Historic Pitchfork Ranch Manager to Judge Canada's

Richest Ranch Horse Competition!

Robert H. Moorhouse, General Manager and Vice-President Pitchfork Land and Cattle Co.

(Louisville, KY - March 28, 2001) - Robert H. (Bob) Moorhouse, General Manager and Vice-President of the historic Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company, spanning 180,000 acres in Texas and Kansas, will judge Canada's richest ranch horse competition in 2001. The NAERIC Ranch Horse Classic Competition and Sale -"A 'Quest' for the Best", offering $10,000 guaranteed in cash prizes, will take place Saturday, October 20, 2001, at the Calgary Stampede Grounds, in Calgary, Alberta.

Moorhouse, a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Business, is extremely qualified to judge this prestigious event. In the first four years of the Working Ranch Horse Competition National Finals, Moorhouse won the event twice and was reserve champion once. He has judged several working ranch horse competitions in the United States.

Aside from his 25-year role as manager of the Pitchfork Ranch, Moorhouse also serves on the boards of directors of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers, American Quarter Horse Association, Fort Worth Stock Show, Working Ranch Cowboys' Association, Ranch Horse Association of America, and is a member of Texas Tech University's Horse Committee.

Moorhouse said, "I was pleased to accept the invitation to judge this ranch horse competition. It will be my first visit to Alberta and my first opportunity to judge ranch horses in Canada. I agreed because I like to see good horses. Judging this event will give me a good opportunity to see how Canadian ranch horses compare to our horses back home. Here at the Pitchfork Ranch, horses are our working tools that we ride every day. Horses are also my hobby; I ride them in the evenings to fine tune them."

Ayerst Veterinary Laboratories is once again the honored sponsor of the 2001 open competition designed to identify and reward the well broke, versatile and athletic all-around ranch horse. Regular veterinary care, deworming and vaccination play a pivotal role in the performance of all horses. Ayerst is proud to contribute to the health of ranch horses across North America with its equine products, such as Quest Gel T dewormer, Pinnacle I.N. T intranasal strangles vaccine and Pneumabort ® K+1b rhino-abortion vaccine.

The competition will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on October 20, 2001. All horses are required to sell at the auction following the competition. This is an open competition; you do not need to be a NAERIC member, nor ride a NAERIC horse to be eligible to compete. All entries must be postmarked by August 1, 2001, to be considered for the competition.

Each competitor will have eight (8) minutes to complete a course consisting of eleven (11) judged elements, tasks typically expected of working ranch horses. Horses must be four (4) years of age or older as of January 1, 2001 (i.e. foals of 1997 and earlier are eligible). The nomination fee for the competition is $200.00 (CAD), which includes the consignment fee for the sale.

Prize money is guaranteed at $10,000.00 (CAD), paid out as follows:

1st place - $5,000.00 Guaranteed; 2nd place - $2,500.00 Guaranteed; 3rd place - $1,500.00 Guaranteed

4th place - $1,000.00 Guaranteed; 5th place - $500.00 Guaranteed

The NAERIC Incentive Program will double any purses earned by horses registered with NAERIC. This program matches, dollar for dollar up to $1 million, monies that have been awarded to qualified horses when they compete in events sanctioned by NAERIC.

For competition nomination forms, sale consignment forms or complete details about the NAERIC Ranch Horse Classic competition, visit the NAERIC web site at www.naeric.org or contact event manager, Ken Budvarson, R.R. #1, Markerville, Alberta, T0M 1M0, Telephone: (403) 728-3493, or E-mail: barukay@telusplanet.net.

The 2001 NAERIC Ranch Horse Classic Sale will begin at 1:00 p.m. on October 20, 2001. Ranch horse prospects that are two-years-old or older will be accepted to complement the competition horses. There is a consignment fee of $100.00 (CAD) for each prospect horse consigned. This is an open sale; you need not be a NAERIC member, nor consign a NAERIC prospect horse to be eligible to compete. All consignments must be postmarked by August 1, 2001, to be approved and selected for the sale. All horses purchased at the sale have a four (4) day money-back guarantee.

Perlich Brothers Auction Market Ltd., of Lethbridge, Alberta, will manage the auction sale. A commission of 6% of the final bid will be assessed on all horses. As the date for the event nears, the competition and sale horses can be viewed on-line at: www.northernhorse.com/naeric/ranchhorseclassic.

The promoter of this ranch horse competition is the North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC), a non-profit association of equine ranchers engaged in the collection of pregnant mares' urine (PMU). NAERIC serves as an agribusiness resource for the latest science on ranch management, equine care, breeding practices and marketing programs. The council is dedicated to ensuring that the NAERIC brand represents the highest quality attainable.