The APHA Judges Tenure Award was developed to honor longtime APHA judges. Once a judge has completed 10, 20, 30 or 40 years as an approved APHA judge, they are eligible to order their tenure ring or pendant. This award symbolizes the many hours each judge has spent on the arena floor, all the excited champions they have crowned, the long show days spent giving each exhibitor their undivided attention, the compassion they show to the beginner exhibitors wanting to grow, the time away from home spent traveling to their next event, and the genuine congratulations they give to each enthusiastic lead line exhibitor. This award is a token of our gratitude for their service to the association and its members.
Julie Rux, an APHA-carded judge of ten years, was just one of the judges to earn their tenure ring. “I was super excited to receive the ten-year ring!” she said. “Looking back, when I decided I wanted to become an official APHA judge, it was a big commitment. I started with the apprentice program and loved learning alongside some of the best judges in our industry. The APHA judge ten-year ring has lots of great memories, and many more to come!”
APHA would like to thank and congratulate the following judges for reaching significant milestones as an APHA-carded judge and wish them many successful years to come:
10 Years
- Mario Boisjoli
- Jim Edwards
- Clint Fullerton
- Kimberly Garrett
- Tom McBeath
- Scott Neuman
- Julie Rux
- Stephen Shank
- Mark Smith
- John Ed Tabb
- Dawnn Taylor
- Chris Thompson
- Carly Veldman
- Sharon Wellmann
- Tracy Willis
- Cindy Wolverton
20 Years
- Goose Ballard
- Rickey Evans
- Nikki Longacre
- Rob Meneely
- Barb Pettitt
- James Simpson
- Larry Willard
40 Years
- Judy Wright
If you see any of these judges at a show this season, please congratulate them and thank them for the many hours spent judging APHA shows. If you are an APHA-carded judge and have completed 10, 20, 30, or 40 years but have not yet received your ring or pendant, please send the judges department an email or call (817) 222-6416, or visit the judges page of the website at apha.com/showing/judges/ for more information.
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[Reprinting all or part of this news release is permitted, so long as credit is given to the Paint Horse Journal and a link provided back to apha.com.]
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 in 1962. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses.