With plenty of enthusiasm from pleasure horse fans, the Rail Horse Association is off and running.

Since holding an informational meeting at the Quarter Horse Congress designed to establish the level of interest in the establishment of an association that focuses on Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle, organizers have been working on everything from a fair and adequate leveling system to establishing inaugural classes with show partners across the United States.

The inaugural events

Since January the new association has announced that the association’s first event, a $30,000 Non-Pro Western Pleasure Maturity will be featured at The Madness, scheduled for May 2 & 3, in Wilmington, Ohio. Sponsored by the Cook Family, of Cypress, Texas. $5,000 will be paid out in each of the six levels of competition – DIY, Rookie, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4.

Next up for the RHA will be a $15,000 added Non-Pro Prime Time Western Pleasure held during the Cornhusker Classic June 9-14 at the Sandhill Global Events Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Prime Time Divisions include Open Prime Time, Limited Prime Time and Rookie Prime Time and $5,000 will be awarded in each division.

The Corporate Challenge will host a RHA $30,000 added Non-Pro Western Pleasure July 8-12, at the National Equestrian Center, Lake St. Louis, Missouri.

As of press time, the final RHA event for 2026 will be a $30,000 added Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, held during the Michigan Breeders Futurity and Great Lakes Classic, Sept. 17-20, at the MSU Livestock Pavilion in Lansing. Paybacks will be divided evenly into six levels including DIY, Rookie, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4.

“No matter where you fall (in which level), you are competing on a fair and exciting stage with everyone having the same payout potential,” said founding member Ashley Lakins. “This is about growth and opportunity.”

The entry fee for RHA classes is $150 per level; $125 per additional level entered. All (100%) of the sponsor funds go directly back into class paybacks and 100% of every entry fee is returned to the payback of the level entered.

Memberships

The RHA is now accepting applications for membership. A two-day auction was held on the association’s Facebook page for the association’s very first membership number. Jamie Busic, of Ironwood Farms in Ohio was the winning bidder at $7,600. The money raised from the auction goes directly to 2026 class prize money.

Annual memberships are $78 for Non-Pro, Select and Open Riders. Youth Lifetime memberships (age 18 and under as of Jan. 1) are  $78.

Membership applications are available on the association’s website.

2026 officiants

The RHA judges for 2026 are: Brian Baker; Dawn Baker; Angie Cannizzaro; Brian Cox; Shannon Curl-Holbin; Taft Dickerson; Shane Dowdy; Jamie English; Jason Ducharme; Katie Green; Rusty Green; Mike Hachtel; Kenny Lakins; Cody Parrish; Suzanne Duquette; Laura Spell; Kristy Starnes; Casey Willis; Randy Wilson; Judy Zeitler; Mark Zeitler; Katy Jo Zuidema.

Sponsorships

The RHA offers the following sponsorship opportunities: 

       • Corporate Sponsorships: Gold, $30,000; Silver, $20,000; Bronze, $15,000.

       • Individual/Barn/Family: $10,000; $7,500; $5,000; $2,500; $1,000 

 Levels

The RHA has created a leveling system designed to encourage growth within Rail Horse events, according to organizers.

“This system focuses on equal payout across all levels – ensuring it is just as rewarding to compete in the Rookie and DIY divisions as it is in the higher levels,” Lakins explained. “By doing so, RHA is bringing the Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle horse back into the spotlight, celebrating their role and value in today’s industry.”

The RHA recently listed the Top 55 riders from last year based on 2025 earnings in all riding disciplines. The list is not the only criteria which determines levels. The Leveling sheet (at right) helps explain the leveling system and updates are constantly being made for clarification purposes (follow RHA on Facebook for updates). RHA membership cards will also display assigned level for easy reference. When completing your membership application, please answer all questions as accurately and thoroughly as possible. Submissions will be cross-referenced to ensure accuracy.

Top Riders: The RHA Top 50 Riders include: Nancy Wilkerson-Ditty; Madeleine M. Bayless; Mallory Menard; Mallory Vroegh; Alexa Love Arrington; Angela Fox; Ty Paris Dougherty; Brooke DeBuhr; Hillary Timchak, Caroline L. Cavallo; Juliana Baskin Blackburn; Deanna Willis; Angela H. Wade; Rebekah L. Kazakevicius; Brayden Stine; Greg Wheat; Eleanor Ott; Laina P. Banks; Kaleena Weakly; Jordan Macan; Debra Sharp; Alicia Matthies; Tammy Michele Conroy; Alexis Gooding; Jenna Hyde-Jones; Jana Leigh Simons; Kimber Mitchell; Sandra Morgan; Raymond Arnona; Tessa Lynch Sutton; Amy Drake Gumz; Jessica M. Baird; Courtney Archer; Ellie Marie Schommer; Isabella Stanley; Kaitlyn Sawyer Smith; Kayla Morgan Budine; Morgan Miller; Jessica A. Hartwell; Linda Ball Sargent; Sunni Duke; Haley Hartman; Lauren Allen; Erin Shapiro Boatwright; Bill Cosentino; Anneene Miller; Kylee Faith Wiseman; Katie Jo Jones; Richard Carr; Michelle Bauer; Becky Galyean; Laurel Champlin; Susan Renee Phillips; Sarah Nimigan; Megan Hawkins.

About the RHA

The vision statement of the RHA is to establish a member driven association designed to foster growth of the Rail Horse while striving to promote and protect correct movement in the equine industry focusing on all levels of exhibitors. The association’s mission statement is to build an efficient leadership structure designed to effectively partner with other associations to develop the Rail Horse Association.

Founding members include: Ashley Lakins, Ray Alderman, JR Cook, Randy Jacobs, Blair Roberts, Charles Cannizzaro and Bill Cosentino.

For additional information on the newly established Rail Horse Association visit www.railhorseassociation.com. You can also follow the RHA for updates and additional events being added all the time, on the association’s Facebook and Instagram platforms.