There isn’t much in the horse industry that Darrell Bilke has not done. He has spent years and miles as a judge with credentials in nearly every equine association. Over the last decade he has transformed the Pinto World Championship Show into one of the largest equine events in the world. His lifetime of experience matched with his dedicated service in the horse industry combine to the benefit of horse show exhibitors across the country.

Darrell Bilke was born in 1947 and was raised on a ranch near Miami, Oklahoma. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Afton, where he competed on the rodeo and judging teams. He graduated from Panhandle State University with a degree in animal science while he continued on the rodeo and judging teams.

Bilke carried his education to work for Kansas State University in their feedlot research. From there, he returned to Oklahoma and worked for People’s National Bank in Afton, Oklahoma as an agriculture representative. He decided to work on his Master’s degree through Oklahoma State University and that’s when he began showing horses, developing a breeding, training and showing business with his father-in-law, Rex Graham.

He got involved with the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association, becoming an active volunteer, eventually serving as the affiliate’s president. Bilke was the youth advisor for five or six years. He developed a youth judging team for the state affiliate and began helping with the Youth Judging Contest at the AQHA Youth World Championship Show, held then in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 1982, Bilke’s youth judging teams claimed both the World Champion and Reserve World Champion titles, a feat that has not been repeated. He also coached a Congress Champion team. He served as an AQHA Director representing Oklahoma for 18 years, while working on the show and youth committees, and chaired the international committee as well. Darrell was honored by the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association when they inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2012.

“That means a lot to me,” he says.

But another very important aspect of Bilke’s life is that of a show officient. “I think the first breed judge’s card I got was for the Palomino Horse Breeders Association,” Bilke recalled. “I got that and the POAC card around the same time, working on getting my color breed cards before applying for an AQHA card.” At the time, Bilke was heavily involved in the PHBA and attended the first judging seminar hosted by the PHBA.

Bilke’s work as a judge and AQHA Director attracted the attention of many of the horse breed associations, and he began consulting for many of their world and national championship shows, bringing ideas, marketing and growth to many.

“I guess I was never smart enough to say no,” laughs Bilke. After judging the POAC International Show, he joined them to manage the show. As demands grew in his consulting, Bilke eventually resigned as a director for AQHA to devote his time to the growing business he was building.

Darrell and Barbara had identical twin daughters born in 1985.

“They loved the horses,” Darrell says. “We had horses for them but learned that they both had asthma and severe allergies, so they were unable to ride and enjoy them close up. They were active in 4-H as kids, especially in the public speaking program.”

Bilke quit training horses then and worked at developing the consulting and management business. Barbara and the girls work in the family’s very successful floral company.

Hobbies? “Horses,” is his one-word answer. “I live, eat and sleep them I guess. I tried golf, couldn’t hit the ball, so I tried throwing it. That doesn’t work, so I just stayed with the horses,” jokes Bilke. “Judging has become my hobby.”

Guiding Force

Today, Bilke is primarily known as the guiding force of the Pinto Horse Association. He came on board with them in 2004.

“In 2003,” Darrell remembers, “I was gone 310 days, between judging and consulting. So when they came to me with an opportunity, I was ready to listen. It was just before they inducted me into their Hall of Fame. I interviewed with 52 board members at their convention. It lasted four or five hours.” Darrell had been in talks with the Appaloosa Horse Club at the time to join their staff. “But they wouldn’t let me keep my judge’s card,” Darrell said. “That was a deal breaker, and I went to the Pinto association.”

Bilke’s experience includes working every duty possible in a horse show – judge, equipment judge, manager, ring steward.

“I’ve been to too many horse shows,” he says with a chuckle. His experience in the horse industry is just as far-reaching – you can definitely call it “been there, done that” when making that list. “I came from the breeding business with 130 broodmares at one time. I’ve rodeoed, judged, had a World Champion, I’ve even had a racehorse,” he says.

A Real Horseman

“I’m a horseman,” says Bilke. “I like a good horse. I was raised with American Quarter Horses, but I have a lot of respect for the other breeds. I love a traditional horse show – with something for everyone.” It was the versatility and variety that drove Bilke to the Pinto association.

“We’re not a blood breed, we’re a colored show horse association, and now a solid horse show association. I want to add value to the horse in the show ring,” he explains. “I think the more prizes you can hang on them the more their value increases.”

A Judge

“I’ve judged around the world probably three times,” estimates Darrell. “If I had to pull one show from my memory, it would probably be the first time I judged the International Horse Show in Brussels. That was when I was chair of the AQHA International Committee. It was held at the facility that housed the Olympics there, and it had EVERYTHING – from cowboys with Quarter Horses, Paints and Appaloosas, cutters, reiners, hunters and draft horses – everything they showed in Europe was represented there. The show was sponsored by Mercedes Benz. There were lots of great horses. The hunters were amazing. They had a full course and a mechanical fox, like the rabbit that the racing greyhounds chase. They brought hounds that chased this fox around the course for the hunters. I had to go watch it every day.”

Fellow AQHA Judge, Dolly Chayer, has judged the POAC International Show with Darrell.

“He sure knows all the good restaurants,” she jokes (translation: he’s worked everywhere). “But seriously, he’s seen a lot and done a lot in our industry, and he’s very well respected by many because of that.”

