EA Echstravagant poses with all the proud haughtiness one might associate with highly paid fashion models, earning appreciative nods and murmurs from a small group of onlookers.
Jerry Schall is showing off the stallion outside a barn at Regina Exhibition Park.
One woman comments that the horse has lost some weight while at the Canadian National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championships, also known as the Royal Red.
The horse is lean but beautiful. That’s what draws many locals to watch the competition, held in Regina each August.
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They’re also interested in the elaborately decorated and furnished stalls, which contain entire living room suites including large screen televisions and wet bars set on sod floors.
A record 1,125 horses, mostly from the United States, competed this year in halter, dressage, reining, native costume and several other classes.
Echstravagant was named grand champion futurity stallion during competition Aug. 22.
“It’s like winning the Super Bowl,” Schall said. “It means everything.”
Echstravagant is owned by Midcrest Crown Jewel Partners of Enumclaw, Washington. It was shown by Schall’s brother, Jeff.
“Winning here is proof that (the horses) are the best of the best,” Schall said.
Echstravagant’s win means the stallion will be in demand to breed Arabian mares and produce the high-quality offspring that the owners want.
Some of them may even compete in Regina one day. The city signed a new contract in April that will see the show return for the next five years.
Organizers estimate the show brings $10 million into Regina each year.
