To qualify as an Amateur, Novice Amateur or Amateur Walk-Trot division, individuals must meet two basic requirements.

• First, they must be 19 years of age or older as of January 1 of the current show year (ineligible to compete in the Youth division).
• Second, in the last 36 months (3 years)an Amateur may not have done the following:

• • Shown, ridden, judged, trained or assisted in training for remuneration, either directly or indirectly;
  • Instructed another person in riding, driving or training a horse for remuneration, either directly or indirectly;
  • Soliciting for any of the above;
  • Shown, ridden, trained or assisted in training of a horse for which the individual’s spouse, at the time, accepted any form of remuneration (either directly or indirectly)
  • Judging (any approved horse show judge is automatically ineligible).
  • An individual cannot hold a membership accreditation in the following organizations: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, International Professional Rodeo Association, Professional Women’s Barrel Racing and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association for the same events or classes the individual competes, or desires to compete, in APHA amateur competition.

NOTE: Payment of entry fees or expenses by anyone other than the Amateur, his/her immediate family or his/her corporation as defined in AM-020.A is considered remuneration.
Please refer to the current edition of the APHA Official Rule Book for detailed information and complete rules of the Amateur program.

The difference between an Amateur and a Novice Amateur is show ring experience. In addition to meeting the basic Amateur requirements, Novice Amateurs either have little or no experience in the category in which they wish to compete. Amateurs, on the other hand, may have years of experience showing. As long as an individual has not accepted remuneration for the activities previously listed, the exhibitor remains eligible to compete in the Amateur division.

Novice Amateurs can show “up”  to an Amateur classes at any time, but Amateurs cannot show in Novice Amateur classes.

An exhibitor can qualify as a Novice Amateur in one or more of the 25 categories. Moving up to Amateur in any one category does not force you to show Amateur in all of the others. To qualify for Novice Amateur in a specific category, the individual must not have earned any of the following:

• Forty (40) or more revalued performance points (Open, Amateur and/or Youth combined, excluding walk-trot) in that
  category in any recognized equine association. (EXCEPTION: Zone 12, 13 and 14 cannot have earned 20 revalued performance points;
• Fifty (50) or more revalued Novice Amateur or Novice Youth points combined in that category in any recognized equine association (EXCEPTION: Zone 12, 13 and 14 cannot have earned 25 revalued performance points;
• $2,500 in prize money in classes included in that category in any recognized association;
• World Champion or Reserve World Champion title in any recognized equine association.
• To review your APHA Novice Eligibility, go HERE.

Exhibitors may show as Novice Amateur for the entire calendar year in which the card was issued, regardless of how many points they earn during that year. However, once a competitor earns the above-restricted criteria in that category, they are ineligible to compete in Novice classes in that category in the following years.

NOTE: If you have ever been ineligible for Amateur Status according to rule AM-010, you are no longer eligible for Novice Amateur in any category!

That is correct, during the 2023 APHA Convention, the APHA State Directors passed a rule change proposal that will change the way that APHA Novice Eligibility is calculated.

In order to be Novice Eligible for a category starting in 2024, exhibitors may not have (bold text denotes changes):

• Seventy five (75) or more revalued performance points (in ALL divisions, excluding walk-trot) in that
  category in any recognized equine association. (EXCEPTION: Zone 12, 13 and 14 cannot have earned 20 revalued performance points);
• $2,500 in prize money in classes included in that category in any recognized association;
• World Champion or Reserve World Champion title in any recognized equine association.
• To review your APHA Novice Eligibility, go HERE.

Instead of your Open/Amateur/Youth points counting separately from your Novice Amateur/Novice Youth points, they will now count together, simplifying how novice eligibility is determined. This could mean that an exhibitor who has pointed out of a category under the current rules would regain novice eligibility in that category if they have a combined total of less than 75 points in that category (excluding W/T). 

