If you are in the market for action, thrills and a terrific time with horses, check out the Ultimate Futurity, a brave new Arabian stock horse competition - the brainchild of South Dakota Arabian horseman, Elise Ulmer. Ulmer spent a great deal of time listening to her fellow owners and trainers regarding that burning question … "How do we get more horses involved in the reining, cutting and working cow classes?"

“The Ultimate Futurity was created in an attempt to raise interest in Arabian and half-Arabian stock horses,” Ulmer said. “Those of us that breed, train and show Arabian reining, working cow, cutting and general ranch horses want to see the numbers and competition grow in our classes at the horse shows. We want to offer more to the open trainers that train other breeds. It would be great to get them interested in showing Arabians as well as Quarter horses. I know that we can create some fun, lucrative shows that will soon become a ‘must go’ for everyone riding in these events."

The Ultimate Futurity began last year as a single show and has expanded to an “add-on” for two different shows this year. The first was held in conjunction with the Lincoln, NE, Arabian show May 13-15, and the second will be a part of the Region 4 Show in Nampa, Idaho, June 20-25. A large part of the appeal of these classes is the fancy amounts of purse money generated by interest and entry numbers.

“At least 75% of the entry fees are jackpotted back into the classes,” Ulmer said. “The Futurity really helped the Lincoln show entries. Before they had maybe ten horses in the reining and cutting and this year there were 57 ‘goes’. We’re able to provide the prize money at that level because we don’t pay for a facility and we use one of the show’s judges as a designated Ultimate Futurity Judge. We use the NRHA Schedule B payout schedule and there are some nice prizes as well, Bob Berg belt buckles for first place winners and Lake Wear Embroidered Vests for second place winners.”

Eleanor’s Arabians is a prime example of the kind of involved exhibitor the Ultimate Futurity attracts. Three of Eleanor Hamilton’s horses did quite well at the Ultimate Futurity in Lincoln. Cruisin On The River ridden by Rod Matthiesen for Eleanor won $500 in the Arabian Reining Futurity Open, Sheza Melody Jac, ridden by Gary Ferguson for Hamilton, won $1,192.50 in the HA Reining Futurity Open and CMS Little Sierra, owned and shown by Hamilton, won $400 in the HA Reining Maturity Non-Pro.

“This is exactly what all of the Arabian horse industry needs. Real innovative thinking and lots of action!” said Hamilton, president of the ARHA and a real advocate of hands-on promotion and showing. At 75-years-young Hamilton is still actively exhibiting reiners and is justifiably proud of pointing out to everyone that “…if I can do this at my age, anybody can do it!”