Nutrena AQHA and Adequan® Select AQHA World Championship Shows Entries are Open

AQHA open, amateur and Select amateur qualifiers are invited to enter the 2024 Nutrena AQHA World Championship Show; AQHA Select World Championship Show, presented by Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan); Adequan® Level 2 Championships; and AQHA Level 1 Champion of Champions classes, slated for November 1-20 at the OKC Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

Entries are open online now and will close at 5 p.m. Central on September 16, with additional entry options available through October 9 with a late fee.

“This year’s Nutrena AQHA World Championship Show promises to be a competition to remember,” said Scott Neuman, AQHA Director of Competitions. “Top level competitors will vie for big purses and great prizes. Equaling the competition will be a host of social events, the Pleasure Versatility Challenge, the Ranch Horse Classic and many opportunities to celebrate 50 years of World Championship competition.”

View the tentative schedule and other show information before you enter.

Purse and Prizes

The 2024 Nutrena AQHA and Adequan® Select World Championship Shows will award a landmark prize line that includes cash, awards and exhibitor appreciation to mark the 50th anniversary of the show! This represents a guaranteed $200,000 increase from 2023. In efforts to continually improve upon the marquee event, AQHA is proud to award the increase in added money – all with no increase in entry fees from 2023. Every class at the 2024 AQHA World Show will feature added money!

Back for 2024, the top three placings in the Nutrena Level 3, Adequan® Select, Adequan® Level 2 and AQHA Level 1 Champion of Champions classes will all receive a leather jacket. The fourth- through 10th-place exhibitors in these classes will receive a championship vest. The winners of each stakes class will also receive a leather jacket and the second- through 10th-place exhibitors in the stakes classes will receive a vest.

All attendees are invited to join us for parties and social events throughout the show. The Gold Globe Lounge will be back in the Super Barn which will host several of the parties but is also a great place to start your day with a cup of coffee, grab a drink before one of the evening performances, or relax with friends while you watch the live feed.

Entry Details
There are opportunities for every level of exhibitor at the 2024 AQHA World Show and we invite everyone to join us for AQHA’s final opportunity to show in the historic Jim Norick Arena, as next year AQHA will use the new coliseum at the OKC Fairgrounds. Exhibitors interested in competing at the 2024 Nutrena AQHA World, Adequan® Select World, Adequan® Level 2 Championships and AQHA Level 1 Champion of Champions can access the entry form online. The entry deadline is September 16 at 5 p.m. Central; there are also two late-entry options available through 5 p.m. on October 1 and October 9 with their respective late fees.

View the entry information for the AQHA World Show, including stakes classes.

View the entry information for the AQHA Pleasure Versatility Challenge.

View the entry information for the inaugural AQHA Ranch Horse Classic.

New Classes for 2024
We’re partying like it’s 1974, but with a few more classes! New classes for 2024 include leveled ranch trail, Level 1 horse non-pro hunt seat equitation, Level 1 amateur halter and stand-alone Level 2 open halter classes.

As a newly leveled class in 2024, Level 2 ranch trail will be offered for the first time at the AQHA World Show. Level 2 will be offered in the open (junior and senior) and amateur divisions at this year’s show, as well as the addition of Select ranch trail. Rounding out the offering of Level 1 horse non-pro pattern stakes classes, hunt seat equitation has been added to the schedule along with the return of horsemanship and showmanship. This member-driven new class will be available for AQHA-approval at all shows beginning January 1, 2025.

Level 1-eligible amateur halter exhibitors will have new classes at the 50th anniversary of the AQHA World Show. Exhibitors have three options to qualify for the Level 1 Champion of Champions in their respective halter classes: showing at the AQHA East or West Level 1 Championships, earning at least 0.5 point, or participating at four AQHA events. In 2024, the Level 2 open halter classes will run separately from the Level 3 class. Horses may be shown in both classes.

