By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Flashing lights and whooping audiences are a welcome sight for the high-stepping action of gaited horses making their way to Indianapolis for the All-American Horse Classic Sept. 4-8.

And action really does speak louder than words, as nearly 750 of the country’s most elite American Saddlebreds and Hackney ponies compete for over $400,000 in national championship titles.

“Horses from the east coast, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Tennessee, just to name a few, will compete at the All-American, which has been an annual event in Indy for over 20 years now,” said Dee McNealy, volunteer and publicity coordinator for the show. “And we’re proud to say it’s also the largest horse show in the state.”

Regarded as Indiana’s premier equine competition, more than 350 exhibitors will display the action and elegance of their show-winning Saddlebreds and Hackney ponies in pleasure, driving, three-gaited and five-gaited classes throughout the week.

According to McNealy, three-gaited classes include the walk, trot and canter gaits, while the five-gaited classes are the basic three gaits plus two man-made gaits, the slow gait and the rack. McNealy describes the slow gait as a slower lateral gait pushing the horse forward from the back. The rack, according to McNealy, is very similar to the slow gait, only the horse carries itself “at speed,” meaning the horse is moving fairly quickly.

Saddlebred show-stoppers will begin to enter the arena on Sept. 4 as exhibitors compete in the coveted All-American Cup, the weanling futurity beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Pepsi Coliseum.
“Tuesday night is our weanling futurity, the All-American Cup, it’s a big money class and everyone looks forward to seeing who will win,” added McNealy. “I believe we will have around 65 entries from all across the country.”

McNealy said this event truly begins with an auction in January as consignors donate stud services that will eventually be the produced weanlings or babies shown in the All-American Cup. All money collected through the auction will then be used as the prize money for the weanling futurity, adding up to $200,000 for this year’s class, McNealy said.

Other festivities on the evening of the All-American Cup include a live orchestra, vocalist, special exhibitions and celebrity appearances.

Traditional classes will begin the following day, on Sept. 5, with American Saddlebreds and Hackney ponies competing at all levels.
The Sept. 7-8 schedule will focus on championship events and award national titles.

Shining the spotlight on youth, Saturday morning will begin with the National Pleasure Equitation Championships for ages 17 and under.

The festivities and championship classes will conclude on Saturday evening with the Saddlebred National Sweepstakes, Amateur and Open Championships and Carriage Driving offering a prestigious purse of $130,000. Qualifications for the championship classes will take place earlier in the week, according to McNealy.

As a free event open to the public, the equine extravaganza will also feature Children’s Fest on Sept. 8 with face painting, a petting zoo featuring miniature horses and stick horse decorating.

“In fact, the show will actually stop on Saturday evening and the children will show the stick horses they decorated in their very own class in the Coliseum,” said McNealy. “This is a day for the whole family and we hope the general public will make their way to the Fairgrounds to see why we think these horses are so special.”

For more information and details about the show, visit www.allamericanhorseclassic.com