An Interview with Int. Director Helmut Schmaus-Gerstenberg
Kreuth (Germany), March 7-13, 2010
One one more week until the first entry deadline for the 2010 NRHA European Futurity. The mega reining event is scheduled for March 7 to 13, 2010 at the Kreuth facility in Germany. Until January 15, all 4-year-old reining horses can be entered for the $ 251,000 added NRHA European Futurity. Later entries are accepted as well but then a late fee is added (the amount of which depends on when the horse is entered). We talked with Helmut Schmaus-Gerstenberg (Int. Director of Reining Germany) about the show.
Mr Schmaus-Gerstenberg, this will be the second NRHA European Futurity. How many competitors do you expect?
Schmaus-Gerstenberg: We expect about 350 horses and lots of top competitors including last year’s champions Bernard Fonck and Claudio Risso as well as 2009 World Reining Masters Champion and NRHA World Champion Open Rudi Kronsteiner.Which is understandable as the purse of the NRHA European Futurity is considerable....
Schmaus-Gerstenberg: Yes, but there is an additional advantage as well. The NRHA European Futurity offers the chance of competing in four levels each in Open and Non Pro. Which means the chance of four Futurity Champion titles. The important thing here is, that riders and horses of the same level compete – and for attractive purses in all levels. So, competing in the NRHA European Futurity is also attractive for riders who would not like to ride against the ‘Big Guys’ like Bernard Fonck.
And the entry fees are attractive as well. For instance, an open competitor in Level 1 and 2 only pays EUR 300....
Schmaus-Gerstenberg: That’s correct, but then this competitor will only rank in level 1 and 2 of course. If he or she wants to enter the open Level 3 and 4 ranking as well, that entry fee of EUR 1000 will have to be paid on top.
This year and during the next two years, the NRHA European Futurity is open to all horses. Starting in 2013, only horses are entitle to compete that have been nominated in the NRHA European Futurity Program. The first foal crop is the 2009 crop. How many foals have been nominated so far?
Schmaus-Gerstenberg: It is still too early for first statistics, as the dead line is in threee months. The introduction of the nomination program was an important step to make the NRHA European Futurity more independent from sponsoring money.
One question: You have to enter the foals born in 2009 until March 31, 2010, if you want to pay the lowest possible fee. But the entry deadline for the NRHA Futurity / Derby in the U.S.A. already was on December 31, 2009. Does that mean that horses nominated in March are not entitled to compete in NRHA Futurity in the U.S.?
Schmaus-Gerstenberg: No. The deadline of December 31 only applies to horses born outside of Europe. For horses born in Europe that have to be nominated for the NRHA European Futurity Program, the deadline is March 31, 2010, and then these European born horses are entitled to compete both in the NRHA European Futurity and the NRHA Futurity and Derby.
Foal Nomination:
Nick Cornelissens, Englselei 84, 2140 Borgerhout, Belgium, Phone +32(0) 477 57 25 89, E-mail nick@nrha.com, Fax: 001 405 946 8425
Information and Nomination NRHA European Futurity:
Eventomania UG, Birgit Seubert, Bergstr 12, 85080 Gaimersheim, Germany Phone +49 8458 – 331155 Fax +49 8458 – 331156; email seubert@eventomania.com; www.nrha-european-futurity.de. |
