Breeders’ Trust
Since 1994, the APHA Breeders’ Trust program has provided added incentives for Paint Horse enthusiasts who compete with their horses in the show arena or on the track. Breeders’ Trust awards cash dividends for points earned by participating horses at APHA-approved events. Get paid back for your success in APHA competitions and enhance your horse’s value through Breeders’ Trust participation.
The Breeders’ Trust rewards everyone responsible for the success of an outstanding foal. The stallion subscriber, foal nominator and horse owner all receive a portion of the Breeders’ Trust cash rewards. Check out full program details in the Breeders’ Trust brochure.
How does it work?
Participating stallions are subscribed to the Breeders’ Trust program annually, making an initial payment by January 31 of the breeding year and a final payment by November 30 that accounts for the number of mares bred that year. A list of participating Breeders’ Trust stallions is published in the Paint Horse Journal and on the APHA website.
Resulting foals may be nominated to the Breeders’ Trust, which makes them eligible to earn Breeders’ Trust dividends for points-earned at APHA-approved competitions in Open and Amateur classes. Foals must be nominated to the Breeders’ Trust before they earn any APHA points.
Breeders’ Trust money is awarded and paid annually, beginning when participating foals reach their yearling year. Payouts are based on the total number of point-earning horses nominated to the program and the number of points earned by those horses during a given year. The stallion subscriber receives 20% of the dividend, the foal nominator receives 10% and the foal’s recorded owner receives 70%.
Get the Details
Stallion Subscription
A stallion must be subscribed annually to the Breeders’ Trust; the subscription makes the stallion’s foals resulting from that breeding year eligible for nomination into the Breeders’ Trust. Subscription fees are paid in two installments, with the total not exceeding the stallion’s highest advertised breeding fee for that year.
- First Installment: a flat enrollment fee due by January 31 of the breeding year
- The initial installment is $150 for APHA stallions and $300 for AQHA or Jockey Club stallions.
- Second Installment: a fee based on mares listed on the stallion’s submitted Stallion Breeding Report and due by November 30 of the breeding year
The total subscription payment is capped at the stallion’s highest advertised stud fee, excluding late fees. “Private Treaty” fees cap at your highest fee charged. If you do not stand your stallion to the public, the subscription fee caps at the estimated breeding value.
Example:
The APHA stallion initial enrollment fee is $150, and the second installment is based on $100 per mare on the Stallion Breeding Report.
- APHA Stallion A has a $1,500 stud fee. His owner pays $150 on January 31. He breeds 20 mares, and his second installment payment is $1,350 because the total payment caps at $1,500 (equal to his stud fee).
- APHA Stallion B has a $750 stud fee. His owner pays $150 on January 31. He breeds three mares, so his second installment payment is $300.
Rules & Guidelines
- All APHA-enrolled breeding stallions are eligible to participate, including Paints, Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.
- The stallion owner has first right of refusal to subscribe the stallion to the Breeders’ Trust. If a stallion owner does not subscribe the stallion or defaults on the second payment of the subscription fee, another party may pay the applicable fees to subscribe the stallion. A waiver signed by the stallion owner is required; the form is available upon request. The person who paid the final fees will be considered the stallion subscriber for that breeding year and will receive the subscriber’s portion of the Breeders’ Trust payout for all applicable foals.
- The stallion’s initial subscription fee and a completed stallion subscription form must be submitted (postmarked) by January 31 of the breeding year.
- Exception: Stallions standing their first breeding season have until March 31 to submit the initial subscription fee and form. The first-season stallion may not have any stallion breeding report(s) from any previous year on file with APHA, AQHA or the Jockey Club.
- Exception: If the stallion owner declines participation and authorizes another party to submit the stallion subscription form and fees, the secondary party has until May 15 to submit the materials.
- Exception: If a stallion is purchased between February 1 and June 30 of the breeding year, the stallion can be subscribed to the Breeders’ Trust without a late fee, provided the stallion subscription is postmarked within 30 days of the date of purchase indicated on the transfer report. Exclusions include transferring from single name to joint name and vice versa, from one member of the same household to another, or to/from an entity owned in part or in whole by the other party.
- Once subscribed, no portion of the stallion’s subscription fee is refundable, except in the case of the stallion’s death or if the stallion is gelded prior to breeding a mare for the subscribed season. The subscription fee is non-transferable.
