2015 Sport Horse
Nationa s Nationa s N T
he 13th annual Sport Horse National Championships was held in picturesque Raleigh, North Carolina, for the East rotation. The venue, The Governor James B. Hunt Jr. Horse Complex, is nestled against a welcoming and heavily forested backdrop with cedars, pine, oak, and birch trees. This National competition has a decidedly different atmosphere from the other Nationals shows that feature blended class offerings. There is no question that this is, in part, thanks to the fact that this is the only discipline-focused competition which features only “sport horse” classes that closely mirror all breed competitions for dressage, hunters, jumpers, driving, flat work and in-hand, with a few differences. In addition, many of the performance classes are not purebred or Half-Arabian specific, thus all entries frequently compete against one another. The competition, like all rated sport horse classes, samples judges with discipline appropriate certifications and all breed competition experience and expertise. The result is a competition that celebrates the Arabian not for breed type, but rather solely for form to function and athleticism. This opens the door for some of the breed’s most incredible athletes from all bloodlines and phenotypes to be judged solely on performance or, in the case of the in-hand division, on physical attributes for discipline-specific abilities. It is not uncommon to find a mix of horses in each class from halter, racing, main ring, or sport horse specific breeding programs. There is an incredible variety of classes for exhibitors and spectators to enjoy. Even more impressive is that many horses cross enter across many (in rare cases, all) divisions offered at the show. While glancing through the program, one discovered there were more than a dozen horses who were entered in more than 15 individual classes.
98 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016
September 15-20, 2015 Raleigh, North Carolina
by Morgan Millner Moore
photos by Suzanne Sturgill and Cookie Serletic
99 ▪ ARABIAN HORSE WORLD ▪ JANUARY 2016