The National Reined Cow Horse Association's premiere year-end event, the NRCHA Fort Dodge Animal Health Celebration of Champions, will move to San Angelo, Texas in 2009. According to NRCHA officials, the move was made in response to the growth of the showcase event, which includes the Circle Y Derby, the NRCHA World Championship Show and the NRCHA World's Greatest Horseman. 

The announcement of the move came at a press conference held in San Angelo on March 19. Justin Jonas, Executive Director of the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo Association, said, "The entire community is overwhelmingly excited and very thankful over the move of the Celebration of Champions to San Angelo.  We feel the new facilities here on the fairgrounds will deservingly showcase such a prestigious event."

February will be a month of intense activity for the San Angelo Fairgrounds.  It will also become the Million Dollar Month, as the combined payout of the San Angelo Livestock Show and Rodeo, along with the over $460,000 paid out at the Celebration of Champions, will total over $1 million. Added to the Stock Show's Premium Sale Proceeds, that total will soar to nearly $1.4 million for exhibitors to take home from San Angelo in 2009.

Sam Rose, a member of the NRCHA Board of Directors, was involved in negotiations to move the event to San Angelo's Spur Arena. "We're very excited about this new facility and the new partnership with the San Angelo community," he said, then continued, "This is the start of a new era for the Celebration of Champions, in a lot of aspects."

He noted the dates of the event for 2009. "The show will be a little bit earlier next year, beginning on January 31 and running through February 8." That date change was accommodated by the NRCHA's new dates for the competition point year, which now runs through November 15, instead of the previous end date of November 30.

Rose concluded, "The Spur Arena is a great facility - climate-controlled and with many amenities. It will be great for exhibitors and great for people who come to watch. I'm not very computer-literate but I understand they even have free high-speed internet in the stands so people can keep up with their business at the same time that they're watching the show!"  

 Although it has been a landmark in Texas arenas, the San Angelo facility has undergone a huge facelift recently. With over $10 million in upgrades and new facility construction in the past five years, it now has a total of nearly 400,000 square feet of equine, livestock and meeting space. The 320 X 250 foot arena is complimented by a 106 X 120 foot warm-up arena on each end and there is over 9,000 square feet of exhibitor/vendor space. The upstairs "skybox" Spur Club accommodates parties of up to 100 people plus the Wells Fargo Pavilion is available for meetings and receptions. Covered holding pens are located on the east side of Spur Arena and they are well lighted with water in each holding area. The horse barns boast 466 stalls with room for 300 more portable stalls, if needed.

Since its inception five years ago, the Celebration of Champions has been held at the Lone Star Arena in Stephenville, Texas. "Although we're moving this event, we recognize the Lone Star Arena, the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce and the Stephenville area sponsors for their support for the past five years," said NRCHA Sponsor Committee Chairman Carol Rose.

She continued, "Even though we'll miss our Stephenville family, we're excited about this new direction for the NRCHA Fort Dodge Animal Health Celebration of Champions. We have felt a tremendous early excitement from the San Angelo local and business community. In a joint effort between the  San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Association and the San Angelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, San Angelo has made a three-year commitment to the National Reined Cow Horse Association. We're very excited about this new partnership and we are thrilled going forward."  

The National Reined Cow Horse Association, the governing body of cow horse competition, is responsible for promoting the sport, insuring high standards of competition and educating members and the public about the history and tradition of the cow horse. Through the support of a Corporate Partner family that includes Wayne Hodges 4-Star Trailers and Outlaw Conversions, Bob's Custom Saddles, Cinch, Inc., Classic Equine, Gist Silversmiths, MD Barns, Platinum Performance, Inc., Nutrena, Quarter Horse News & Performance Horse magazine, the Peppermill Hotel/Resort, Fort Dodge West Nile Innovator, Rios of Mercedes, Merial products ULCERGARD and GASTROGARD, Great American Insurance Company and the Silver Legacy Hotel, the association works to keep the vaquero tradition alive in today's equine industry. For information on the National Reined Cow Horse Association, call 580-759-4949 or visit the NRCHA Official Web Site at www.nrcha.com. For information on the new home of the NRCHA Fort Dodge Animal Health Celebration of Champions, visit www.sanangelorodeo.com.