The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has announced the schedule for the 2009 ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge. The events currently scheduled for 2009 range from March to November, and are set to be held at various shows across the country.

The ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge, funded by Elisabeth Goth, was developed to promote the American Saddlebred driving divisions among junior exhibitors. Competitors 17 years of age and under are adding driving to their horsemanship portfolios as horse shows add Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge classes to their class list.

This program was designed with the intention of promoting both good sportsmanship and driving skills with ASHA youth members. All horses winning a ribbon in two official qualifying classes in their division are eligible to compete at the finals, which will be held in 2009 at the American Royal Horse Show in Kansas City, KS, November 17-21. Custom trophies and ribbons are offered in qualifying events, with $10,000 in cash and prizes available at the finals.

To view participation and eligibility rules, please visit the ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge page. To view the complete 2009 ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge schedule, visit www.asha.net/2009DrivingChallengeSchedule.

To include an ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge qualifying class to a show, have the show secretary or manager contact Brenda Newell at (859) 259-2742, ext. 343, or by email at [email protected].