Paints live their lives with a unique style all their own. The same holds true for the people who love them. Chrome, APHA’s Western lifestyle membership magazine, celebrates this colorful commonality in every issue, and two lucky APHA members get the chance to share their personal style as winners of Chrome’s APHA Member Model Search.
Chrome realized the star power of the association’s members and decided to select two equestrians to headline its popular Winter Fashion Issue. More than 80 members struck a pose for the contest, and after much deliberation, the field was narrowed to 10 finalists.
The grand-prize winners of Chrome’s sixth-annual APHA Member Model Search are Taylor Todd of Manhattan, Kansas, and Kate Richardson of Vida, Montana. They rose to the top of our week-long public online voting, which saw more than 1,300 unique votes cast for our 10 finalists.
Taylor Todd
A self-described “small town girl” striking out to chase her dreams in the big city of Manhattan, Kansas, Taylor has enjoyed a lifetime of loving horses. She grew up horse crazy astride her first show horse, “Jerry,” a flashy overo. A love of the Western life, Paints and a personal flair for style led Taylor to enter the Chrome search, along with some encouragement from friends.
“A friend tagged me in a Facebook post about the model contest,” Taylor said. “I thought this would be a great opportunity to be part of a great horse association and be able to help the association as well. I was so excited and nervous during the voting period—there were so many great contenders!”
Taylor is especially thankful for the outpouring of support she received from her family and friends throughout the contest.
“I would like to say a big thank you to all my friends and family who took the time to vote for me and help with this cool opportunity,” she said. “I feel very blessed, and I’m thrilled to help promote APHA!”
Kate Richardson
Kate Richardson grew up in a small rural town in Eastern Montana. Though she left briefly for college to study equine riding and training, she returned to her hometown to live and thrive in the agriculture-centric community that raised her. Though she has a deep love for Western fashion and has recently started exploring modeling, Kate says she was drawn to the Chrome model search due to the magazine itself.
“I’ve always greatly admired this magazine, and after I got my first Paint Horse, my mom let me subscribe,” she said. “I just loved flipping through all the pages of the gorgeous horses, even though I didn’t really understand all the literature parts at first.”
Kate says she was thrilled to earn a finalist slot, and she’s particularly thankful for the support and encouragement of her Northwest College Equine Program family throughout the voting.
As the Top Two winners, Taylor and Kate will join Chrome’s fashion team in Fort Worth, Texas, where they’ll star in a two-day fashion shoot—alongside colorful Paint co-stars—to showcase the Western world’s upcoming winter styles. Watch for them in the pages of Chrome’s 2019 Winter issue, arriving in November.
Chrome also congratulates our other Top 10 finalists (listed below), along with everyone who applied and voted in this contest. We’re always excited to meet our APHA members, who are truly beautiful inside and out.
Chrome is mailed to all current APHA members in North America, and available digitally to all members worldwide, so make sure your membership is current to ensure you receive this special issue—remember, you don’t need to own a Paint Horse to join APHA and receive Chrome magazine! JOIN today.
Kyleen Dugan, Mena, AR
Brady Walker, Twin Falls, ID
Janie Schanuck, Lamar, IN
Brittany Russell, San Tan Valley, AZ
Sydney Butler, Boise, ID
Jacob Grinstead, Hutchinson, KS
Lauren Zaddack, Hortonville, WI
Melinda Raasch, Excelsior Springs, MO
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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. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses.