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| Paint Gelding
Plus incentive pays out $20,000 at futurity;
$30,000 more to be given out this year
FORT WORTH, Texas-The American
Paint Horse Association (APHA) paid four cash
awards totaling $20,000 as part of its innovative
Paint Gelding Plus program during the National
Snaffle Bit Association Reichert Pleasure Celebration
in Waterloo, Iowa, Aug. 24-27.
Tracy Shelhorn, of Winter
Park, Fla., won all four $5,000 payouts at that
futurity with her Paint Horse named Oh Really.
The chestnut overo was the highest-placing gelding
in the Open and Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Hunter Under
Saddle classes, as well as the Open and Non-Pro
3-Year-Old Western Pleasure classes.
The APHA developed the Paint
Gelding Plus program two years ago to give owners
and breeders of Regular Registry and Breeding
Stock Paint geldings an added opportunity to
earn prize money and increase the market value
of their horses.
In addition to the cash awarded
at the Reichert Pleasure Celebration, more incentive
events are planned. At select futurities, the
highest-advancing registered Paint geldings
in both the Open and Non-Pro divisions will
each receive a $5,000 cash award from APHA.
Dates, events and locations include:
Sept. 20-Oct. 1-National Reined Cow
Horse Association Futurity, Reno, Nev.
Nov. 24-Dec. 2-National Reining Horse Association
Futurity, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Nov. 24-Dec. 10-National Cutting Horse Association
Futurity, Fort Worth, Texas
Dec. 2001-Barrel Futurities of America World
Barrel Futurity, Oklahoma City, Okla.
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By the end of the year, APHA will have awarded cash bonuses totaling
$50,000 through the incentive program. In 2001, enrolled geldings
will reach the Barrel Futurities of America age requirement,
qualifying for Paint Gelding Plus bonuses. Then, a total of
$60,000 will be awarded annually.
The Paint Gelding Plus Program is a unique opportunity for
Paint Horse breeders and owners to increase the value of their
Regular Registry and Breeding Stock Registry geldings by participating
in events involving high-dollar cash incentives, explained
Jim Kelley, APHA assistant executive secretary.
"I believe it's going to stimulate more interest in Paint
Horses, especially performance-bred geldings," said Kelley.
J.R. Reichert, who organizes and runs the Reichert Pleasure
Celebration each year, agreed. "I can't say enough about the
program. It gets a lot of people involved. I think it will
grow by leaps and bounds."
Reichert predicted that the market value of Paint geldings
will rise as more people take note of the incentive program.
"People who were only interested in raising studs are now
thinking about geldings. People are saying, 'I've got to get
a 3-year-old Paint Gelding for next year.'
"It will boost that market tremendously," Reichert said.
Seeing to it that Paint geldings get the credit they deserve,
and adding market value to the horses at the same time, drove
the concept of developing the Paint Gelding Plus Program.
To qualify for Gelding Plus, the horse must be foaled in
1997 or later and registered as a gelding prior to his 3-year-old
year, or gelded and his status change reported prior to his
3-year-old year. Enrollment is automatic and applies to horses
in the Regular or Breeding Stock registries. Owners of the
horses must be current members of APHA.
For more information on the Gelding Plus Program, visit
the APHA's Gelding Plus Web site at http://www.apha.com/geldingplus.
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