Popular summer horse show canceled over concerns about 'unrest'

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Mar. 4—The Minnesota Amateur Quarter Horse Association has pulled the plug on this summer's annual horse show, citing concerns about a repeat of last year's violent unrest following the death of George Floyd.

The event, called the Corporate Challenge, was to have been held July 7-11 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.

MAQHA officials said that as they worked to finalize plans for the event, "uncertainty over unrest and events in our city began to overshadow those efforts." The news was shared Tuesday in a Facebook post.

"Minneapolis is a great city, and Minnesota is a great state, but it just doesn't feel that way right now," said Brenda Stevermer, the show's committee chairwoman. "It just doesn't feel Minnesota-nice."

National Guard troops and hundreds of law enforcement officers will converge on the Minneapolis area during the trial of Derek Chauvin, one of the former Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd's death. Chauvin, who was fired, is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Jury selection in his trial is scheduled to begin Monday; opening statements are scheduled for March 29.

About 400 to 500 people from around the U.S. and Canada annually attend the horse show, now in its 25th year.

"If all they see is what is on the national news, that's what frames their perception," Stevermer said. "We see the barricades going up; we see the barbed wire going up. If you're thinking of bringing your family to this event, that's concerning."

The association did not want to incur the costs of hosting the event when the "unknowns are just so great," Stevermer said. "That national perception is not going to heal in just a few months. It's just the unknown for the potential for civil unrest and the inability to control how it affects us."

Also concerning, Stevermer said, is the rise in violent crime in the Twin Cities over the past year, especially in the number of carjackings.

There were 25 carjackings reported from the start of the year through mid-February in St. Paul, compared with three during the same period last year, according to St. Paul police. In Minneapolis, police say there were 405 carjackings last year, a 301 percent increase over 2019.

The MAQHA plans to bring the the Corporate Challenge back in 2022.

"We are committed to seeking a path to unity, engagement and compassion to build back our community," officials wrote in the Facebook post.