Also new for 2024, AQHA is proud to host the inaugural AQHA Ranch Horse Classic during the 2024 Nutrena AQHA and Adequan Select World Championship Shows, which is also the 50th anniversary of the AQHA World Show. The Ranch Horse Classic is slated for 6 p.m. on November 9 in the Jim Norick Arena at the OKC Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City.

Returning to the Nutrena AQHA World and Adequan® Select World

Returning to the show this year the AQHA Pleasure Versatility Challenge showcases some of the most talented 3-year-old American Quarter Horses as they demonstrate their versatility. New to the event, viewers, both in person and on the live feed, will be able to vote for their favorite horses as the competition commences. The AQHA Fan Favorite horse will be announced during the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the event.

The ever-popular Headley Quarter Horses working western rail open and non-pro stakes classes will also be back in 2024 with $25,000 in added money and prizes. In addition, owners of horses competing in the open working western rail stakes at both the Nutrena AQHA and Adequan® Select World and the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, will have a shot at an additional $10,000 in cash, courtesy of the Headleys. The owner of the first-place open high-point horse and the owner of the first-place overall non-pro horse between the two events will also win ranch-style Harris Leather saddles.

Stakes classes for three-year-old western pleasure and hunter under saddle horses return with $5,000 in added money in each open and non-pro class with both Level 2 and Level 3 classes offered.

Leveling Eligibility
Be sure to check your eligibility before you enter. Exhibitors can confirm an exhibitor or horse’s level at www.aqha.com/leveling. View the list of open, amateur and Select amateur exhibitors and horses who are ineligible for the Adequan® Level 2 Championships.

At the 2024 Convention, SHW247.2 was amended regarding the future eligibility of exhibitors and horses winning Level 2 Championships. If an exhibitor wins an Open class at the Level 2 championships, except for heading and heeling, he/she is no longer eligible to compete in Open, Amateur, or Youth age and/or sex divisions of that class at any future Level 2 Championships for the subsequent 3 years. Additionally, if a horse wins an Open class at the Level 2 Championships, the horse is no longer eligible to compete in all Open age divisions and/or all sex divisions of that class at any future Level 2 Championships for the subsequent 3 years.

For more information on this rule change for the 2024 AQHA World Show and others that will be effective January 1, 2025, view AQHA Showing rule changes here.

We want to know about you!
Once your entry form is submitted, fill out the Nutrena AQHA and Adequan® Select World exhibitor bio form. The information will be used by the AQHA Media Team for onsite coverage during the show and it will be shared with additional media outlets during the show.

Need more information?
If exhibitors have additional questions, contact worldshow@aqha.org.  

For more information on the Nutrena AQHA and Adequan® Select World, visit www.aqha.com/worldshow.  

Party Like it’s 1974

Kick back with your horse show friends and family with a multitude of parties every week during the World Show. We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the AQHA World Show, which got its start in 1974 in Louisville, Kentucky. Opportunities exist for every level of exhibitor between the Nutrena AQHA and Adequan Select World Championship Shows, the Adequan AQHA Level 2 Championships and the AQHA Level 1 Champion of Champions. The shows feature exciting competition, educational opportunities, a bountiful trade show and top-tier awards, prize money and exhibitor appreciation events. For more information, visit www.aqha.com/worldshow.

About the Sponsors

Nutrena feed isn’t just grown, it’s crafted. Real science goes into putting the nutrients animals need into each Nutrena feed product. Quality is so important because we know people are relying on us to stand up to our exacting standards each and every time. What’s inside the bag counts. That’s why you can count on Nutrena feeds for the animals you care for. For more information on Nutrena brand products, visit www.nutrenaworld.com.

Adequan®, the official equine joint therapy of AQHA, is the proud title sponsor of the Adequan® Select World and the Adequan® Level 2 Championships. When you choose a joint therapy for your horses, choose Adequan®.

AQHA news and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more information visit www.aqha.com.