Riding in the sunshine is more important than tallying points this week for Brooke Ingstad and her rangy, black gelding - The Snooty Fox.

The Central States Fairgrounds is home this week to 200 Quarter Horses and dozens of horse enthusiasts chasing American Quarter Horse Association qualifying points at the Black Hills Summer Circuit Quarter Horse Show.

Brooke, 16, and her horse have qualified in four events for AQHA's Youth World Show in August. They came from Fargo to practice and get ready for the "world."

"It's a lot closer than a lot of places we go," Ingstad said.

Distance is getting important in a business that relies on heavy-duty, fuel guzzling pickups and semi-trucks to deliver people and animals from show-to-show. Those precious points are necessary to compete in national events, which bring notoriety to breeders and trainers.

"Gas is hurting a lot of shows," said Jean Nash of Rapid City, manager of this year's show. Rapid City is down a few horses, but the show is still a good investment for competitors, she said.

Sponsored by the Rapid City Quarter Horse Association, Black Hills Riding Club and Center of the Nation Quarter Horse Association, this show is really five shows spread over six days. That's five chances to earn points, a draw that brings horses from more than 10 states.

The show is a unique event that goes back more than 20 years, according to Larry Larsen, of Piedmont.

"If we ever stopped this show, I don't think we could get it back," he said.

Showing horses is a business for professional trainers like Tom and Leslie Lange of Greeley, Colo. They brought nine horses and several youth and amateur riders with them.

"We've been coming here for years and years," Leslie Lange said.

Showing out-of-doors in the Bray Arena is a rare experience on today's horse show circuit, Leslie Lange said. Most shows are held in indoor arenas.

The Langes also like Rapid City and the area.

Sunday's rain forced classes into the Pennington County Event Center Monday, but events were expected to move outside today. Events begin at 7:30 a.m. daily with a broad spectrum of classes.

Horse show visitors can watch professionals, youth and amateur riders demonstrate their horses' speed and agility. There's no admission.

Even if you don't know a lot about horses, it's worth a trip out to see the "sparkling outfits and shiny horses," Leslie Lange said, offering a hint for first-time spectators. "The easier it looks, the more time it took to get there."

After three years as a team, Brooke and Snooty work smoothly. This week they're competing to add polish to their performances. At 17, Snooty is retiring from competition after the world show.

"He's my best friend," Brooke said, laying her hand down the big, black's neck. "He's a good boy. We're going to keep him forever."

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com