Tulsa holiday circuit brings quarter horses, family together
BY DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
Sunday, December 30, 2012
12/30/12 at 5:54 AM
For quarter horse enthusiasts, coming to Tulsa this time of year is a holiday tradition.
The Tulsa Holiday Winter Circuit, being held at Expo Square's Ford Truck Arena and Mustang Arena through Monday, has brought about 500 quarter horses to the city from states such as California, Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio.
The competition features the horses being put through their paces in a variety of events meant to demonstrate the "versatility of the American quarter horse," said Cara Walker, one of the owners of the show.
Walker said the event was originally created as a holiday season alternative to traveling all the way to Florida to find a similar competition.
Roy Neathery of Klondike, Texas, said he has come to Tulsa between eight to 10 times for the Tulsa Holiday Winter Circuit. While Neathery wasn't thrilled with how his horse was faring Saturday, he said that he has forged friendships with his fellow quarter horse owners and trainers.
Jack Foreman of Bixby said he regularly attends the event and that its spot on the calendar between Christmas and New Year's Day allows a lot of families to attend together.
Kari Williams of Piqua, Ohio, is part of a four-generation line of quarter horse aficionados. She said she and her husband, Chad, train about 15 horses and also manage and own horse shows as well.
Williams, who is the show secretary for the Tulsa event, said the quarter horse circuit is different from sports in which huge amounts of money are awarded to the most successful competitors.
"It's the enjoyment of it," Williams said of the attraction of such shows.
To city slickers, some of the events taking place at Expo Square this long holiday weekend may look like a rodeo.
However, Walker said the key distinction is that horse shows like this feature judged events, whereas rodeos typically emphasize a series of timed events.
Jordan Zinser of Mounds said that training a horse to compete in a show like this is a never-ending process. He said it is rewarding to see a horse develop to the point where it doesn't need to be reminded what to do.
"You see that progression and teach them exactly what they need to know," Zinser said.
Admission is free for the event, which is scheduled to run from around 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday and around 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.
Original Print Headline: Holiday show brings quarter horses, family together
David Harper 918-581-8359
david.harper@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Clay Logan ropes a cow as Rodney Shaw watches from the chute during the Tulsa Holiday Winter Circuit horse show at Expo Square on Saturday. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
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