Versatility at the 2016 NWHA National
Championship Show!
By: Susan Havard
Versatility classes at the 2016 Nationals allowed NWHA members to show the true versatility
of our wonderful breed. We had Tennessee Walking Horses going down centerline in dressage,
walking over bridges in Trail Obstacles, pulling carts in Pleasure Driving, and more.
Gaited Dressage classes had record breaking entries in traditional and Western Dressage. We
were honored to have Robin Brueckmann judge our dressage classes. Brueckmann has earned
her USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals with achievement at every level of dressage. She has
numerous other achievements including in the area of Para-Equestrian Dressage and authored
the books “Dressage in Sidesaddle” and “When Two are One, the biog raphy of a Grand Prix
horse”. She is a USEF “S” judge and “R” Western Dressage judge and is perhaps best known for
her Grand Prix freestyles without a bridle.
Trail Obstacle tested our rider’s ability to navigate obstacles such as bridges, opening gates, backing around obstacles, ground tying and more. Equitation classes judged the rider’s skills and
communication with their horses.
The traditional Water Glass class measures how smooth your gaited horse can move by how
much water is left in your glass. Competition was stiff in this class and the judges actually
weighed the glasses to be precise.