitor Resource at www.aqha.com/worldshow.

Click here to see the Versatility Pleasure Challenge entries: https://www.aqha.com/media/27714/copy-of-pvc-entries-11-6-18.pdf