Pinto World Championship Happening At Tulsa Fairgrounds Brings People From Across The Country

The Pinto World Championship Show has taken over the Tulsa Fairgrounds for the next two weeks.

"We are going to have 48 to 50 states here," said Darrell Bilke, CEO of the Pinto Horse Association. "We will have people from Canada, and Mexico, and there will be some people from Germany."

He said the event is estimated to have a $30 million economic impact on the city. The show has been held in Tulsa since 1990 and has over 700 different classes with nearly 8,000 entries. Brent Harnish, owner of Harnish Performance Horses out of Great Bend, Indiana, has been bringing his horses to the Pinto World Championship Show for 25 years.

This year he has 13 horses competing and the riders range in age from 10 years old to 60 years old.

Harnish and his wife have been training, showing, and breeding Pinto horses for nearly half a century. He said the breed has a great disposition making them perfect for shows.

"I think the biggest intrigue is the color of them," he said. "There are no two that look alike."

Ella Kate Herman, 13, said she enjoys getting to do this in her home arena.

"All horses can be good or bad, but it is just fun," she said. "They are really pretty, and they are different than a lot of horses."

Herman started showing horses when she was only 4-years-old following in her father's footsteps.

"The Herman family that is here locally, the whole family is here showing so it is a family affair," said Bilke.

Herman is hoping to leave with a few World Championships. "I am doing all of the classes for 13 and under and I have a colored horse, too, that I am showing," she said.

In order to compete in the Pinto World Championship the horse must be registered with the Pinto Horse Association. Buckles, ribbons, chairs, rose garlands, and saddles will be awarded to the winners in each class.

The Pinto World Championship is free to attend and runs through June 22nd inside the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex.