Appaloosa Endurance and Competitive Trail Championships Cancelled

July 24 2020

MOSCOW, IDAHO — Scheduled to be held September 25-27 in La Pine, OR at the Lava Cast Forest Site, the Appaloosa National Championship Endurance Rides (50-mile and 100-mile) and the National Championship Competitive Trail Ride have both been canceled for 2020. The Appaloosa Horse Club has partnered with the Arabian Horse Association for several years to offer a National Championship Endurance Ride. The event has grown to include six breed association championships including the Appaloosa Championship Competitive Trail Ride, and 2020 would have been the ApHC’s first-annual 100-mile championship ride. After much discussion with all breed groups, a decision was made to cancel the 2020 ride because of ongoing safety concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Reluctantly, we agree that it has become necessary to cancel this much-anticipated and prestigious event because of ongoing COVID-19 concerns,” ApHC President Ken Johnson said. “While not everyone will agree with this decision, the health, safety and well-being of all participants is our primary concern. We look forward to working with all parties involved to provide expanded opportunities in the future for our competitive trail and endurance riders.”

The ApHC would like to recognize and thank our event sponsors including Tioga Territory, the Equine Distance Riding Association, Schneider’s Saddlery, and the Western Washington Regional Appaloosa Club for their ongoing support of these events. We’d also like to thank those sponsors who were in the process of signing on for the 2020 event. The ApHC and our distance riding enthusiasts appreciate the support and passion of these individuals and businesses.

More information from the Arabian Horse Association can be found here: https://www.nationalhorsemanarabian.com/news/entry/distance-horse-nationals-suspended-2020

The Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) was established in 1938 with a mission of preserving, promoting and enhancing the Appaloosa breed. The ApHC has since registered more than 700,000 Appaloosas, which are known for their distinctive color, intelligence and even temperament. True to their reputation as an extremely versatile breed, Appaloosas can be found in nearly every discipline including racing, endurance riding and serving as reliable family horses. The international breed registry is headquartered in Moscow, Idaho, the heart of the Palouse region—the Appaloosa breed’s namesake and point of origin.