The Tunica Arena and Exposition Center in Mississippi is the site of this year’s Palomino Horse Breeders of America World Championship Show.

The youngest competitors take center stage first as the association presents the Palomino Youth World Show through Saturday, followed by the Amateur and Open World Show classes next week.

PHBA General Manager Terri Green, who also serves as World Show manager, said the Youth World Show is off to a good start.

“There was lots of participation in the welcome celebration, which included games designed to allow the kids to break into teams, have fun and get to know each other.”

Games included a stick horse barrel race, dress the trainer competition and many other fun activities.

“It’s just a nice way for them to get together and have fun before the competition starts,” Green said.

New to the show this year is a Novice Ranch Riding class and a Ranch Rail Pleasure Stakes class for youth.

“It’s a class that allows youth to compete for money,” Green said.

Grace Bosse, 17, of Montross, Virginia, has been president of the PHBA Youth Association since last July.

She and her fellow youth competitors have been busy implementing the new Golden Hospitality Award.

“Each board member was assigned two to three state youth affiliates to contact and request gifts unique to those states,” she explained. “The gift donations collected were then assembled into 12 gift baskets and one will be presented to competitor from every division (Halter, Leadline, Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure, etc). The name of each class entry is placed into a hat and one name is randomly drawn in each division to determine the basket winners.”

Grace Bosse, PHBA Youth President

The Youth Association is also presenting door prizes to one random exhibitor in every other class here at the Youth World Show. Prizes include small towels, sponges, cups and more.

Bosse has been competing in PHBA events for about seven years now. Her cousin introduced her to Don Coats, who sold Bosse her first Palomino show mare, Total Butterscotch (Scottie).

Total Butterscotch is a three-time PHBA World Champion, and has earned multiple national titles as well as numerous color bred championships. Bosse has competed at the PHBA World Show six times but is taking a break from showing this year so that she can concentrate on work and on her role as president of the youth association.

“I still have two more years in youth so I will stay involved,” she said. ““The most fun has been working with everyone and developing my people skills,” she said.

“The biggest challenge I have found is trying to get everyone to work together.”

Bosse’s reign as president ends Saturday but she has some advice for her successors.

“I’d tell them to be patient,” she explained, “and everything will be successful.”

Classes including Youth Hunter In Hand, Walk-Trot Hunter Under Saddle, Palomino Bred Hunter Under Saddle, Youth Hunter Under Saddle, Novice and Youth Equitation and several gymkhana classes like Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, and Flag Race were judged on Wednesday.

Judges for this year’s Youth World Show are Darrell Bilke, Lita Hottel, Jim Isley and Carmen Mayabb.

Halter and Showmanship took center stage on Thursday (Disney Day) with World Championship titles presented in Youth Color, Youth Performance Halter Mares, Youth Yearling, 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Mares, Youth All-Age Mares and Palomino Bred Junior and Senior Mares. Also featured was competition in Youth All-Age Geldings, Palomino Bred Junior and Senior Geldings, Youth Yearling, 2-Year-Old, 3-Year-Old and Aged Geldings and Youth Performance Halter Geldings.

Shelby LeAnn Banks, 18, of Hillsboro, Ohio, and her show mare, PS Zip By Kat (Darla), collected two Reserve World Championship titles today – one in Palomino Bred Senior Halter Mares and the other in Palomino Bred Showmanship.

She said consistency was the key to her success in the Showmanship class.

“My mom pushes me to be the best I can be and to try hard,” Banks said. “She makes sure I remember not to become intimidated.”

Shelby Banks on her winning run in the Palomino Bred Showmanship

Banks, who started riding in Leadline classes at the age of 2, has competed at the PHBA Youth World Show for the past four years and shows PHBA events across the country. She said she practices over 20 hours a week and that’s what has helped her win numerous World titles in Showmanship and Western Pleasure.

Tomorrow she and Darla will compete in Western Riding. She will also compete in Western Pleasure with Batt Mans Cruiser, who has already earned World Championship titles in past years in Western Pleasure, Trail and Showmanship.

“I like to compete at the Palomino World Show,” Banks said. “Everyone is really nice.”

On Friday (Hawaiian Day) attention turns to competition in Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Ranch Riding, Reining and Western Riding for Walk-Trot, Novice and Youth competitors.

Saturday (Hat, Tie & Shades Day) closes out the 2018 PHBA Youth World Show with Trail competition. After that the following Awards will be presented:

• Youth Team Tournament,
• Max Eisenberg Sportsmanship Award
• Youth Golden Horse 13 & Under
• Reserve Youth Golden Horse 13 & Under
• Youth Golden Horse 14-18
• Reserve Youth Golden Horse 14-18
• Youth W/T Golden Horse 5-9
• Reserve Youth W/T Golden Horse 5-9
• Youth Golden Horse W/T 10-18
• Reserve Youth Golden Horse W/T 10-18
• Palomino Bred Youth High Point
• Palomino Bred Youth Reserve High Point

The PHBA Youth will hold a National Youth meeting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the association’s Awards Banquet and Benefit Auction at 7 p.m. at Resorts Casino.

The PHBA Open and Amateur World Show schedule starts on Monday. Stay with InStride Edition as we bring you news from the 2018 event.

Since its inception in 1983, the Palomino World Championship show has given exhibitors the chance to compete for Golden Horse Awards, in Color, Halter, and performance classes. The inaugural World Championship Show was held in September at the Indiana State Fair Grounds in Indianapolis.

“Our membership requested having Novice Amateur Ranch Riding, Novice Youth Ranch Riding, and Youth Ranch Rail Pleasure Stakes, so we put those on the class list this year,” Green said. “Some of the larger classes are the pleasure classes, and of course, the open color class always is a big hit. In the Youth Division, we’ve added Palomino Bred Youth High Point and Palomino Bred Youth Reserve High Point.”

The Yellow Rose Futurity classes are held on Monday, July 16, along with the PHBA/NSBA 3-Year-Old Western Pleasure Derby immediately afterward, along with other dual-approved PHBA/NSBA classes throughout the show, and NRHA Open Reining on Friday, July 20. There are classes for all ages and abilities of riders, including one day, Sunday, July 15, that is set aside for Challenged riders to have the chance to demonstrate their skills in Showmanship, Western, and English classes.

For complete results from the show and a tentative schedule visit: https://www.palominohba.com/show-info/world-show/youth-world-show/2018-tentative-youth-class-schedule/

For a live feed from the 2018 PHBA World Show visit: http://321actionvideo.com/ppv/backuplogon.php