One of the changes Bilke orchestrated in the PtHA was the World Championship Show, a change from the Pinto National Championship Show. The Nationals had moved each year throughout the country. Bilke moved the show to Tulsa for a centrally-located championship show, and it has been home in Tulsa now for 25 years. “We’re actually celebrating our 50th anniversary this year,” says Bilke. “We’ve got a big party planned for that.”

Bilke’s role in the PtHA takes him around the country as an ambassador for the association. He attends several equine events each year, both promoting PtHA and learning from those events, often taking ideas back home with him.

“I listen to people,” he explains. He mans a PtHA booth at various equine trade shows, attends the Houston Livestock Show, the National Western Stock Show, the National Finals Rodeo and many other shows and equine-related events throughout the year for the cause. Over the years, at these shows and events, Bilke was promoting the PtHA, he was registering horses, gathering members and growing his association.

Bilke had managed the APHA World Show for 14 years.

“Ed Roberts was my idol,” he says. “I worked with him when I was consulting and learned so much. Pat Meade was like a dad to me. When we were both working with APHA, we traveled together a lot. I still use friends like these, and other great horsemen, when I need some good, grounded ideas.”

When he worked in the banking industry, Bilke was charged with bringing 12 new ideas forward each week for getting new customers. With the PtHA, he gathers the long-range planning and finance committee of past presidents for idea brainstorming.

“I listen to our members and others,” he says, “and I ask a lot of questions.”

Bilke’s vision of the Pinto World Show?

“I want it to be everyone’s summer vacation. The Quarter Horse and Paint Horse World Shows – they’re the big dogs. I’m the bob-tailed pup,” Bilke asserts. “The cost to play at that

(AQHA and APHA) level, only about 10 percent can play there. We look to the 90 percent that can’t afford that.”

Bilke describes the PtHA as a family.

“My design is the four F’s – Family, Fun, Friendly and Fair. I want our two events (the PtHA World Show and the Color Breed Congress) to be the Disneyland of the horse world. I want everyone to have fun – a place where people can say ‘we’ll show against each other today, have burgers tonight and we’ll go at it again tomorrow’ and then I’ll be happy,” says Bilke.

“We have a cowboy tailgate party during the World Show,” says Bilke with a grin. “We throw burgers and hot dogs on the grills, serve ice cream and have us a big party.”

The PtHA World Show truly tries to offer something for everyone. Darrell takes great pride in what they’ve built.

“We have Red Hat Night for all the little red hat ladies – the vendors love it,” he says. “We have a frisbie contest where a particular placing in every class that day receives a frisbie and a chance to throw it to a target to win $100. On Flag Day, we offer free rides to veteran’s kids and a parade of veterans. We have a charity walk trot class where the winner gets to designate the charity to receive all the prize money. We have a Horses for Heroes class. The very first winner of that class was a lady who used the prize money as startup funding for a Horses for Heroes program.”

Last year, the show welcomed The Paws Cause, with Ruth Ellen, to help dogs get adopted during the show.

As the PtHA World Show grew in popularity and numbers, the association started the Pinto Congress about eight years ago, as a fall championship show. After hearing comments from Palomino and Buckskin exhibitors, Bilke expanded the show to welcome in other color breeds.

“We put together a generic snowball that’s the same for each of the color breeds,” Bilke says. “And we have the Champion of Champions class, for the winners from each breed show. We close the show with classes for challenged riders.”

The fall event has already grown to include the Western Dressage World ahead of it. Jeff Ray, a color breed trainer with Paint and Appaloosa horses and customers, has been showing at the Pinto World

Championship Show for the past decade, along with the Appaloosa and Paint Horse World Shows. From Stewartville, Minnesota, Ray finds the Pinto World Show offers his customers a few more classes to compete in at a show with a great family environment.

“My clients have a few more opportunities with their horses If they have more of an English horse, they can do Discipline Rail and the Ideal Classes, and same for the western horses,” says Ray. “The Pinto World is a very well-organized show and offers great awards and a great atmosphere. The location is also convenient.”

He is also a fan of the Color Breed Congress.

“Color Breed Congress is a really fun show, with great awards and also a great stepping stone going into the next show year,” Ray adds. “It’s run like a world show and it’s great for clients who have not been to a championship show before.”

Bilke says people need to get hooked.

“They will step up a level as they get comfortable. AQHA has done a tremendous job of marketing themselves and their horse, their product. We (PtHA) are getting the families coming from the open shows, the ones who think that AQHA competition is intimidating, even just on that reputation. I try to keep our product 40 percent cheaper than everyone else. The bigger associations can thrive on the top percentage of exhibitors. We continue to keep our fees as low as possible to get them exposed to our show. That includes a flat fee for amateur and youth exhibitors. They like knowing what they’re going to spend and they can budget for that.”

His philosophy on creating this equine playground has certainly worked like magic. The PtHA World Show population really spiked in 2006, according to Kim Hall, PtHA administrative assistant. In 2014, the show saw nearly 1,400 horses, using about 1,800 stalls.

“We have horses tied to trees,” Bilke once (jokingly) said, describing his stalling numbers.

Hall believes the years of experience that Darrell has in showing, training, judging and show management, along with a staff that is very proficient at show production is what makes the PtHA World Championship Show work the way it does.

“I think the atmosphere of the Pinto World Championship is more relaxed than most other breed world shows. It is very much a family show, with things to do other than show horses,” she says.