Haflinger Championship Challenge: Going Strong After 11 Show Seasons
The Haflinger Championship Challenge (HCC) is a program that tracks a horse’s placings that compete at qualifying shows and classes. The placings are turned into points that accumulate year over year as the horse competes in the required classes at the qualifying shows. The HCC program was started in 2008 and has been growing ever since. At the end of the 2018 show season the HCC program has 522 Haflingers participating (see the list for all the Haflinger names). Since 2008 to present calendar year the shows that have participated in the HCC program are: AHR National Show (2011 to 2016 and 2018), Buckeye Haflinger Show (2008 to present), Central Ohio Haflinger Show (2010 to present), New York Gold Classic Haflinger Show (2008 to 2016), and Western Pennsylvania Haflinger Show (2008 & 2009). The 522 Haflingers in the HCC program are competing in either 1 or up to 10 of the 11 different divisions. The following are the divisions of the HCC program: Dressage Training Level, Driving, English W/T, English W/T/C, Halter - Mares, Halter - Stallions/Geldings, Horsemanship, Obstacle Driving, Western Dressage, Western W/J, and Western W/J/L. Each division has a set of classes that a horse will be shown in at the shows participating in the HCC program. For a complete listing of class information you can go on the Internet and visit the HCC website at www.haflingerchallenge.com. A horse that is exhibited in the required classes of a division at any or all of the qualifying shows for the current calendar will have their placing turn into points. The points awarded for a placing are based on the number of entries that show in a given class. For example if there are 10 horses in a class then first place receives 10 points, second place receives 9 points, third place receives 8 points, and so on. The points that are accumulated for the calendar year are used for year-end awards for the different divisions, as well as, the points add up year over year to qualify for a HCC lifetime achievement award for each of the HCC divisions. The lifetime achievement awards are: merit (50 to 99 pts.), excellence (100 to 249 pts.), superior (250 to 499 pts.), and supreme (500 + pts.). Also there is a versatility award that requires the horse to have accumulated points in each of the following divisions: Driving with greater than 100 pts., English W/T/C with greater than 100 pts., Halter (M or S/G) with greater than 25 pts, and Western W/J/L with greater than 100 pts. So far in the HCC program there are 10 Haflingers that achieved the versatility award. Below is a table that shows the Haflingers and the year the versatility award was achieved.
54 Fall 2018/Winter 2019 • Haflinger Horse
A few Haflingers achieved a supreme (500 + pts) lifetime achievement award. These Haflingers are: Bonita Rox PA (Driving division in 2014), Like A Charm KCH (English W/T/C division in 2014), All American Ladd WRF (English W/T/C division in 2014), Lietzl WGF (Western W/J division in 2016), Whispers of the Fruit CA (Western W/J/L division in 2014). For a complete listing of horses and their lifetime achievement award level in a division you can review the files on the HCC website in the lifetime points link. The below table highlights the number of horses and points awarded in the HCC divisions through the 2018 calendar year show season.
A thank you goes out to all past and present show managers and HCC committee members for all their hard work and dedication to put on shows to make the HCC program a success. Also thank you to all the farms and exhibitors that participate with their Haflinger(s) at the shows that work within the Haflinger Championship Challenge. For more information and details please visit the HCC website at www.haflingerchallenge.com.
