How many times have those of us who show Quarter Horses suffered cold, rain, hard ground, lack of warm-up area, schooling at 3a.m…. we laugh – yes – all of us have experienced these conditions and will likely experience them again in the future.   It’s part of showing Quarter Horses and that’s what we do.

But now the South Point Equestrian Center, already unique among horse show facilities, has thrown down the gauntlet.   In the summer of 2014, the South Point opened the brand new Priefert Pavillion, literally tripling the amount of show rings available.

The Priefert Pavillion consists of two full size show arenas (each is same size as the Main Arena) and is interconnected with the Main Arena and the Main Arena prep pen.   It would actually be possible to show a horse the entire week of Silver Dollar without ever going outside.   But for those who are willing to see the sun, the South Point still maintains its outdoor round pens four lunging and a large outdoor practice arena.

The two Arenas in the Priefert Pavillion add an additional 100,000 square feet of competition space, taking the total area for events at the South Point to more than 240,000 square feet.

“We envision the new Priefert Pavilion will allow us to continue enhancing the premier equestrian facility in the country while increasing our hotel room occupancy by 15,000 room nights in the first year of operation,” says Ryan Growney, General Manager of the South Point Hotel, Casino, and Spa. “Not only will the two additional arenas allow our current events to grow, but our partnership with the Preifert family will allow us to coordinate some of the most unique Equestrian Events in the country.”

And certainly the 2015 Las Vegas Silver Dollar Circuit will be capitalizing on the expanded space.

The mission of the Silver Dollar has always been to provide a highly competitive but exhibitor-friendly show that enables our participants to have a great time in Las Vegas while still getting to show their horses in a fabulous horse show. The Silver Dollar has consistently been one of the Top 10 AQHA circuits in the country, and if you look only at the events offered at the Silver Dollar (Pleasure, Hunter Under Saddle, Western Riding, Trail, etc. – no cattle events and no reining), it is the fourth largest in the world.

The Las Vegas Silver Dollar, which is in its 39^th year, is a classic among AQHA circuit shows.   The Silver Dollar was started by a few Las Vegas locals on a vacant lot behind the Stardust Casino in 1976.     Over the years, the show kept growing, transitioning to a variety of other facilities, trying to keep pace with its growth and popularity.   In the late 1990’s the show moved to Reno, Nevada (again, it had outgrown the Las Vegas facility) where there was an excellent fairgrounds capable of handling the now quite large Silver Dollar.

While the Reno venue was a wonderful supporter of the Silver Dollar, the show nevertheless retained its attachment to its original home, Las Vegas.   Thus, when the phone call came in mid-2004 from the South Point inquiring if the Silver Dollar might want to move back home, the answer was a resounding YES!

In March, 2005, the Las Vegas Silver Dollar Circuit opened the South Point Equestrian Center with the first general horse show to be held in the facility. There were showgirls, parades, and parties, and it was clear that new ground had been broken in the horse show world.

In the succeeding years, the South Point Equestrian Center has matured into not only one of the finest facilities in the world, but also one of the most supportive and horse-show friendly.   Every effort is made by the staff to accommodate the needs of the horse show and the needs of the exhibitors.

Now, with the addition of the Priefert Pavillion, the South Point Equestrian Center and South Point Hotel, Casino, & Spa have set a new standard for the equine industry.