AQHA announces moving of VRH World Championship to Amarillo

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), in partnership with the Tri-State Fairgrounds of Amarillo, announced the move of the 2024 AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse (VRH) World Championship to Amarillo, during their Tuesday morning press announcement held at the AQHA Hall of Fame Museum.

The VRH Worlds is set to be held at the Tri-State Fairgrounds June 16 through June 22, 2024, as announced by event panelists Karen McCuistion, Senior Director of Member Programs at AQHA; Aaron Enget, Chief Strategy Officer of AQHA; Freda Powell, Amarillo Mayor Pro Tem; and Brady Ragland, Chief Executive Officer for Amarillo Tri-State Exposition.

"Our exiting news that we are sharing here today is that in June of 2024 we are going to move the Versatility Ranch Horse World Championship event from Guthrie, Oklahoma, to Amarillo, Texas," Enget said.

The VRH championships has been held in Guthrie, Oklahoma since 2018 at their current location.

"Last year, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, they had an economic impact of about $2.2 million, which we hope that we can double or increase. This is a huge opportunity for us. ... We will have a lot more events, and will have some event planned in around the show. And we hope to just continue to grow this show over the next three to five, maybe 10 years, long after Brady and I are around," Enget added.

During the event announcement, many community members were present to commemorate the moment, including the Amarillo Police Department Chief of Police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, Amarillo National Bank and more.

The incoming VRH Worlds is projected to generate more than a $2.1 million impact to the Amarillo economy, which is said in the announcement to bring in more travelers to Amarillo utilizing the city's hotels, stores, gas stations and much more.

"This is going to help us expand; we are so excited for the impact on the city, impact to our cow suppliers, impact to our ranching heritage breeders. One of the pieces of the VRH show is the Ranching Heritage Challenge Finals, and that is specifically for our ranch and heritage breeders, which we have more in the state of Texas than any other state or country in the world, and this will be a big impact for them," McCuistion said.

VRH Worlds is expected to bring in a total of 2,500 entries with a total of four shows, including 1,500 entries for the AQHA VRH World, 100 for the AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenges (RHC) Finalists, 400 for the AQHA Cattle Level 1, and 500 for the National Ranch and Stock Horse Association (NRSHA) Championships. These events are projected to bring in a total of 1,500 exhibitors and a total of approximately 450 horses.

According to Ragland, this year is also the 100th anniversary for the Tri-State Fairgrounds, and he considers this announcement the "cherry on top" to their celebrations.

"As a joke, I stated on the podium that this is a great 100th year birthday present to the Fairgrounds from AQHA. ... In 2024, the Amarillo fairgrounds will actually host three equestrian championships, one of which being the AQHA VRH Worlds, what we are talking about here today, so this is a huge win for the Fairgrounds, for Amarillo, for our partnership with AQHA. It's a win-win all the way around, and to make an announcement like this on the 100th anniversary year is just a cherry on top," Ragland said.

Following Tuesday's announcement, attendees were invited to attend a celebratory luncheon provided by the Coors Cowboy Club.

For more information about AQHA, visit them online at https://www.aqha.com/ .

To visit the Tri-State Fairgrounds online go to https://www.tristatefair.com/ .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: AQHA, Tri-State Fairgrounds announces 2024 VRH World Championships