Originally created as an incentive program that would inspire breeders of reining horses to seriously consider the talent, athletic ability and heart of Arabian and Half-Arabians, the ARBC has been offering large cash prize incentives at premier NRHA events starting in 2014. Since then ARBC Futurities have paid out over $250,000 in prize money. At the beginning of 2016, the ARBC founders opted to turn over the program to the newly founded NARHA (National Arabian Reining Horse Association), wisely comprehending that a national association would grow a broader, sounder basis and platform, with the sort of longevity that helps these programs thrive and survive. Meanwhile, the structure of the ARBC program has been working quite well, and will remain much the same. The major change will be a new name … the NARHA Incentive Program, but the ARBC Membership will simply pay their current dues to the new organization. Previous enrollments will not have to reregister with the NARHA.
Of course, there are always a few things to bring up-to-date. The new organization means new program certificates which will be sent on receipt of current dues. A much larger assortment of NARHA classes will soon be available at NRHA shows that apply to have them nationally. The NARHA will provide these events with prizes for Champions in each division at no charge to the events. On the marketing side, NARHA has formed a liaison with the National Horseman Arabian publication www.nationalhorsemanarabian.com so that NARHA members and their horses can be advertised and editorialized in the Working Western section of that magazine. Along with advertising options for Arabian Reiners, the magazine offers seven full color “coffee-table” style issues annually, both print and digital, featuring up-to-date news, editorial, outstanding event coverage and beautiful photos of the Arabian horse and its shows.
Reining horse breeders initially start out with NARHA by enrolling their stallions in the program. Stallion owners pay a nomination fee; then an annual enrollment fee. Stallions are invited to participate in any NARHA promotion at shows where classes are held by bringing their promotional materials to those shows. It’s almost worth the price of stallion enrollment just for the show promotions! The NARHA is currently on a stallion enrollment campaign and has also agreed to sign up aged stallions (and those deceased or over the age of 20 with frozen semen) for a modest $750 lifetime enrollment fee.
Right now, NARHA looks forward to participating at the First Annual Las Vegas Wild Card Challenge which debuts this spring in Las Vegas, bringing with it the Four-Year-Old Reining Futurity. This brand new event, which runs over the Memorial Day weekend, May 25th through 29th at the South Point Event Center, Hotel and Casino, does not require nominations or enrollments for participation. The horses must have an NRHA Competition License to compete. Horses that are entered in the Wild Card Reining Challenge Four-Year-Old Futurity cannot have competed in any reining futurities (Category 2 Aged Event) as a three-year-old.
The Four-Year-Old Futurity is the spotlighted event of the show that will also offer two full slates of ancillary reining classes, the NARHA $47,000 Added Futurity for 4 and 5-year-old Arabian and Half-Arabian reining horses, a $10,000 Added SmartPak Non Pro Maturity which includes Arabian divisions, and the popular World Para Reining Challenge for riders with physical handicaps and for discharged military with post-traumatic stress disorder. Though the ARBC has been in place at shows for several years, officially, the 2016 Wild Card show will mark the first appearance of NARHA competition at an NRHA sanctioned show.
Owners of NARHA Enrolled Incentive Program horses must be members of the NARHA as of 2017.
For additional information contact Amanda Brumley, [email protected] or (602) 677-3774.
