MHBoonInMyBlood ABanuelos

Battle in the Saddle Canceled

MHBoonInMyBlood ABanuelosMH Boon In My Blood and Adan Banuelos won at the Battle in the Saddle in 2012. K.C. Montgomery photoThe American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Battle in the Saddle competition, held in Oklahoma City since 2010, has been canceled for 2013.

“In talking with Oklahoma’s State Fair Park, the owner of Battle in the Saddle, the decision was made to discontinue the event and perhaps look at developing other events for American Quarter Horse exhibitors at the facility,” said Tom Persechino, AQHA’s executive director of competition and breed integrity.

“The decision to discontinue was due to a number of different issues, including the fact that it was held at a busy time for exhibitors, long-term financial viability and the desire to explore other events where AQHA and State Fair Park could partner,” Persechino said of the early July event.

The Ranch Sorting National Championships, which brought more than 600 competitors on 6,000 teams to last year’s Battle in the Saddle, earlier this year announced it was moving its national finals to June 4-10 at Fort Worth’s Will Rogers Memorial Center for 2013. The Battle in the Saddle did not reapply to host a Mercuria/National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Series of Cutting event this year.

A popular event at Battle in the Saddle was the World’s Greatest Horseman Shootout in which competitors representing various performance organizations vied for an entry in the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s World Greatest Horseman competition. Last year’s winner was Adan Banuelos, representing NCHA.

The Southwest Reined Cow Horse Association, American Rope Horse Futurity Association, Better Barrel Races and Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association have participated, and the event also featured ranch pleasure and ranch versatility classes and a Ranch Remuda Challenge. 

Read Quarter Horse News for the latest news on AQHA events and other equine activities.