PRESS RELEASE
November 6, 2023
Contact: Lauren Rogers
Director of Communications, Tulsa Regional Tourism
laurenrogers@visittulsa.com
C: 918.810.6585
Tulsa, Okla. – The 2023 Color Breed Congress is underway at Expo Square through Saturday, Nov. 11 hosted by the Pinto Horse Association of America, inc. (PtHA). The event features over 500 classes for all disciplines, attracting an estimated 2,000 attendees.
“Color Breed Congress is a unique show we love to host each year because it combines various equine divisions–which translates to more entries across the board,” said Renee McKenney, senior vice president of tourism for the Tulsa Regional Chamber and president of Tulsa Regional Tourism. “This year’s event is even more exciting because the PtHA has increased the total awards available from $90,000 to $200,000, which we know has increased interest in competitors.”
The event showcases participants from multiple breeds and divisions, including the PtHA, Palomino Horse Breeders of America, American Buckskin Registry Association, National Snaffle Bit Association, All Breed Ranch Horse, Long Ear Congress, and Long Ear Futurity.
“Expo Square has been a fantastic venue for our event each year,” said Darrell Bilke, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Pinto Horse Association of America. “We love coming to Tulsa not only for the facilities at Expo, but also the attractions, like Gathering Place and the Bob Dylan Center, which our attendees can enjoy when they’re not actively showing.”
With over 3,120 hotel room nights booked, the show is estimated to have a direct economic impact of over $1.4 Million, with a total economic impact estimated at over $2.5 Million.
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About The Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau
The Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau (Tulsa CVB) is a city-contracted event attraction organization designed to proactively win, secure and service meetings, conventions and other professional events for Tulsa and the region. The mission of the dedicated sales team is to achieve increased event traffic and hotel room bookings in the region through enhanced services and local connections for event partners. The Tulsa CVB continues to build a large legacy of 11+ of the biggest equine events in the nation, as well as an expanding focus on DEI- and association-based events for the community. Learn more at visittulsa.com/cvb.
About Tulsa Regional Tourism
Tulsa Regional Tourism is northeast Oklahoma’s premier accredited destination marketing organization. Housed at the Tulsa Regional Chamber, it includes Visit Tulsa for leisure travel, Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau for meetings & conventions, Tulsa Sports Commission for amateur & pro sports and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture (FMAC) for creative industries and accredited film commission. Tulsa Regional Tourism leads the community’s bidding for and hosting of signature events like the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the Big 12 Wrestling Championship, USA BMX Grand Nationals, the Arabian Horse Association’s U.S. Nationals and more. For more information, visit visittulsa.com.
About the Pinto Horse Association
Incorporated in 1956, the Pinto Horse Association of America was formed to encourage the promotion of quality horses, ponies and miniatures with color and to establish a registry for maintaining their show records and pedigrees. The PtHA® has evolved through the years and now has three separate registries: the Color Registry, the Solid Registry, and the Long Ear registry. All equines, no matter the size or breeding, can now qualify to be registered in one of the three PtHA® Registries. With a variety of classes and programs for every level of horseman, PtHA® has a “SPOT” for everyone. Currently, the association serves approximately 88,000 members and boasts more than 157,000 registered Pintos.
