OAQHA Provincial Championship

The OAQHA Challenge has been renamed to the Provincial Championship. This event will bring together the top Non-Pros across all age divisions (Youth/Amateur/Select) to face-off on a highly challenging pattern. The Championship Finals will offer some of the best prizes and payback of the season to recognize the success, hard work, and dedication of our exhibitors.

The Championship Finals will be held during the OQHA Summer Finale show in Ancaster, Ontario over Labour Day weekend. While this is where the Championship comes to a peak, it’s truly a season-long initiative. Each regional (Area Promotional Club) show in the province of Ontario will serve as a qualifying event where the top scoring horse/rider combinations will earn an invitation to the Finals. Keep reading below to learn more about qualification.

The events offered will be Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Hunt Seat Equitation. Your opportunity to qualify will run concurrently with your Youth, Amateur, or Select class. 25 total exhibitors will be invited to compete in the Finals.

The Provincial Championship was built with several objectives in mind, key goals as follows:

Support Affiliates/Regional Weekend Shows

Promote participation at regional affiliate shows by advertising as a qualifying event
Promote participation at the OQHA Summer Finale, positioning this show as a Provincial Championship to attract all of Ontario’s finest, while also encouraging participation from beyond Ontario
Reduce attrition - give our longstanding exhibitors a reason to show on Canadian soil against the level of competition they crave

Encourage Goal Setting Among Non-Pros

Encourage L1 exhibitors to step up into their Youth/Amateur/Select class at the weekend shows to help support the shows and class sizes
Give exhibitors something to strive for, and push themselves outside of typical comfort zones with challenging patterns and more diverse competition in the Finals

Prepare Canadian Exhibitors for the Fall Majors

Give exhibitors something to strive for, and push themselves outside of typical comfort zones with challenging patterns and more diverse competition in the Finals
Provide a highly competitive environment different from the typical weekend show for exhibitors to prepare for upcoming trips to Congress, World Show, etc.
Increase exposure for our exhibitors - use online channels to put Canada on the map, showcasing our top talent

Qualification

One of the key goals of the Provincial Championship is to promote participation at the regional (Area Promotional Club) shows throughout the province of Ontario. Each regional show will serve as a qualifying event.

25 exhibitors will compete in the Finals, by invitation only. To get to this number, 3 qualifiers will be taken from the following 7 events.

Qualifying Events

Area 2 Spring Kick-off, Ancaster: May 4-7th
Area 3 Spring Classic, Lindsay: May 19-22nd
Area 1 Sunsational Summer Circuit, Ilderton: June 1-4th
Northern Lights QHA, Dryden: June 30-July 2nd
Area 3 Summerama, Lindsay: July 1-4th
EOQHA Summer Sizzler, Carp: August 3-6th
Borderland QHA, Emo: August 4-7th

Total number of qualifiers from these events = 21

Once a horse/rider combination has qualified, they are in. This means that if a qualified exhibitor earns another Top 3 score at a later show in the season, the 4th highest scoring exhibitor will receive an invitation, etc.

Standby List

A standby list will be kept of the next highest scores of horse/rider combinations not currently qualified. At least four exhibitors from the standby list will qualify for the Championship.

The standby list will also be used to fill unused spots in the final so that we have 25 shown in each event. (ie. If a qualifier is unable to attend the event, the next highest score on the standby list would be qualified).

The standby list will be updated after each qualifying event and sorted from highest average score to lowest. Your score on the standby list will be your best weekend score of the season on a per-qualifying event basis.

Score Tabulation

To ensure a level playing-field exhibitors must show in the Level 3 class in their division (ie. Amateur, Select, Youth) to qualify for the Provincial Championships. Scores will be tabulated using the judge’s scores from the Level 3 at each of the qualifying circuits.

For circuits with 3 or more judges, scores will be tabulated by taking the average of the exhibitor’s scores over the course of the circuit. The exhibitor’s lowest score will be dropped from the tabulation.

For circuits with 2 or less judges (ie. Area 7 shows) scores will be tabulated by taking the average of the exhibitor’s scores. The lowest score will not be dropped.

Ties

Ties will be broken by calculating the average placings of the exhibitors. The exhibitor who placed higher on average over the course of a circuit will be qualified. The tied exhibitor who loses the tie-breaker will be placed at the top of the standby list.

The Finals

Pattern Selection

The intent of the Provincial Championship is to encourage our exhibitors to step up their game and compete on patterns more challenging than typically seen at an Ontario show.

To select the patterns in an unbiased fashion an AQHA professional horseperson who is not a stakeholder in Ontario will be asked to create and provide the pattern.