A full list of fees and deadlines is found in the Breeders’ Trust brochure.
Breeding your mare to a Breeders’ Trust-subscribed stallion increases your foal’s value and gives you a marketable edge. A Breeders’ Trust-participating foal is a more attractive purchase for buyers intending to show or race in APHA-approved competitions because they have added opportunities to make money on their investment.
Nominate your Breeders’ Trust-eligible foal at the time of registration to lock in your future earnings. Even if you choose to sell the foal, you remain the Breeders’ Trust nominator and receive 10% of its program earnings for life.
Breeders’ Futurity
Further increase the value of your foal by nominating your mare to the Breeders’ Futurity program—this is another competition opportunity available at the APHA World Championship Show and APHA/WCHA Halter Million events, and its exclusive classes give horses through age 5 more chances to earn additional payouts. Check out more details on the Breeders’ Futurity page.
Increase your foal’s value and enhance his opportunities to earn year-end dividends by nominating your foal to the Breeders’ Trust. Foals sired by Breeders’ Trust-subscribed stallions are eligible; the nomination fee is based on the foal’s age at the time of nomination. Check out the Breeders’ Trust brochure for current fees.
Requirements:
- The foal must be sired by a stallion that was subscribed to the Breeders’ Trust for the breeding year that produced the foal.
- No horse will be accepted for nomination if it has earned one-half point or more in any APHA-approved event.
- A foal nomination becomes effective when the nomination form, fee and the original registration certificate are received in the APHA office. A foal can be subscribed at the time of registration or at a later date.
- The foal nomination fee is not refundable.
- Exception: If the foal dies prior to its 12th month of age and has not earned any points in an APHA-approved event, a refund may be requested. The original registration certificate and a veterinary statement verifying the foal’s death must be received by APHA prior to the day the foal would have been 12 months old.
- The owner’s portion of any Breeders’ Trust money earned for a calendar year is paid to the APHA owner of record as of December 31, without exception.
When a Breeders’ Trust-enrolled foal is sold, a re-enrollment fee is required in order for the new owner to continue participation and to receive the recorded owner’s share (70%) of future Breeders’ Trust earnings. The re-enrollment fee is due at the time the horse’s ownership is transferred at APHA and applies to any new ownership of an enrolled horse. APHA provides a 90-day grace period before a late re-enrollment fee applies.
A buyer (new owner) may choose to re-enroll a participating horse at a later date, but will be subject to a higher re-enrollment fee than the one assessed at the time of the transfer of ownership. Any qualifying Breeders’ Trust points earned by that horse will accrue (for owner-portion calculations) from the date the re-enrollment fee is paid to and processed by APHA.
When the re-enrollment fee is not paid, eligible points earned by the horse will continue to accrue for the stallion subscriber and foal nominator’s dividend shares. Ownership money earned by the horse will remain in the Breeders’ Trust fund and be paid out according to program rules. Any future buyer (new owner) may choose to re-enrolling the horse in the future.
Re-enrollment fees are added to the Breeders’ Trust fund and paid out in their entirety according to program payout rules. The owner’s portion of any Breeders’ Trust money earned for a calendar year is paid to the APHA owner of record as of December 31, without exception.
Breeders’ Trust Stakes
The Breeders’ Trust Stakes is a set of four classes for select Breeders’ Trust 3-year-olds at the APHA World Show. To participate in these high-paying hunter under saddle and Western pleasure classes, the horse must be enrolled in the Stakes program and nominated to the Breeders’ Trust. Enroll your horse in the Stakes program by November 15 of its 2-year-old year for the best rate; late enrollment fees apply after that date. Once enrolled, just pay entry fees (two payments made April 15 and June 1 of the 3-year-old year). Classes are offered for Open and Non-Pro exhibitors. Each Open class guarantees $2,000 in added money with additional payouts allocated to limited exhibitors and maiden horses. A total of $7,000 in added money (allocated by participation) is guaranteed in the Non-Pro classes. Read the Breeders’ Stakes Conditions Information for full details.
Eligible Horses
| Horse Name | Registration # | Foaling Year | Color | Sex | Sire | Owner |
| ### | ### | ### | ### | ### | ### | ### |