The Amateur Walk-Trot division for adults was introduced on January 1, 2011, as an option for APHA-approved shows to hold, but are not required to do so. We hope that offering this additional level of competition will translate to more participation by allowing more people to participate at a level that is comfortable for them.
The APHA Walk-Trot division includes six classes:

• Showmanship. To be judged in the same manner as any other showmanship class, but at the walk only.
• Western Pleasure. To be judged in the same manner as any other Western Pleasure class but omitting the lope.
• Western Horsemanship. To be judged with a simple pattern but omitting the lope. Will not be asked to mount or dismount.
• Trail. Scored the same as any other trail class but omitting the lope. Will not be asked to ground tie. A minimum of four and a maximum of six obstacles is required.
• Hunter Under Saddle. To be judged the same as any other Hunter Under Saddle class, but omitting the canter or hand gallop.
• Hunt Seat Equitation. To be judged with a simple pattern but omitting the canter. Will not be asked to drop irons, mount or dismount.

Amateur Walk-Trot cardholders may also participate in the following classes at APHA-approved shows:

• Amateur/Novice Amateur Showmanship according to eligibility.
• Halter
• Yearling In-hand Trail
• Yearling and Two-Year Old Longe Line
• Pleasure Driving
• Utility Driving

You cannot “point out” of Amateur Walk-Trot. The card is to be held on an annual basis, and renewed as any other Amateur program card which expires on December 31 of the year issued.

Amateur, Novice Amateur and Amateur Walk-Trot Show Cards are issued by APHA, and a signed application must be submitted to receive an Amateur Card. There is a processing fee for your Amateur Card and it requires a current individual APHA membership.

You MUST have a current Amateur/Novice Amateur/Walk-Trot card in hand to show in the related classes. Normal processing time is 5-10 business days through the APHA office, but can be processed faster with a rush fee. Should you get to a show and find yourself in need of a card to participate, simply fill out a Temporary Amateur Application provided by the Show Secretary and pay applicable fees OR pay the rush fee online to have a temporary card emailed directly to you.

Submit your Amateur Card application by visiting the Show Forms page.

All Amateur program Show Cards follow the point year, and expire on December 31 of the year issued. This is different than the APHA Membership, that is valid for 1, 3, 5 years or lifetime based on the month purchased.

For complete rules governing the APHA, the exhibition of horses, and the APHA Amateur/Novice Amateur/Walk-Trot programs, consult the current APHA Official Rule Book.

The Amateur and Youth Divisions require that you or an immediate family member must own the horse you are exhibiting to be eligible for APHA points, money, titles, and awards. If you or a family member does not own the horse, you can submit a show lease. Only one show lease can be filed on a horse at a time. For Amateur W/T, Youth, Novice Youth, Youth W/T, and Zone 12, 13, &14 Novice Amateur exhibitors, if you or your immediate family does not own or lease the horse your points will be removed in the show results and will not become part of the horse’s performance record, but will count against your novice eligibility where applicable. For the APHA World Shows, the ownership requirements must be met.

It is not possible for an Amateur or Youth owner and a non-related Amateur or Youth lessee to both receive APHA points, money, titles, and awards on the same horse at the same time.

When a horse is show leased, it essentially temporarily “transferred” to the lessee for showing purposes to meet ownership requirements for the divisions they are showing in. That means that for showing purposes, the owner of the horse no longer meets the ownership requirements while a show lease is active on their horse.

For Amateur W/T, Youth, Novice Youth, Youth W/T, and Zone 12, 13, &14 Novice Amateur exhibitors, if you or your immediate family does not own or lease the horse your points will be removed in the show results and will not become part of the horse’s performance record, but will count against your novice eligibility where applicable. For the APHA World Shows, the ownership requirements must be met. So if the owner competes in one of these divisions, they could still show the horse they own while it is being leased and just not receive their points. Or alternatively, if the exhibitor that isn’t related to the horse competes in one of these divisions, they could show the horse without a lease and not earn points, and the amateur owner could then show the horse and earn their points and awards as they normally would.

