Hold your horses, it’s the 2024 Grand National Horseman Association Finals

Horse riders this week saddled up for the 51st annual Grand National Horseman Association Finals at the Comanche County Fairgrounds Expo Building.

The event lasts all week and this year’s showcase involves 119 riders from ages 4-88.

Altus native Kandy Medlock, her daughter, and two grandkids are all involved in the games at GNHA. Medlock said that having three generations involved at once is truly special and that she’s “grateful for the opportunity.”

People of all ages come to the Comanche County Expo building every year to get involved in the Grand National Horseman Association Finals. The finals are a culmination of seven different districts of horse riders in Northern Texas and Oklahoma that come together once a year to compete in different events. This year was low for registration, but they still managed to get 119 riders, according to GNHA Vice President Cynthia Pharris.

Pharris was around GNHA when it first started putting on shows, joining the group as a rider in 1975 and being named GNHA Queen in 1985. Following this major accomplishment, Pharris had gotten into a nasty car wreck and broke her neck and took a break from riding for years. Eventually, Pharris became interested in the sport again, and decided to give it another shot. In 2010, she came back to GNHA and has been riding with family and friends since.

Six-year-old Ali Muller rides one of the tallest horses at the competition and was able to get fourth place in the flagpole races in the Peanut Division on Tuesday. She’s shy, but her grandma Glenda Scott explained how important riding is to her, and how it got her out of a tough situation. After dealing with some issues in her home life, Scott offered to take Muller in and take care of her.

“She wouldn’t talk to anyone but a pink horse toy she had when she was 3,” said Scott. “That horse got her to break out of her shell and now horses are her whole life.”

The GNHA Finals are going on through Saturday with different competitions and events starting at 8 a.m. daily. The awards banquet and coronation of the GNHA Queen will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, followed by a dance.