An APHA member since childhood, Mark Reisinger of Eldora, Iowa, was literally raised in the Paint Horse industry. His father is Gregg Reisinger, former APHA president and the association’s lifetime leading breeder of performance point-earners. Mark has always loved horses, and Paints that combine eye-catching chrome with great minds and show-ring talent are especially high on his list. Today, Mark is carrying on his father’s legacy and joined the APHA Board of Directors in 2026 to make even more impact.
Family, Friends & Horses
“I’ve been around Paints my entire life, and I’ve been showing since I could get on a horse. Some of my favorite early memories showing were at the Wisconsin Paint-O-Rama in the early 1980s and the APHA National Show, back when it was in Oklahoma City. The 1985 Nationals was probably the first ‘big’ show for me where everything came together, and I was hooked. As a Youth showing horses, I met wonderful people and made great friends. Some of the best people and longest relationships of my life have come from horses. In addition, you couldn’t grow up on our farm and not talk about crossing stock. My great-grandfather started us down the path with horses, and my father’s passion involved genetics and figuring out ‘what’s next’ for our breeding operation. My interest in ‘what’s next’ was clearly seeded by my father, and I’m blessed to now have those same conversations with my family.”
Why Paints?
“I love the fact that they are differentiated. A solid color horse can be many things, when you say you have a Paint Horse, people instantly know what you’re talking about. There’s no question.”
From AjPHA to Adult Service
“When I was young, I was involved in 4H, FFA, Scouts and horses. I took positions in the troop, club and chapter and thought getting more involved with AJPHA made sense. There were some great people on staff at APHA who really helped me understand what we were thinking about as an association, and that made a big impression on me. I realized early on that being involved with things I liked was more than just participating; it was also serving those groups.”
Passionate People
“I enjoy being around people who are passionate about Paint Horses. It’s fun to talk with brilliant people who care so deeply about the success of the horse, the breed and the association. We also have very talented people on the board who inspire me to think about the association and what we can do to continue to grow.”
Relationship-Building
“One of my favorite things as a breeder is the relationships that we’ve built over the years with customers who have come back multiple times. We raise a lot of horses, and we don’t have a lot of one-time customers—which is OK because it works for us. Generally, if someone comes and buys a horse from us, we will have the opportunity to sell another horse to them in the future and grow with them on their journey in APHA. We stay updated on everyone that shows our horses. It’s just a lot of fun interacting with people and watching them grow and improve. I think that’s the most rewarding thing as a breeder: to see your horses do well, not just with you, but when other people take your horses and go do great things.”
Creating Excitement
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity for growth and success in our breed. We, as a board, are helping to define what gets other people excited about showing Paint Horses, why they’re coming to our shows and events, and where we should be providing assistance or emphasis so that our association can grow.”
Reach Out
“I think that as an association, at both the state and national levels, we have a very knowledgeable group of members. Whether we are talking about the rules or events, we have an astute group. The thing that I always hope is that people feel free to reach out to me, whether I have a close personal relationship with them or if we’ve never met. Feel free to reach out to any board member—including me—or any state director and have your opinion or idea heard. There’s a lot of really good ideas out there, and we want to hear them. We want to be aggressive in growing and making APHA the premier association in the United States and the world.”
Facilitating Connections
“There’s not a board member who doesn’t want to hear from one of our members. I think that we chose to take this job to build future relationships and to gather good ideas and to help facilitate connections. We’re not necessarily the smartest people in the room—we were just willing to put in the work to develop some of these great ideas that exist. I hope people know that it’s never a problem for someone to reach out and have a conversation.”
Jump In
“I would say to anyone who is willing to give their time, please consider this opportunity. The membership is what makes APHA strong—that, and we have really nice horses. So, the more people who are willing to participate, the better this association is going to be.”
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association. Since it was founded in 1962, APHA has registered more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses. Learn more at apha.com.