The APHA Regional Championship Program, formerly known as the Paint Horse Championship Program, has been approved by the APHA Board of Directors with a number of revisions for the 2021 show season. The Long Range Planning, Show & Contest, and Regional Club Advisory Committees all worked tirelessly last year to reduce eligibility requirements for exhibitors so that more members can participate, while reducing the cost of the program to the Association so that it can continue to award supporters of our regional clubs for years to come. The following revisions have been made:
- Exhibitor ineligibility for having placed in the Top 5 at the APHA World Show has been reduced from the past 10 years to 5 years for both halter and performance classes.
- Exhibitors who are ineligible to compete in Regional Championship halter or performance classes because they won a halter or performance class the previous year are now able to compete in halter or performance Regional Championship classes other than the class they won the previous year.
- Regional Championship classes are now allowed to be run concurrently with approved APHA classes, allowing show management to fit Regional Championship classes into their show schedules more easily.
- Open classes have been removed from the program, focusing on increasing participation from Amateur and Youth exhibitors.
- The program can now be held at circuits. If the program is held at a circuit, the show circuit will determine the Regional Champions and award them at the last show of the circuit.
- APHA will now sponsor ten Regional Championship classes, awarding 1st place Champion buckles in each, to ensure the financial viability of the program. As in the past, shows are welcome to apply for more classes than the sponsorship covers if they would like and will pay for the additional class awards either out of their show’s budget or through sponsorships.
- A $2 per entry per class fee will be collected from the sponsoring show or circuit to help offset the awards cost. If the program is held for a circuit, this fee is collected only once for an exhibitor’s entry per class, not at each show of the circuit.
The complete APHA Regional Championship Program criteria as well as the program application, currently approved Regional Championships, and Regional Champion results can be found on the program’s new page, apha.com/programs/regional-championship-program/. Any questions about the program can be directed to the Director of Performance Development, Elizabeth Lawhorn, at [email protected] or (817) 222-6416.
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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.