Riders start competition, celebrate GNHA finals’ 50th anniversary

There was a different spin to the T-shirts riders wore at the Grand National Horseman Association finals this year.

Sure, district pride is an important part to the competition. Hence the array of maroon, green. purple, blue, gray and orange and black shirts people wore that corresponded to their district. But this year, all T-shirts featured the same design.

It was to celebrate the GNHA finals’ 50th anniversary.

Tuesday was the first of five competition days for the GNHA. Children and adults from Oklahoma and Texas participated in the festivities held at the Great Plains Coliseum Annex

“We have 134 riders,” GNHA president J.C. Harrison said. “Seven districts. The riders range from 3 years old to 87.”

Bowtie was the only game held Tuesday. Spur and flagpoles will be contested Wednesday, flags and potato race on Thursday, barrels and pylons on Friday and poles on Saturday.

GNHA queen candidate Ashlynn Higginbotham competed in the juniors division. It is her third finals. She said it has helped her grow in horsemanship skills and life.

“Since I because a candidate, I’ve gotten to know a lot more people than I did before,” Higginbotham said. “It has helped me get out of my comfort zone and make a lot of new friends.”

A couple hundred people watched the competition that lasted from 8:30 a.m. to mid-afternoon. Huge circular fans hooked up to water spigots helped bystanders fight off the heat. People brought lawn chairs, hammocks, coolers and cushions helped elevate the spectator experience. The finals are free to attend.

“There’s a lot that goes into organizing one of these events,” Harrison said. “We have seven districts that make up our Grand National Horseman Association. If it wasn’t for those districts and their secretaries and my secretary and my vice president, these events would be almost impossible to pull off.”

Kiley Reece had an extra element to combat the heat inside the barn — the hat, gloves and sash of the reigning GNHA queen.

When she wasn’t competing, she made rounds among spectators visiting with children and adults. She said making connections younger kids was important to her.

“I remember whenever I was a little girl, I’ve been doing this for over ten years, I always wanted to be the queen,” Reece said. “Some of my best friends were the queen. They are older now. They already have kids of their own. But I play with their kids because that’s what they did with me.”

Reece, 16, said she is proud to help carry the 50-year tradition that those before her established.

“All associations have their ups and downs…we’ve kept this going for 50 years,” Reece said. “It’s like a big family reunion every year.”