APHA’s Paint Horse Championship shows offer exciting new venues for local Paint exhibitors to earn recognition beyond the tradition show format.

The first event in 2015 is the Southeast Paint Horse Championship, which takes place in conjunction with the Zone 9 Southern Classic, February 14–16 in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information about the show, visit the Florida Paint Horse Club.

The goal of these Paint Horse Championships is to increase local show participation and provide recognition to another group of exhibitors beyond the current show format. This is an optional program, and show management determines the classes they wish to offer at their events, based on the interests of the area’s exhibitors.

APHA will sponsor awards for up to 15 classes per Paint Horse Championship, consisting of a championship buckle and second- through tenth-place medallions for each class. If a Zone chooses to offer additional championship classes, the Zone may purchase the additional awards for these classes.

The 2015 Southeast Paint Horse Championship will offer the following classes to eligible horses and exhibitors:
Amateur Halter Mares, All Ages
Open Halter Mares, All Ages
Amateur Halter Geldings, All Ages
Open Halter Geldings, All Ages
Open Hunter Under Saddle
Youth Hunter Under Saddle
Amateur Hunter Under Saddle
Youth Hunt-Seat Equitation
Amateur Hunt-Seat Equitation
Youth Horsemanship
Amateur Horsemanship
Open Western Pleasure
Youth Western Pleasure
Amateur Western Pleasure
Open Trail

7.30 awardsNew for 2015 are eligibility rules consistent for all championship shows. To be eligible to compete in Paint Horse Championship classes, both horse and exhibitor must meet the following requirements.

General Eligibility
Both the exhibitor and the horse must meet the eligibility criteria set forth to be eligible to compete in the Paint Horse Championship classes.

Amateur and Youth exhibitors must be enrolled in the APHA Amateur or Youth program and meet the ownership requirements per Rules AM-020 and YP-015, respectively.
Both the exhibitor and the horse owner or lessee must be current APHA members to be eligible to compete.
Horses must be registered with the APHA and shown in their respective breed registry class: Regular Registry or Solid Paint-Bred.

Exhibitor Eligibility
Exhibitors must reside in the Zone per APHA records and be a current member of APHA. Additional exhibitor eligibility requirements include:

Halter classes: An exhibitor who has placed in the Top Five in a halter class at an APHA World Championship Show in the past three years (2012-2014) is NOT eligible to compete in any Paint Horse Championship halter class in any division with a horse of the same sex.
Example: Susie placed fifth at the 2014 APHA World Championship Show in Youth Geldings. Susie is NOT eligible to compete in the Paint Horse Championship Open, Amateur or Youth Geldings classes.
Performance classes: An exhibitor who has placed in the Top 10 in a performance class at an APHA World Championship Show in the past three years (2012-2014) is NOT eligible to compete in any Paint Horse Championship performance class in any division involving the same class.
Example: John was the reserve world champion at the 2012 APHA World Championship Show in Amateur Horsemanship. John is NOT eligible to compete in any Paint Horse Championship horsemanship class.
Exceptions
Amateur/Youth Walk-Trot, Novice Amateur/Youth and Intermediate Exhibitor World Show placings and placings in non-pointed World Show classes such as Sweepstakes, Challenge and Breeders’ Futurity events, do not impact eligibility in regular division championship classes.
Amateur/Youth Walk-Trot World Show placings do count towards exhibitor eligibility criteria in Amateur/Youth Walk-Trot Paint Horse Championship classes.
Novice Amateur/Youth World Show placings do count towards exhibitor eligibility criteria in Novice Amateur/Youth Paint Horse Championship classes.

Horse Eligibility
Horses must be owned or leased by a resident of the Zone per APHA records. Owner(s) must be current APHA members. Additional criteria for horse eligibility for Championship classes include:

Halter classes: A horse that has placed in the Top Five in a halter class at an APHA World Championship Show in the past three years (2012-2014) is NOT eligible to compete in any Paint Horse Championship halter class regardless of division.
Example: Zip placed third in Open Geldings at the 2013 APHA World Championship Show. Zip is NOT eligible to compete in any Paint Horse Championship halter gelding classes with any exhibitor.
Performance classes: A horse that has placed in the Top 10 in a performance class at an APHA World Championship Show in the past three years (2012-2014) is NOT eligible to compete in any division of the same class at the Paint Horse Championship Show.
Example: Trigger placed sixth in Green Western Pleasure at the 2013 APHA World Championship Show. Trigger is NOT eligible to compete in any Paint Horse Championship Western pleasure classes with any exhibitor.
EXCEPTIONS:
Solid Paint-Bred classes: A Solid Paint-Bred horse that has placed in the Top Five in a performance class at an APHA World Championship Show in the past three years (2012-2014) is NOT eligible to compete in any division of the same class at the Paint Horse Championship show.
Amateur/Youth Walk-Trot, Novice Amateur/Youth and Intermediate Exhibitor World Show placings and placings in non-pointed World Show classes such as Sweepstakes, Challenge and Breeders’ Futurity events, do not impact eligibility.
Amateur/Youth Walk-Trot and Novice Amateur/Youth championship classes are exempt from horse eligibility requirements, except that they must be owned by a resident of the Zone per APHA records.

Additional Show Management Guidelines
Classes: It is up to Zone show management’s discretion to determine the specific classes to offer.
Scheduling: It is recommended that classes be offered independently from other APHA-approved classes, prior to the respective APHA class. However, to help alleviate time constraints for shows, classes may be held as a class within a class with APHA-approved classes. If held as a class within a class, awards presentations should be held independently of the regular class awards.
Judges: It is up to the Zone show management to determine how many judges to use per class; however, it is recommended that more than one judge be used to judge Paint Horse Championship classes.
Entry Fees: It is up to the Zone show management to determine the entry fee for Championship classes to help offset costs; however, it is recommended that lower entry fees be offered.
For more information, contact the APHA Performance Department at (817) 222-8455. Watch APHA.com news about Paint Horse Championships near you.

About APHA

The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international 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.

1.15 southeast Paint Horse Championship