Over $375,000 in Purse and Prizes Awarded at AQHA Ranch Horse Championships

The 2023 AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships and concurrent events hosted more than 3,100 entries.

Qualifying has already started for 2024, so don’t miss the opportunity to earn your spot at next year’s event held at the Tri State Fair and Expo in Amarillo.

June 28, 2023 | News and Publications , Showing , Showing , Ranching , Ranching , Ranching | Ranch Trail , Ranching , Ranching , Ranching , Ranch Horse Journal , Ranching events and shows , Livestock shows and fairs , Shows , World shows , Championship shows , Ranching , Ranching , Ranching , Working ranch horse , Versatility ranch horse , Showing , Showing , Ranch riding , Events and shows

The 2023 American Quarter Horse Association Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships and concurrent ranch horse events concluded June 24 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The event hosted over 440 exhibitors; more than 480 horses; and over 3,100 entries between the AQHA VRH World; AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge Finals; AQHA Cattle Level 1 Championships, presented by the Four Sixes Ranch; and National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance National Championship Show. The combined purse and prizes of the four premier shows was over $375,000.

The show featured a variety of events, including ranch cutting, ranch trail, ranch conformation, ranch reining, team roping, barrel racing, ranch riding, ranch cow work, working ranch horse and, for the first time, steer stopping and breakaway roping.

“This show showcases exactly what we want to see in ranchbred horses,” said Karen McCuistion, senior director of member programs. “Competing in five different performance classes then moving into conformation is the epitome of what the American

Quarter Horse can do.”

In addition to the nine VRH world champion titles, 54 VRH class championships, seven NRSHA national all-around championships, 35 NRSHA class championships, seven Level 1 youth and seven amateur and one Select Level 1 championships, and 28 Ranching Heritage Challenge championships, the event also recognized the top AQHA Ranching Heritage-bred horses.

View the official results, score sheets, the Journal’s Champion Pages at www.aqha.com/vrhworld. You can also visit the AQHA Showing Facebook page and YouTube page to watch the action from the show, including the AQHA VRH World Highlights videos and interviews with the newly crowned world champions.

Qualifying has already started for 2024, so don’t miss the opportunity to earn your spot at next year’s event held at the Tri State Fair and Expo in Amarillo.

About the AQHA VRH World

The AQHA VRH World combines four premiere ranch horse events into one: the AQHA VRH World, AQHA RHC Finals, AQHA Cattle Level 1 Championships and NRSHA National Championship Show. This prestigious event draws ranch-horse competitors from around the globe each June to crown nine AQHA VRH world champions along with champions in the AQHA RHC Finals, Cattle Level 1 and NRSHA championship shows in addition to awarding approximately $375,000 in purse and prizes.

For more information on the AQHA VRH World and corresponding events, visit www.aqha.com/versatility.

Learn more about the Four Sixes Ranch, the presenting sponsor of the 2023 AQHA Cattle Level 1 Championships.

AQHA news and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHA on Twitter, watch the AQHA Newscast and visit www. aqha.com/news.

Dashin Follies Influential racing broodmare passes at age 24

The 1999 mare was bred by Henry E. Brown, and is a daughter of American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame sire Strawfly Special and out of the world champion Dashing Folly. She made only three career starts before retiring to the broodmare band where she would make a legendary impact.

Owned at the time of her passing by Anapurus Comercio E Part Ltda, Dashin Follies has 41 registered foals, of which 34 are race starters. She produced 24 winners and runners who earned $1,702,537.

A conformation photo of PYC Paint Your Wagon

Her top foals are the Corona Cartel full brothers, PYC Paint Your Wagon and Ivory James, who are both top sires.

PYC Paint Your Wagon earned $889,581 in his race career, including winning the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity, Heritage Place Derby and Texas Classic Derby.

Ivory James earned $220,026 in his race career, including a second-place finish in the 2006 Heritage Place Futurity (G1).

PYC Paint Your Wagon has to date sired the earners of more than $39.8 million, and Ivory James has sired the earners of more than $23.1 million.

She is also the dam of six-figure earners Mi Angela ($137,723) and Eye Follies ($101,315).

Her daughters have also been producers, headed by Grade 1-placed Im Jess Special V ($523,862), a gelding out of Special Folly Dash.