Level 1 Exhibitor Hits the Jackpot

Image courtesy of the Quarter Horse Journal.
Image courtesy of the Quarter Horse Journal.

Traci Nelson got lucky in Las Vegas!

On her first visit to the SmartPak West AQHA Level 1 (Novice) Championships, the Pilot Point, Texas, horsewoman not only won her Level 1 amateur hunt seat equitation class, she also raked in a share of the jackpot that went with the class.

“I can’t believe this,” she said in tears. “I entered the jackpot at the last minute a few weeks ago. I thought, ‘Why not, we’re here and if you get a chance to get a little bit back, that helps!”

A few weeks prior to the show, for an additional fee, exhibitors could enter the optional jackpot for a chance at prize money; that fee was $50 for each amateur class and $25 for each youth class. The jackpot pays out to the 10th-place exhibitor. For a full list of rules and the jackpot payout schedule, view the 2014 Level 1 Championships handbook.

To read the full story on AQHA.com and for more Novice Championships coverage, click here.