No, an exhibitor must pick between holding an Amateur, Novice Amateur/Amateur or Amateur Walk-Trot card. However, you can reclassify your card type from Amateur Walk/Trot to Amateur or Novice Amateur  ONCE a calendar year. You cannot reclassify from Amateur or Novice Amateur “down” to Amateur Walk/Trot during a show season. Therefore, an exhibitor may not show Amateur and/or Novice Amateur reclassify to Amateur Walk-Trot reclassify to Amateur and/or Novice Amateur in one calendar year. Nor may the exhibitor show Amateur Walk-Trot reclassify to Amateur and/or Novice Amateur then reclassify to Amateur Walk-Trot in one calendar year. Once an Amateur or Novice Amateur card expires at the end of a show season,  the Amateur and/or Novice Amateur may change to an Amateur Walk/Trot card when renewing their Show Card for the next season.

To Reclassify, you will need to complete the reclassification application and pay the associated fee.

Yes! If you have become ineligible for Novice Amateur in a category, you can be reinstated in that category if in the 10 years prior to your re-application, you have not earned ANY points, money, or World Champion or Reserve World Champion titles in ANY recognized equine association in that category. You can determine your Exhibitor Novice Eligibility using APHA’s Online Services with Silver or Gold Access under the Silver (APHA Basic) tab, and see a detailed breakdown of your exhibitor Show Record to see if you qualify for reinstatement on the Show Records page under the Gold (APHA Plus) tab.

To be reinstated, you must complete the Reinstatement Application and pay the associated fee.

First things first, WELCOME! We’re glad you’ve joined APHA and chosen a breed that is Marked for Greatness!

APHA has many Regional Clubs and youth Regional Clubs to join. Visit our Regional Club Finder to locate a club near you. Can’t find one close enough for comfort? See what it takes to start a new club HERE!

Use APHA’s Event Calendar to find APHA sanctioned shows near you. Don’t see any nearby? APHA sanctioned classes can be dual-approved with existing shows, visit our Show Management page to learn how to hold your own APHA shows or classes!

APHA has many programs that makes it pay to have a Paint! Check out the following programs!

• Chrome Cash offers sidepots for Paints at select NRHA, NCHA, NRCHA, ARHFA, and APHA All-Around events.
• Breeder’s Trust offers annual payouts to the stallion subscriber, foal nominator, and owner of horses nominated into the program for their points earned in APHA-approved events.
• Breeder’s Futurity, an enhancement of the Breeder’s Trust program, is a select slate of classes designed to showcase the offspring of APHA Breeders’ Trust-subscribed stallions and the mares bred to them.
• Paint Barrel Racing Incentive Program (PBRIP) offers dual-approved APHA Barrel Races with sidepots for Paints enrolled into the program.
• Paint Alternative Competition (PAC) rewards members for the hours you spend riding your Paint outside of the show pen as well as your competitive success outside of APHA shows. Report your riding hours and show results and earn PAC Credits and Awards!
• APHA E-Shows, offered bi-monthly, offer a great way for you to practice your skills with challenging patterns, receive judge critiques from APHA Carded Judges, and earn some spending money with jackpots in every class from the comfort of home.

APHA no longer requires qualifying in order to exhibit at the APHA World Show and Halter Million! Check out the APHA World Show Homepage and APHA Halter Million Homepage to view the show schedule, premium book, dates & deadlines and other necessary forms.

To find performance information on a horse, you will need either the Silver or Gold Access Subscription to APHAonline.org, or you can request a PDF of a horse’s lifetime performance record by submitting a Performance Record Request Form with the associated fee.

Silver Access will allow you to view the awards, titles, current year point total and detailed breakdown, and lifetime point summary for the horse. Gold Access allows you to see all the same information, as well as a detailed breakdown of each year of the horse’s show record, any siblings and their performance records, and any offspring and their performance records.

All of this information can be found with the Silver or Gold Access Subscription to APHAonline.org, under the Silver (APHA Basic) tab.

High-Point Exhibitor and Leading Sire standings can be found under the Public Access tab.