Registering your American Paint Horse has its rewards Colonels Nite Special scores big marks
with APHA’s Paint Preferred program

FORT WORTH, Texas—After all the hard-running, quick spinning and show-
stopping slides came to a finish at the recent National Reining Horse
Association’s (NRHA’s) Futurity in Oklahoma City, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) presented its first Paint Preferred incentive check of the year to Colonels Nite Special for the stallion’s spectacular performance.

APHA Director of Performanc Trigg Rentfro and APHA Director of Special Events Ginger Walker present the Paint Preferred payout check to Bob and Mary Anne Van Degna, owners of Colonels Nite Special, for the horse's reserve placing in the Open Finals of the NRHA Futurity. Photo Courtesy NRHA. Hirez JPEG (983 kb)

Revamped in 2007, the Paint Preferred incentive program now pays out
additional percentages to owners whose horses place in the top three of the Open division at select events. The incentive is open to 3-year-old Regular Registry and Solid Paint-Bred horses whose owners are APHA members in good standing and payouts are based on a percentage of the purse offered by the affiliate association.

A talented American Paint Horse named Colonels Nite Special (Gunners
Special Nite is his AQHA registered name) rose to the occasion and fit the requirements perfectly. The 3-year-old sorrel Solid Paint-Bred was piloted by Marcy Ver Meer to the 2nd place finish in the Open Futurity finals with a score of 230, earning $94,655 from NRHA and an additional $9,467 from APHA’s Paint Preferred program. The money-earning run led the field of 35 horses in the Open finals until the final run when they were outscored by 1.5 points.

As an added bonus, the pair earned the championship title in the Intermediate Open Futurity for owners Bob and Mary Anne Van Degna of Bar Double C Ranch in Cave Creek, Ariz. This win earned the stallion— by Colonels Smokingun and out of the Quarter Horse mare Mifs Doll— $23,456 from NRHA. All payouts combined, the team took home $127,578.

“We were pretty new to the reining industry when we purchased Bailey, as we call him,” said Mary Anne. “We had ridden for a long time and when our four children went off to college we decided to get involved in reining because we had always loved the sport.”

The owner continued, “We did everything we were supposed to do with the transfers, listened to Marcy’s judgment, and it paid off— especially the Paint Preferred money. We weren’t expecting it, so that extra bonus was great.”

The trainer’s advice to get the solid Paint Horse studs’s transfer registration papers in order paid off in dividends. The $15 transfer fee made them eligible for the $9,467 in APHA incentive money. Though not even aware of the incentive program before they earned the money, the owners certainly know about it now.

The Van Degans hope that this year’s performance can continue in the years to come. The duo recently purchased Gun Stinger, a yearling sorrel overo colt by Colonels Smokingun, in October. They hope the colt will fit well into Ver Meer’s training program and have the same winning disposition and talent as Bailey.

Want to earn the extra cash?
Getting involved in the Paint Preferred program and earning the extra cash is as easy as one, two, three. First, you must be an APHA member in good standing, and secondly you will need a top-notch 3-year-old Paint Horse. Finally, check out apha.com/paintpreferred.com to learn which associations APHA has teamed with as an affiliate.

“Forming affiliate partnerships with other horse associations, such as NRHA, provides our members and their Paint Horses with tremendous opportunities to promote the American Paint Horse to the entire industry,” said Paint Programs Coordinator Jessica McGuirk.

For 2007, APHA offered $120,000 in payouts to Paint Horses competing in these select national competitions. To learn more about Paint Preferred contact Jessica McGuirk at (817) 834-2742, extension 330, or by e-mail jmcguirk@apha.com.

Incentive programs through APHA, such as Paint Preferred, offer good reasons to register both Regular Registry and Solid Paint-Bred horses with APHA. A simple $15 registration fee can end up reaping big rewards, similar to the $9,467 earned by Colonels Nite Special.

More about APHA
Currently, American Paint Horses are being registered at APHA’s Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters at a rate of about 40,000 horses each year. APHA has registered nearly 900,000 horses in 49 nations and territories since it was founded 45 years ago, and now serves approximately 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.