The person selecting the patterns will be given the following parameters:

Patterns are to be World Show quality (the person selecting the pattern will be given 2022 OAQHA Challenge patterns as a guide)
Patterns must fit nicely in the Ancaster Fairgrounds Arena

Timing

The Provincial Championship is schedule to run throughout the schedule of the OQHA Summer Finale Show in Ancaster, Ontario at the following times:

Equitation: Thursday August 31st, last class of the day
Horsemanship: Friday September 1st, last class of the day
Showmanship: Saturday September 2nd, last Showmanship class (before lunch break)

Show management reserves the right to amend the show schedule as required.

Provincial Championship FAQs

Will there be a buy-in option for 2023?

OAQHA does not plan to offer a buy-in option for 2023. While this was a nice way to boost payback in 2022, one of the key goals is to promote participation at regional (Area Promotional Club) shows throughout the season. For this reason, you are not required to compete at all qualifying events to earn a spot in the Finals but the only way to get in is through competing and earning a top score at one of the qualifying events.

If I qualify two horses can I show both in the Finals?

While the Finals are non-sanctioned, AQHA rules will be followed. For this reason, you can only show one horse in the Finals. If an exhibitor qualifies multiple horses, you may choose which one you would like to show in the Finals. An additional horse/rider combination will be invited from the Standby List to fill the spot.

If one horse qualifies with two exhibitors, can both show in the Finals?

While the Finals are non-sanctioned, AQHA rules will be followed. For this reason, only one exhibitor can show a horse in the Finals. If a horse qualifies with multiple exhibitors, you may choose which exhibitor will show in the Finals. An additional horse/rider combination will be invited from the Standby List to fill the spot.

Can I compete in the Finals with a different horse than who I qualified with?

All qualification invitations will be on a one horse/one rider basis. You must compete in the Finals on the horse with which you qualified.

If I don’t live in Ontario, can I qualify and compete?

Absolutely! We encourage exhibitors from surrounding provinces and states to come to Ontario and show. Ontario has great facilities, competition, and shows and would love to share this with exhibitors from elsewhere.

Do I need to be an OQHA/OAQHA member to qualify and compete?

No. While OAQHA encourages you to consider a membership, the goal is to ensure that those who qualify and earn a spot in the Finals are eligible to compete, attracting the best of the best to the Summer Finale show. There is no requirement nor fee to be eligible to qualify, as long as you show at one of the qualifying events. Note that the Finals registration fee will be discounted for OQHA members, so if it’s something you’re considering the value should outweigh the cost!

CQHA membership is required but free and easy to sign up online at https://cqha.ca/home/register/.

Can I qualify through my Level 1 class?

No, however we do thoroughly encourage Level 1 eligible exhibitors to step up and work toward competing in the Provincial Championship Finals. There will be special awards and recognition for the high placing Level 1 exhibitors in the Finals.

The reason that Level 1 scores will not be included in the qualification averages are twofold:

Level Playing Field - Since the patterns are typically different for the L1 and L3 divisions, the average scores would not be ‘apples to apples’. Since not all exhibitors are eligible for L1 but all are eligible for L3, it will be the L3 (Youth/Amateur/Select) scores used to ensure fairness.
Promote Participation - It helps the show and Ontario QH community to have larger class sizes. Larger L3 classes will help more Ontario horses to earn AQHA Lifetime Achievement Awards such as World Show Qualification, ROMs, Superiors, Versatilities, AQHA Champions, etc. We encourage those who are L1 eligible to step up and show in their respective L3 division in order to qualify for the Championship Finals.

What happens once I’ve qualified?

Once you’re in, you’re in! If you qualify a second time, we will move down the list and invite the next high score. All qualifiers will be spotlighted via the OAQHA Social Media and website throughout the season after each qualifying event. A key goal is to increase exposure and recognition for exhibitors and their horses.

The registration link will be sent to all qualifiers. There will be a deadline to register such that individuals from the standby list can be invited based on registrations received.

We do encourage all qualifiers to book their stall at the Summer Finale ASAP to avoid disappointment.

If I’m on the Standby List, what are my chances of getting in?

25 will compete in the Finals. Since 21 horse/rider pairs will be invited through the qualifying events, a minimum of four spots will remain open for exhibitors on the Standby List. Additional exhibitors will be invited from the Standby List dependent on registration. Several exhibitors will qualify from the Standby List, so be sure to keep a close eye on where you stand!

Can spectators come watch the Provincial Championship Finals?

Absolutely! We had many spectators last year, and hope to see more in 2023. The Championship Finals will showcase the best of the best in their respective events. It’s a great opportunity to watch, learn, and set goals.

There will be no fee to spectate. Finals are scheduled throughout the showbill of the OQHA Summer Finale Show in Ancaster, Ontario at the following times:

Equitation: Thursday August 31st, last class of the day
Horsemanship: Friday September 1st, last class of the day
Showmanship: Saturday September 2nd, last Showmanship class (before lunch break)

Show management reserves the right to amend the show schedule as required.

Thank you to all who made the event a success!