USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Award Winner Takes on Quarter Horse Congress

Press Release

Columbus, OH – October 10, 2015 – The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) presented an incentive award to the leading American Quarter Horse in the USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Finals at the Kentucky Horse Park this past August. The $2,500 Bonus award was sponsored by Plastilite Corporation and Equine Semen Transporter and was presented to Snorkel (Achieva-Divy Up Babs), a six-year-old Thoroughbred Quarter Horse mare owned by Holly Brown Powell, trained by David Warner and ridden by Lainie DeBoer.
 
DeBoer, of Forest Lake, MN, and Snorkel (aka Dive) have been competing in both the USHJA Pre-Green Divisions and the AQHA Quarter Horse Shows, proving the versatile breed can be competitive on both circuits.
 
“It’s a great opportunity to cross the two associations together,” said DeBoer.  “It’s such an honor to be in the schooling ring with a lot of great riders there at the USHJA finals, it really helps raise your game.”
 
DeBoer showed in the Pre-Green division at USEF shows to qualify for the finals and give the young mare some good mileage. She knew the finals would help prepare them for the Quarter Horse Congress and World Championships, which it did.
 
The 49^th Annual All American Quarter Horse Congress runs October 1-25, 2015 in Columbus, OH. As the largest gathering of a single breed, the show takes over the entire Ohio Expo Center with hundreds of equestrian related vendors, demonstrations and enough food vendors to satisfy any craving, all in addition to the 6,500 plus horses that come to show.
 

DeBoer was on fire, earning the Championship on Snorkel in the Senior Working Hunters, for horses six-years-old and older.

“I knew the mileage would make her a better horse for Congress and it did,” added DeBoer.  “The experience at the finals made us both more confident.”
 
DeBoer also clinched the Championship in the Green and Junior Working Hunters on Margaret Roth’s horse, What I Know Now.  The Junior Working Hunter division for quarter horses is for horses 5-years-old and younger.  DeBoer will eventually move the four-year-old into the USHJA Pre-green Incentive program as well.

“We’ll show her a little in Florida and move her into the Pre-Green program when she’s ready,” said DeBoer.
 
USHJA Hunter Committee member Colleen McQuay helped develop the Quarter Horse incentive bonus.
 
“As an AQHA and USEF member, I have an appreciation for the breed,” said McQuay. “Bonuses create interest and participation to keep the breed going. The pre-green incentive is an affordable way for USHJA to promote the development of young horses and also an affordable way for people to participate. “
 
With new USEF and USHJA programs focusing on the development of young hunters and young jumpers, which support American breeders, the Pre-Green Incentive is one way to support the development of young hunters of all breeds.
 
“Anytime we can support American business and breeding it’s a good thing,” added McQuay. “Whether it’s quarter horses or warmbloods, supporting the U.S. breeders is important.”
 
David Conners, who also trains on both circuits, said, “I think the incentive program really helps trainers appreciate the breed. We’ve had some great ones (quarter horses) that win at Upperville and Devon and then everyone wants them.”
 
DeBoer added, “The program helps break the mold of the old fashioned image of quarter horses. We’ve sold a lot of great quarter horses as children’s and amateur hunters. If we don’t support our breeders we don’t have an association. There’s also a great incentive program through Kentucky that awards money to quarter horse breeders and owners who own Kentucky bred quarter horses. These all help support our industry.”

“We hope to encourage more people to participate in both circuits through this program and the derby program,” said trainer David Warner of Versailles, KY. “These programs help raise the level of riding, which we really need for the Quarter Horses as well.”
 
In 2012, the Quarter Horse circuit began the Huntfield Derby series to raise the bar for Quarter Horses, since it has worked so well for the hunter industry.
 
The quarter horse group hopes to increase the bonus money for the Pre-green Incentive for 2016 and create new programs on the quarter horse circuit to encourage riders to participate in both circuits. Classes such as medal classes and derbies are fairly new to the Quarter Horse circuit and once they gain momentum, riders will be able to cross over to USHJA easily, supporting both circuits and the breed.
 
DeBoer moves on to the AQHA World Championship Show in Oklahoma, November 6-21, 2015, hoping to add a few more Championships to her resume.
 
For more information on the Pre-Green Incentive program, please visit www.USHJA.org.
 
For more information on the Huntfield Derbies and other AQHA programs, please visit AQHA.com.