Second Annual Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge

Last year was the first year Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society (BEHS) held the Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge – and it was a great success! Half of the horses who participated in the Challenge were adopted not long after the Challenge. Too often we hear that horses in rescues are “used up” or “useless” and the Challenge lets us show just how wrong those claims are.

The Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge is a competition in which volunteer foster homes and professional trainers work with a Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society foster horse for three months (starting in mid-July 2010) and will show off at the Challenge at the 2010 Bluebonnet Horse Expo on October 16, 2010.

The goals of the Challenge are to:

* Introduce the public to talented rescue horses
* Showcase the training abilities of Bluebonnet foster homes
* Produce horses who are ready to go to work for their adopters

The Challenge is open to any BEHS member who applies to foster and is approved, as well as professional trainers whose property is inspected and approved. If you are not currently an approved foster home or BEHS member, you can join the rescue at http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/help/joinbehs.htm and download a fostering application at http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/help/foster.htm and we’ll get you set up to go.

The Bluebonnet Fostering Coordinator and the Challenge organizers will select a pool of eligible horses. Participants will apply to compete in the Challenge by July 10, 2010 and will be able to list their top three choices of a horse to work with. BEHS foster homes may compete with a foster already in their possession as long as no professional trainers have handled the horse in the six months preceding the Challenge Competition (held on October 16 at the Bluebonnet Horse Expo in Austin, Texas). If you wish to compete with a foster horse already in your possession, note that on your application.

Horses will be assigned on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Each participant will be responsible for picking up his or her horse from its foster home between July 1 and July 15, 2010. A list of horses available to compete in the Challenge is available at http://www.bluebonnethorseexpo.com/trainingchallenge.htm

Each eligible horse will come with a current, negative Coggins and have current vaccinations. His/her previous foster home will also complete an evaluation sheet assessing the horse’s abilities and training to the best of the foster home’s ability.

When the participant picks up his/her horse, he/she will have one week to turn in an evaluation worksheet to the Challenge organizers. He/she will have up until the competition on October 16, 2010 to work with the horse.

The Challenge will include the following divisions:

* Professional trainer - anyone who is paid for their training services
* Experienced foster home – someone who has been a foster home for at least two years
* Novice foster home – someone who has fostered less than two years
* Youth – participants 17 and under as of January 1, 2010.

If a foster home chooses, he/she may pay training fees to a professional trainer for a Challenge-eligible horse. That horse and trainer will then compete in the professional trainer category.

Horses in the professional trainer division will compete under saddle. All other divisions will compete in either an under saddle subcategory or an in-hand subcategory.

At the Challenge, all horses will compete over an obstacle course and will be allowed an additional five minutes for a freestyle presentation. This may include tricks, presentation of “before and after” history, etc.

The contest will be judged by a panel of equine professionals. Each horse/trainer combination will be scored on:

* Improvement from initial assessment
* Condition of horse
* Obstacle course
* Presentation/freestyle

Scores will be tabulated. The highest two scoring horse/trainer combinations in each division will be named Champion and Reserve Champion for their division.

The division Champions and Reserve Champions will then do another five minute presentation, after which the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion will be chosen.

Each person competing in the Challenge will be allowed to delay any adoptions of their horse until after the Expo. Many Challenge participants prefer to let their horses be adopted if an adopter comes along before the Expo, but we don’t want anyone to feel they might put work into a horse only to have him or her adopted and miss out on the ability to show off the horse. All horses will go up for Adoption the day of the contest. Horses who are not broke to ride will be offered for adoption for $300. Horses who are broke to ride will be offered for adoption for $750. Pre-approved adopters may adopt and take home the horse after the Challenge. If more than one pre-approved adopter wishes to adopt the same horse, they may bid up the adoption fee and the highest bidder will adopt the horse. Adoption applications will also be accepted the day of the Challenge but those adopters will not be allowed to adopt until their property is inspected and approved.

Additional rules:

* All participants must be professional trainers or current members of Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in good standing.
* Foster horses may not be handled/trained by any other individual or trainer from July 16 – October 16, 2010.
* All foster homes who compete must sign a contract stating that they agree to foster the horse for three months after the Challenge is complete (unless he/she is adopted beforehand) or forfeit their winnings. (This condition is waived for professional trainers. Professional trainers who compete may ask that their horse be moved to a foster home after the Expo).
* Competitors will be responsible for the cost of feeding their horse, shavings/bedding, and farrier work during the Challenge and the foster period after the Challenge. Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society will reimburse $10 of every farrier visit, paste de-wormers, pre-approved veterinary care, and pre-approved corrective farrier work and medications.
* There must be at least two people signed up per division in order for that division to be offered.

Prizes:

The Champion in the professional trainer category will receive at least a $100 cash prize as long as there are at least 3 participants in that category. Prizes for the Champions in other categories are TBA. The Grand Champion will receive a $500 cash prize, and the Reserve Grand Champion will receive a $250 cash prize.

If you are interested in participating in the Bluebonnet Rescue Horse Training Challenge, please email Jennifer at jenn@bluebonnetequine.org for an application.

PS. Only sound and healthy horses will be used in the Challenge. Additionally all participants must be approved as foster homes for BEHS and follow-up visits will be conducted to make sure the horses are doing well in their foster homes and with their training.

For more information: http://www.bluebonnethorseexpo.com/trainingchallenge.htm