WHAT IS THE VERSATILE HORSE &
RIDER COMPETITION?
The Versatile Horse & Rider competition is 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 is designed to be suitable for riders of any discipline and horses of all breeds.  As the horse and rider teams work through each obstacle they will be judged on several criteria as well as overall performance. The esteemed judge for this year's competition is Ken McNabb and the event's special guest commentator is Tommy Garland. Contestants will compete for thousands of dollars in cash as well as other great prizes.

THE VERSATILE HORSE & RIDER COMPETITION AT EQUINE AFFAIRE:
The Equine Affaire Versatile Horse & Rider Competition will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the coliseum at the Eastern States Exposition.  30 horse/rider teams will be selected to participate in the competition. The first round of contestants will compete in the afternoon on Friday, November 13th. The remaining contestants will compete in the afternoon on Saturday, November 14th. The top ten horse and rider teams will advance to the Versatile Horse & Rider finals on Sunday morning.

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

OBJECTIVES AND JUDGING:
The Versatile Horse & Rider Competition is a timed event during which the performance of each horse and rider team will be judged on each obstacle for quality of horsemanship. For each obstacle, the judge will award 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 will be required to complete each obstacle within a given time in order to receive points. If an obstacle is not completed within the given timeframe, the contestant will be flagged and has to move on to the next obstacle. Times will be translated into points and points from each obstacle will be totaled. The horse and rider team with the highest overall point score will win.

PRIZES: