Paint Horse photo exhibit featured at Cattle Raisers Museum

FORT WORTH, Texas-They're bold and they're beautiful, but the celebrities being described are not soap opera stars. They're American Paint Horses, and from now until October 15 visitors and residents of Fort Worth, Texas, can experience their grandeur in full-color at the Cattle Raisers Museum.

The exhibit, titled "The American Paint Horse," is a photographic display of the color, versatility and companionship that makes the Paint Horse one of the world's most popular breeds. Created by award-winning photographer Darrell Dodds of the Fort Worth-based Paint Horse Journal, the exhibit features 21 compelling images. The large-scale photographs capture the Paint Horse in a variety of environments and activities, from rodeo competition to racing to pure recreational enjoyment.

Located at 1301 West 7th Street, near downtown Fort Worth, the Cattle Raisers Museum was established in 1980 to preserve and perpetuate the heritage of the livestock industry in Texas and the Southwest. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Museum offers self-guided tours of its 8,000 square feet of exhibits. For more information, call (817) 332-8551.

The APHA was formed in 1962 with approximately 3,800 horses in the registry. Today, more than 562,000 Paints are registered with the association, making the Paint Horse the fifth-largest horse breed in the world. The APHA has the distinction of having the highest average growth rate of any major breed for the past five years. In 1999 alone, the association registered more than 62,000 foals. Now more than 84,000 members strong, the APHA strives to preserve and promote the history, breeding, training, racing, showing, sales and enjoyment of American Paints. For more information about the APHA and its programs, call (817) 834-2742, extension 788, or go online at www.apha.com.