American Paint Horse Association’s
gamble on ‘Paint Vegas’ pays off

FORT WORTH, Texas—Paint Horse exhibitors who were willing to take a
chance on the American Paint Horse Association’s (APHA’s) new show in
Las Vegas in early December came up winners in “Paint Vegas”
competition that paid out more than a half million dollars in cash.

Champions at the inaugural Paint Vegas Horse Show brought something extra special back to their homes this year—an exclusive Paint Horse trophy as unique as the competitors it honored. This one-of-a-kind award, designed by renowned artist Marrita McMillian, was given to champions of all classes held during the show. Hirez JPEG (1.87 mb) more photos

Although the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority likes to promote the slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” the show is the talk of the town for Paint Vegas competitors who hailed from 27 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Germany and Canada.

APHA logged 380 horses and 593 paid entries for its newest show, held
December 5–10 at the South Point Casino and Equestrian Center in Las
Vegas, Nevada.

California led in the number of horses entered with 123, followed by Texas with 54 and Arizona with 27.

Over the six-day show, APHA paid out $543,750 in cash, which included
$255,250 in added money in the Open and Non-Pro classes and $288,500
in slot classes.

While the association sanctions more than 1,250 shows around the world annually, the World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas, has been the major APHA-sponsored showcase where Paints vie for high honors. And, while the World Show will continue to be the association’s premier annual event, APHA expanded its prestigious show circuit about 1,200 miles west last December, opting to award big cash payouts in Las Vegas, in lieu of points and world titles.

Paint Vegas classes included barrel racing, cutting, halter, hunter under saddle, reining, roping, trail, Western pleasure, Western riding, working cow horse, working hunter and yearling longe line.

Many classes were also dual-approved with a number of performance
organizations, including the National Reined Cow Horse Association and the National Reining Horse Association.

During the show, APHA debuted its first “slot classes.” The APHA “slot” was actually a place reserved and paid in advance for select competition. Purchasers were required to pay for their Paint Vegas slots early in 2006 and then name the horse and exhibitor later in the year.

Money was jackpotted in each slot class and the top 10 competitors divided up the sum, with the highest places winning the most. Cost of a slot class was $2,500 for halter, Western pleasure and hunter under saddle classes. For longe line, the cost of a slot was $1,500. In all classes, slot owners could elect to sell or lease their slots to another competitor, but restrictions on horses and exhibitors were the same.

In all, APHA collected money for 127 slot entries for a total of $288,500. This included 30 slots for Maiden Yearling mares with a $75,000 total payout, 29 slots in longe line for $43,500, 27 slots for maiden stallions and geldings with a $67,500 total payout, 23 slots for Western pleasure with $57,500 in payouts, and 18 slots in hunter under saddle for a $45,000 class payout.

APHA leaves Vegas a winner
“The general feedback we are getting from owners, exhibitors and those who just came to see Paint Vegas is that this is the type of show they would like to do again,” said Lex Smurthwaite, APHA’s executive director.

“People liked the hours of the show, which was generally held during the day, leaving evenings free. And they enjoyed having a show in a fun, entertaining environment.

“Of course, the big paybacks were popular, as well as the exciting new classes. Our challenge now is to identify a similar show for 2007, and to keep all the positive aspects of this event in place.

“APHA exhibitors told us they were willing to take a chance on this show, and the gamble paid off.”

More about Paint Vegas
To learn more about the show, visit aphapaintvegas.com. At this site you will find complete results, daily news from the show, and you can obtain video highlights.

More about APHA and American Paint Horses
Currently, American Paint Horses are being registered at APHA’s Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters at a rate of more than 40,000 horses each year. APHA has registered more than 885,000 horses in 49 nations and territories since it was founded 44 years ago, and now serves more than 100,000 active members around the world. Among its many activities, APHA works to preserve bloodlines and maintain the outstanding characteristics of the American Paint Horse breed.