The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) broke new ground in the equine industry when they announced that their 2013 American Junior Paint Horse Association (AjPHA) World Championship Show will be held simultaneously with the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) National and Youth World Championship Show this summer. The AjPHA Youth World Championship Show will take place June 29-July 6 at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.

APHA, the world’s second largest breed association, has continued to progress into new territory by adding age splits to the Novice Youth division at the show. Since the program’s inception, Novice Youth classes have been offered in 18 & Under only. In 2008, Novice Youth classes were added to the class lineup at the World Show; but it was not until 2009 that winners were named as World Champions. The decision to split some Novice Youth classes into groups of 13 & Under / 14-18 was made after careful consideration and a result of the program’s growth.

“Younger exhibitors find it intimidating to compete against the older exhibitors. We anticipate that by opening the Novice Youth classes to age splits, these younger exhibitors (and their parents/trainers) will feel more comfortable and achieve greater success at the World Show,” explains APHA Senior Director of Show and Contest Holly Slaughter.

In 2013, five Novice Youth classes will be divided into age groups and each respective winner named a World Champion: Hunt Seat Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Showmanship, Western Horsemanship and Western Pleasure.

On another front, the lineup of “Introductory” classes have been opened up to all AjPHA youth showing Regular Registry horses. Introductory classes have a lower entry fee and do not require qualification to participate—making them a good segue into full-fledged World Show competition. Classes to be held at the 2013 Youth World Show are: Disciplined Rail English, Disciplined Rail Western, Ideal Paint Western, Ideal Paint English, Bareback English Equitation and Bareback Western Horsemanship. This group of classes are not World Championship classes.

Learn more

Full details, tentative class schedule, Premium Books and class entry forms are available online at ywcs.apha.com. Pre-enter by the May 15 deadline for the best pricing, stall location and RV spaces. Entries are accepted until 5 p.m. the day prior to the class.

Beginning in 2012, World Show participation qualification is required for every horse shown in World Championship classes at the AjPHA Youth World Show. Participation at four different APHA-approved show events with a minimum of 8 judges is the key. At no time will the number of points or lack thereof be considered for qualification. To verify if your horse has qualified, check the Qualifiers link on the Youth World Show website, ywcs.apha.com.