About the AQHYA Racing Skillathon Contest

Racing enthusiasts are challenged to learn about Quarter Horse Racing and test their knowledge in the online Racing Skillathon Contest.  The contest is free and open to anyone in the world to take online; AQHA memberships is not required and there are no age restrictions.  Participants will study the resources in the course and then will take an online test that will be open for a limited time each year - around October.  Questions are multiple choice, true/false, and short essay.  Contest certificates will be provided. 

Youth applying for the National Racing Experience are required to complete the Racing Skillathon Contest, and their results will count toward their selection and cumulative total in the program.

  • Kendall Dirksen, 2022 YRE Participant

    "The National Youth Racing Experience absolutely helped me to better understand the capacities and sheer abilities of the Quarter Horse and learn more about the people involved, AQHA itself, and skills I will continue to use in my future."

  • Mimi Cate Copeland, 2022 YRE Participant

    "My trainer was great and did such a phenomenal job helping me learn, answering my questions, and showing me how it's done. It was really phenomenal being on the backside, learning about what the trainers do, how much they do, how much they train, how much work they put into their horse, and how much they care for their horses. It was phenomenal - I loved every single second of it."

  • Gracie Potter, 2022 YRE Participant

    "I wanted to expand my horizons and learn about something that isn't just the show industry, and now I can definitely see over the hill. I've learned the day-to-day activities of making these great horses and seen the training that amazing people put in and that they really care about their horses."

Course Outline

  • 1

    Welcome

    • Welcome to the 2022 AQHYA Racing Skillathon!
  • 2

    Racing Skillathon Resources

    • American Quarter Horse Racing History

    • AQHA Racing Skillathon Study Resources

    • How to Read a Race Sale Catalog

    • Race Sale Catalogs Glossary

    • Yearling Markup Example
  • 3

    Racing Skillathon

    • Youth Racing Skillathon

    • REQUIRED for National Racing Experience Applicants - Essay Question