The Southern Ohio Quarter Horse Youth Association accepts their Division II awards.

The Quarter Horse Congress National Youth Activity Team Tournament celebrated 57 years of team competition at the 2025 show, just one year younger than the Congress itself. The late OQHA Director Paul Brown came up with the idea for a tournament to allow the youth exhibitors to compete as a team and provide one or two more classes in which the youth could compete at the show. The event has grown to become the largest National Youth Activity Team Tournament competition in the world.

Showmanship, Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Hunter Under Saddle, Reining and Barrel Racing have long been staples of the contest, but over the years the contest has also added Hunt Seat Equitation and Ranch Riding to its list of events. The contest also grew to be divided into two divisions, Division I and Division II, allowing larger teams and smaller teams an equal level to compete for the tournament title. A maximum of two youth may compete for their team in a given event, and the same contestant may compete in no more than two classes in the tournament.

Southern Ohio's Division 1 Bragging rights

Stella Dorsey Kambrie Atkins, Isabella Stanley

Division I saw the Southern Ohio Quarter Horse Youth Association take the top spot. The team saw wins in Horsemanship and Hunt Seat Equitation and reserve awards in Reining, Hunter Under Saddle and Barrel Racing as well as placings in Showmanship, Western Pleasure, Reining, Barrel Racing and Hunt Seat Equitation, earning a total of 107 points.

“I feel like it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  Everyone comes together and we all work together. Usually we’re all competing against each other, but for the team we all work together. And our team is really close. We all bond really well and a lot of us have been on the team for a long time,” noted Stella Dorsey of the SOQHYA. “And it’s actually relieving, because it’s not all on you – your team can help support you.”

“It’s also really different because a lot of us don’t do any other type of team competition like school sports where you have to work on a team,” added Kambrie Atkins. “Most of us have competed solo so this is really fun. I also feel like we all grew up together and the same atmosphere and that helps us all get along really well.”

“What’s fun about NYATT is we all get to come together as a team and have all these people to support us,” added Isabella Stanley. 

These SOQHA team members had this advice for any youth member who is considering competing on an NYATT team. “Definitely do it,” said Stella. “Find a team that will lift you up and support you.”

“It can be nerve-wracking but the end of the day, it’s worth it because it’s so much fun,” Isabella added. “You’ll definitely meet a lot more friends doing it.”

Florida Wins Division II

The Florida Quarter Horse Youth Association won Division II with wins in Reining and Ranch Riding and placings in Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle, earning a total of 43 points.

Layla Delvecchio is the president of the Florida Quarter Horse Youth Association. “We don’t have a lot of All Around exhibitors in Florida because we have a lot of Hunter Jumpers and Ranch exhibitors,” she said. “So it’s a little harder to get a team and we’re usually a smaller group. For NYATT we just field whoever we can.”

Rebecca Matthesen competed on the Florida team for the second time. “I really enjoy getting to show the NYATT classes,” she said. “It’s great to have another opportunity to show in those classes, and it was before my Showmanship class, so I could practice.”

The third of five members on the Florida team who was present to help accept the team award was Brooklyn Baker. “It was my first year to be on the NYATT team and it was a lot of fun.

Florida Quarter Horse Yout Association members

Erin Duquette Tops Second NYATT Experience With A Win 

Erin Duquette

NYATT Hunter Under Saddle champion Erin Duquette enjoyed her experience representing the Ontario Quarter Horse Youth Association. “I think it’s really fun to have the team aspect of horse showing,” she said. 

“This is my second year to be on the team and it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes we get caught up in the one horse one rider and having everyone together to support each other is great.”

Georgia Cook Makes First Year Experience Count With A Win

Lone Star Quarter Horse Association NYATT champion Georgia Cook won the NYATT Western Pleasure with her horse Line Up Behind, earning her first Western Pleasure Congress title. “It was my first year to be on the team,” she said. 

“It was very fun. It’s exciting to compete with your teammates, because you’re competing for somebody else other than yourself.”

Georgia Cook

About NYATT Sponsor: Smart Points

The National Youth Activity Team Tournament is sponsored annually by the NSBA Smart Points program. In the Smart Points program, youth riders can enroll at any time and begin earning annual points toward Smart Points if they are a current NSBA member and show a horse enrolled in the NSBA Incentive Fund or enrolled in the Smart Points program. Points at breed show Dual-Approved classes or Special Event shows in Youth classes, including Novice Youth and Walk Trot classes count toward Smart Points.

“The Smart Points funds are generated from sanction fees collected from Youth classes at NSBA events,” noted NSBA Executive Director Stephanie Lynn. “It is six percent of each Youth entry fee or a minimum of $3.00 per entry. In 2024, the Smart Points program collected more than $63,000 and every penny was paid back into Smart Points at the end of the year.” Since Smart Points began, the program has paid out an impressive $805,020.30.

To learn more about Smart Points or enroll in the program, visit nsba.com/smart-points.

Smart Points is just one of the youth programs available to NSBYA members. Be sure to check out the NSBA Youth Scholarship, Youth Of The Year/Susan Scott Memorial Scholarship, Youth Team Tournament held at the NSBA World Championship Show and leadership opportunities for youth who can participate as an NSBYA officer or director.

To learn more about youth programs, visit nsba.com/youth.

The 2025 All American Quarter Horse Congress continues through Sunday, October 26. To view complete show results, the live video feed in various arenas or the upcoming schedule, please visit quarterhorsecongress.com or the Horse Show Tracker app.

About NSBA

Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.

National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.

To learn more about NSBA, please visit nsba.com.