The Lucas Oil/Protect The Harvest Wild Spayed Filly Futurity held in conjunction with the annual Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity has been canceled. The rest of the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity show will be held as scheduled from Sept. 13-20 in Reno, Nevada.
Organizers with the horse show say the decision to cancel the Wild Spayed Filly Futurity was made by Lucas Oil and Protect the Harvest, which sponsored and ran the event for spayed mustang fillies. Trilby Barton, media coordinator for the horse show, said the entities also did not renew title sponsorship of this year’s Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity.
The Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity issued a statement thanking Lucas Oil/Protect The Harvest for its time as a sponsor, which began with the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity’s inception in 2017.
“We are thankful to Lucas Oil and Protect The Harvest for their partnership during the first three years of the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity. Their support helped us get the show off the ground so we could keep the reined cow horse futurity tradition in Reno,” said Dar Hanson, President of the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, said in the statement. “The Wild Spayed Filly Futurity introduced a new audience of equine enthusiasts to the reined cow horse sport through the mustang competition.”
On its website, Protect the Harvest cited the coronavirus situation as reason for the cancellation.
“With the current circumstances in our country surrounding COVID-19 and these unprecedented times, we feel we must cancel the 2020 Wild Spayed Filly Futurity. This was a difficult decision that was not made lightly,” the statement said. “We at Protect The Harvest, are extremely disheartened about the effect this change will have on the filly owners, trainers and supporters of the program.”
Wild Spayed Filly Futurity
The purpose of the Wild Spayed Filly Futurity was to promote using spaying as an effective way to manage the nation’s wild horses and burrows. The class was open to 3-year-old mustang fillies sold by Protect The Harvest at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity Sale.
Last year, 10 2-year-old fillies eligible for the 2020 Wild Spayed Filly Futurity sold for an average of $3,220.
According to the Protect The Harvest website, the organization will refund money to this year’s competitors and distribute the $25,000 prize money equally among the ownership of the 10 horses purchased for this year’s event.
Schedule Change
The absence of the Wild Spayed Filly Futurity will allow show organizers to make adjustments to the show schedule at the 2020 Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity.
“With the opening in the schedule, we will be moving the Non-Pro Limited Horse Show classes back inside into the main arena. An updated schedule will be released in the coming week,” Hanson said in the statement. “We are excited for the 2020 Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, and look forward to a successful show for our competitors, owners, vendors, and fans. We know everyone is ready to get back in the show pen.”
Entry information is available online for Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity and horse show competitors aby visiting www.renosnafflebitfuturity.com/entries. Up-to-date information about the 2020 Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity can be found on www.renosnafflebitfuturity.com, and by following “Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity” on Facebook and Instagram.
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