In a State News article, (“Equestrian rides toward world fame, championship,” SN 10/12) we are never told what Hanchett is a champion in. As a former competitive rider myself, I can tell you that there are roughly 1,001 events that you can compete in. The huge number of divisions can get complicated.

First, you would need to select one breed association’s circuit - a circuit is a set of horse shows. You can select from the quarter horse circuit, the Arabian circuit, the paint horse circuit or one of 20 to 30 more associations. Once you are involved in a circuit, you would have to select an event to compete in. There is Western pleasure, horsemanship, equitation, halter, jumping, reining, barrel-racing and many, many more. Some circuits then further break up the events into age groups. Twelve and under, 14 to 18, or 19 and up are typical divisions.

Therefore, Hanchett could have competed in any different combinations of age group, breed organization or event. I personally would have found this information valuable in the initial article.

Janna Krajci
agriculture and natural resources communication junior