The European Paint Horse Championship—“EuroPaint”—in Kreuth, Germany, once again topped the list of APHA’s top shows of 2023, determined by the number of horses per judge. While its number of horses decreased slightly from 2022, EuroPaint grew in entries for 2023. The August 2023 show reported 1,546 entries per judge and a total increase of 2.79% at their event. The show is sponsored by the Zone 12 Coordinating Committee.
APHA congratulates the following Top 20 Shows for 2023 and their producers, sponsors, managers, secretaries and exhibitors. These producers receive exclusive logos from APHA designating their event as a Top 10 or Top 20 show, so keep your eyes open for those special designations.
Top Shows of 2023
| Rank | Show | Location | Date | Horses | Entries | Average Entries Per Horse | 2022 Rank | Type | Adjoining Show |
| 1 | European Paint Horse Championships, sponsored by Zone 12 Coordinating Committee | Kreuth, GM | 8/18 | 304 | 1546 | 5 | 1 | 5 ZOR | |
| 2 | Ugly Sweater Extravaganza, sponsored by Florida PHC & Georgia PHC | Ocala, FL | 12/1 | 177 | 1055 | 6 | 12 | 4 POR x 4 POR | Holiday Classic sponsored by Florida PHC (177/1054) |
| 3 | Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Paint Horse Show, sponsored by FWSSR & Texas PHC | Fort Worth, TX | 1/23 | 171 | 815 | 5 | 8 | 4 POR | |
| 4 | APHA Zone 2 Show, sponsored by Zone 2 Coordinating Committee | Las Vegas, NV | 5/17 | 168 | 822 | 5 | 2 | 6 ZOR x 4 POR | APHA Zone 2 POR sponsored by Silver State PHC (165/794) |
| 5 | Copper Country, sponsored by Arizona PHC | Scottsdale, AZ | 1/1 | 167 | 732 | 4 | 9 | 4 POR x 4 POR | Copper Country sponsored by Arizona PHC (182/736) |
| 6 | Paint Horse Congress #2, sponsored by Kansas PHA | Oklahoma City, OK | 10/19 | 166 | 721 | 4 | 16 | 4 POR x 4 POR | Paint Horse Congress #1 sponsored by Kansas PHA (166/720) |
| 7 | Show of the Year #1, sponsored by California PHA | Rancho Murieta, CA | 4/26 | 160 | 750 | 5 | 10 | 4 POR x 4 POR | Show of the Year #2 sponsored by California PHA (153/679) |
| 8 | German Paint Horse Championship, sponsored by Paint Horse Club Germany | Kreuth, GM | 6/29 | 154 | 772 | 5 | 14 | 4 POR | |
| 9 | Paint the Future, sponsored by Texas PHC | Waco, TX | 4/6 | 150 | 806 | 5 | 3 | 4 POR | |
| 10 | Zone 4 Memorial Day Classic, sponsored by Zone 4 Coordinating Committee | Waco, TX | 5/26 | 144 | 730 | 5 | 7 | 6 ZOR | |
| 11 | Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, sponsored by HLSR | Houston, TX | 3/13 | 141 | 755 | 5 | 13 | 3 POR | |
| 12 | Great 8 Zone-O-Rama, sponsored by Zone 8 Coordinating Committee | Cloverdale, IN | 5/5 | 140 | 841 | 6 | 17 | 6 ZOR | |
| 13 | Copper Country, sponsored by Arizona PHC | Scottsdale, AZ | 12/29 | 138 | 686 | 5 | 4 | 4 POR x 4 POR | Copper Country POR sponsored by Arizona PHC |
| 14 | Zone 1—The Big Paint Show, sponsored by Zone 1 Coordinating Committee | Nampa, ID | 8/9 | 128 | 782 | 6 | 5 | 6 ZOR x 4 POR | INPHC Summer Spectacular sponsored by Inland Northwest PHC (126/709) |
| 15 | Texas Wildflower, sponsored by Gulf Coast PHC & Texas PHC | Waco, TX | 3/2 | 127 | 654 | 5 | 6 | 4 POR | |
| 16 | Virginia Color Classic Futurity Show, sponsored by Virginia PHC | Lexington, VA | 9/1 | 114 | 575 | 5 | – | 4 POR | |
| 17 | Fall Color Classic #1, sponsored by Michigan PHC & Indiana PHC | Cloverdale, IN | 10/26 | 113 | 542 | 5 | 11 | 4 POR x 4 POR | Fall Color Classic #2 sponsored by Michigan PHC & Indiana PHC (111/528) |
| 18 | IPHA Fall Breeders Futurity and POR, sponsored by Illinois PHA | Gifford, IL | 9/1 | 107 | 527 | 5 | 18 | 4 POR | |
| 19 | IPHA Spring Fling, sponsored by Illinois PHA | Gifford, IL | 4/14 | 107 | 515 | 5 | 19 | 4 POR | |
| 20 | Washington State PHC Classic #1, sponsored by Washington State PHC | Monroe, WA | 7/21 | 105 | 618 | 6 | – | 3 POR x 3 POR | Star Spangled Horse Show #2 sponsored by Washington State PHC (104/590) |
PHC = Paint Horse Club
PHA = Paint Horse Association
POR = Paint-O-Rama
ZOR = Zone-O-Rama
Questions? Email [email protected]
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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.