Byars, Oklahoma – After the success of the National Reining Breeders Classic Collegiate Judging Contest in 2005, the NRBC has announced that the second annual NRBC Collegiate Judging Contest will be held on Saturday, April 22.

Spearheaded by Alicia Howard, a graduate student from Texas A&M University, the event will award the top finishers with a special CR Morrison Perpetual Trophy, plus individual trophies, and a $1,000 Team Cash award. The winning individuals will receive commemorative awards, as well.

NRBC Secretary/Treasurer Cheryl Magoteaux said, “The NRBC is committed to supporting college equine programs and their students and we’re glad to host this event.” She added, “We could not do it without Alicia, of course. She was the driving force behind the contest last year and we’re happy to have her back on board this year.”

According to Howard, the competition is open to all Senior and Junior Colleges. She explained, “Besides being a very lucrative competition, this contest will be an excellent opportunity for these teams to get ‘warmed up’ for spring contest that take place the next week in Ft. Worth. New and old teams are invited to attend. Bring your seasoned teams to compete and your fresh teams to get their feet wet. It will be a great opportunity to brush up on reining. We had a very positive response from the seven out-of-state teams who came to the contest last year, and are looking to another rewarding year!"

Collegiate Horse Judging Team Coaches can download entry forms for the contest at www.nhjtca.org website. For questions regarding the contest, contact:

Alicia Howard at: aliciahoward03@yahoo.com , 979-778-6755 Dave Denniston, NHJTCA President, at: ddennist@lamar.colostate.edu, 970-491-8373

The collegiate judging competition will include a written rule book test and judging of 2 sets of ten and 2 sets of 4 live reining horse runs. Rounding out the competition, students will give 2 sets of oral reasons.

Magoteaux added, “We make the Judging Contest participants special guests at the annual Quarter Horse News Victory Karaoke Party, which takes place after Saturday Evening’s Open Finals. It is a great opportunity for them to have fun and to meet many of the top NRHA Competitors.”

The National Reining Breeders Classic is the most successful stallion incentive program in reining history. In just nine years, the NRBC has grown to include over 300 stallions and over 18,000 enrolled foals, and the payout at the 2005 National Reining Breeders Classic was over $1 million. For information on the NRBC, visit the web site at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.