With more than 35 rule change proposals brought out of committees, the APHA Board of Directors passed all rules presented for voting at the 2015 APHA Convention on March 2 in Fort Worth, Texas. National directors are elected by their fellow APHA members to serve two-year terms and provide a voice for their respective areas’ members.

Below is a summary of some of the major rules passed at Convention, followed by a brief description of each rule passed by the directors.

Color Requirements

National directors voted to amend the color requirements for horses with two Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred parents. Previously, these “cropout” horses had to meet more stringent color requirements regarding white skin than horses with at least one Paint parent in order to be eligible for registration; APHA MemberCare estimated they were rejecting an estimated one cropout registration per day because the existing color requirements were so restrictive. This amendment to RG-070 makes color requirements for Regular Registry consistent for all horses. This new rule was designed to reduce confusion, expand APHA’s tent and bring these obviously marked horses into the Paint Horse family. 

National Directors approved early implementation of this rule, and APHA MemberCare is altering its registration process to begin accepting horses under these new guidelines as soon as possible. 

International Clubs

Three rules were amended to better accommodate international Paint Horse clubs’ needs and circumstances. For example, rules regarding mileage between shows hinders European exhibitors due to country borders or language barriers; the amended rules allow for further growth of the Paint Horse breed outside of North America. 

APHA Classes

Rules governing non-pointed, group halter classes—Get of Sire and Produce of Dam—were amended to encourage further participation. Horses of any age may now be shown as Produce of Dam or Get of Sire. Additionally, both Regular Registry and Solid Paint-Bred horses may be used, so long as at least one Produce of Dam and at least two Gets of Sire are Regular Registry. The actual entries judged in Get of Sire and Produce of Dam classes are the sires and dams themselves; horses shown in the classes are representations of the entries’ ability to create quality horses. 

Ranch-Related Classes

Directors passed the addition of Novice Amateur and Novice Youth divisions for Ranch Horse Pleasure. 

In addition, an emergency rule recommendation was brought before the directors regarding modification of the exiting Working Ranch Horse class that would break its four components into separate, approved events. These classes are:

-Ranch Pleasure

-Ranch Trail

-Ranch Cow Work

-Ranch Reining

National Directors voted in favor of early implementation of these classes by May 15. 

Full text of the passed rule changes will be available on the APHA website later this week; passed rule change proposals include the following:

• Control AII-2: Requires notice of the annual membership meeting to be published at least 30 days prior to the meeting.
• Control AIII: Points to the Directors’ Guide book for explanations of national directors’ duties and responsibilities, which is located online at apha.com.
• Control AIII-2 (Amended at Convention): Increases national directors’ terms to three years, with a single election to take place once every three years.
• Control AIII-6: Requires national director nominees to provide a resume of skills and experiences to the Directors Nominating Committee and voters.
• Control AIII-7: Requires directors to serve for three years rather than two and determines how ties will be resolved in the director election.  Also provides for a new type of “at-large” directorships, and specifies that write-in candidates must have a minimum of five votes.
• Control AIII-8: Changes the procedures to be followed in case of a vacancy in the Board of Directors.
• Control AIII-9: Reduces the number of years that must be served to become a director-at-large from 30 down to 25.
• Control AIII-10: Changes the notice requirement for the annual membership meeting and how directors will be notified.
• Control AIV-3 (Amended at Convention): Increases the number of additional directors the APHA President may appoint to serve during his or her term of office to 10.
• Control AV: Clarifies terminology to be non-gender specific with respect to the recall procedures.
• Control AIX-2: Deletes the provision that regional clubs may not be called associations.
• Control AX: Changes the term Zone-O-Ramas to Zone Show.
• Control RG-070: Color requirements for horses of Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred pedigrees with no Paint parents are the same as those with one or two Paint parents. 
• Control SC-085: Provides use and dose guidelines for permitted therapeutic substances. 
• Control SC-090-1: Removes mileage requirements for shows in Zone 12 (Europe), provided the shows are held in different European countries.
• Control SC-110 (Amended at Convention): Allows show management the opportunity to accept additional entries for individual working classes.
• Control SC-176: Clarifies class procedures for Open Color Class, Open Overo Color Class and Open Tobiano Color Class.
• Control SC-180 (Amended at Convention): Removes age and color restrictions for group halter classes. At least one Regular Registry horse must be used per dam in Produce of Dam and at least two Regular Registry horses must be used per stallion in Get of Sire classes.
• Control SC-245: Further clarifies and details the judging priorities for Western pleasure classes. Judges should value correctness first, followed by quality and degree of difficulty, respectively. 
• Control SC-290: Allows exhibitor time to count if exhibitor falls off horse after run is completed and they have crossed the finish line in speed events.
• Control SC-302: Adds Novice Amateur and Novice Youth divisions to Ranch Horse Pleasure classes.
• Control SC-302: Amends equipment and penalty rules of Ranch Horse Pleasure.
• Control SC-301: Modifies the existing Working Ranch Horse class to break out its individual class components as new, APHA-approved classes: Ranch Pleasure, Ranch Trail, Ranch Cow Work and Ranch Reining.
• Control JU-000: Reduces the mileage restriction for judges between shows in Zone 12 and removes the mileage restrictions for judges between shows held in different countries in Zone 12.
• Control JU-000-2: All European-only judges are required to attend an APHA-approved judges seminar once every two years.
• Control AM-010: Payment of entry fees and/or expenses by anyone other than the Amateur, his/her immediate family, or his/her corporation as denied in AM-020 is considered remuneration.
• Control AM-085 (Amended at Convention): Allows exhibitors in individual working classes to show a maximum of three horses. 
• Control AM-135: Removes time limit and head loop rules regarding Team Roping classes.
• Control AM-210-1 (Amended at Convention): Allows Amateur to show a non-owned horse in Novice Amateur classes in Zone 12.
• Control AM-245: Allows Novice Amateurs in Zones 12, 13 & 14 to ride one or two handed in a snaffle bit or hackamore with any age horse.
• Control AM-300-1 (Amended at Convention): Reclassification from Amateur and/or Novice Amateur to Amateur Walk-Tort or from Amateur Walk-Trot to Amateur or Novice Amateur may only be requested one time per calendar year. 
• Control AM-300-2:  Allows Amateur Walk-Trot exhibitors in Zones 12, 13 & 14 to ride one or two handed in a snaffle bit or hackamore with any age horse.
• Control YP-137: Removes time limit and head loop rules from Youth Team Roping classes. The Youth being judged in these classes may be assisted by anyone.
• Control YP-205-1 (Amended at Convention): Changes Youth and Open points from 20 to 40 before becoming ineligible in a specific novice youth category. Includes related rules for Novice Amateur. Excludes Zones 12, 13 and 14.
• Control YP-245: Offers split age division classes (13 & under and 14-18) for the Novice Youth if entries warrant.

About APHA

The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded. APHA creates and maintains programs that increase the value of American Paint Horses and enriches members’ experiences with their horses. For more information visit www.APHA.com.