WHAT IS THE VERSATILE HORSE &
RIDER COMPETITION?
The Versatile Horse & Rider competition was a timed and judged race through an obstacle course created to test the communication between horse and rider as well as each competitor’s horsemanship skills.  The competition was designed to be suitable for riders of any discipline and horses of all breeds.  As the horse and rider teams worked through each obstacle they were judged on several criteria as well as overall performance. The esteemed judge for this year's competition was Scot Hansen and the event's special guest commentator was Julie Goodnight. Contestants competed for thousands of dollars in cash as well as other great prizes.

Danielle Barrasso riding Destiny's Gemini

THE VERSATILE HORSE & RIDER COMPETITION AT EQUINE AFFAIRE:
The Equine Affaire Versatile Horse & Rider Competition took place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the Equine.com Arena (coliseum) at the Eastern States Exposition.  30 horse/rider teams were selected to participate in the competition. The first round of contestants competed in the afternoon on Saturday, November 15th. The remaining contestants competed in the afternoon on Sunday, November 16th. The top ten horse and rider teams advanced to the Versatile Horse & Rider finals on Sunday afternoon.

THE COMPETITION PATTERN:
The course was constructed within the 95’ x 200’ parameters of the Eastern States Exposition Coliseum and featured numerous trail obstacles and riding challenges.

Amy Becker riding Mr. Wonderful

OBJECTIVES AND JUDGING:
The Versatile Horse & Rider Competition was a timed event during which the performance of each horse and rider team was judged on each obstacle for quality of horsemanship. For each obstacle, the judge awarded performance points on a scale of 1-5 based on the horse’s attitude, the rider's horsemanship, and the team's overall performance. Horses and riders were required to complete each obstacle within a given time in order to receive points. If an obstacle was not completed within the given timeframe, the contestant were flagged and had to move on to the next obstacle. Times were translated into points and points from each obstacle were totaled. The horse and rider team with the highest overall point score won.

PRIZES:

FIRST PLACE:

$2,000.00 cash prize Western saddle, breast plate & bridle package from Chariton Vet Supply Title of “Equine Affaire Versatile Horse & Rider Champion”

SECOND PLACE:

$1,500.00 cash prize

THIRD PLACE:

$750.00 cash prize

FOURTH THROUGH TENTH PLACE:

McBride Raised Padded Fancy Stitched Bridle from Smith Worthington Saddlery

ALL COMPETITORS:

All contestants will receive an eZall Foamer from eZall Technologies.