The American Paint Horse: A Photographic Portrayal and Paint Horse Journal earn top publication awards

FORT WORTH----The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) received prestigious awards recently from American Horse Publications (AHP) for its monthly magazine, Paint Horse Journal, and its colorful, new coffee-table book The American Paint Horse: A Photographic Portrayal. The publications were awarded top honors at a special AHP conference held in Park City, Utah, recently to recognize outstanding work in the equine press.

The American Paint Horse: A Photographic Portrayal, which was released in fall 2001, combines insightful text about the past, present and future of the American Paint Horse with hundreds of magnificent large-format, full-color images.

AHP judges said the new book "is a fine tribute to the horse in general and the Paint Horse in particular." Photographers of the award-winning book were Paint Horse Journal editor Darrell Dodds and noted Western photographer David Stoecklein. Text was written by Jennifer Forsberg-Meyer. Shawn Phillips was the book designer, while Ron Bonge provided illustration.

Dodds saw his monthly publication take first place in the "General Excellence" category.

AHP judges wrote, "Beautiful covers. So inviting, they almost compel a look inside. And when you look inside you get a treat. This is one spectacular magazine."

The judges were also impressed with Paint Horse Journal staff members, awarding them honors in several other categories.

Paint Horse Journal correspondent Tracy Gantz took first place in the "Horse Care" category for her July 2001 story titled "Open Wide," about equine dentistry. The judges said Gantz's writing was "superb and sharp." She was also credited with giving explanations about the subject without getting overly technical. Gantz also earned an honorable mention in the "Color Editorial Photograph" category for her photographic illustration of the piece.

Also in the "Color Editorial Photograph" category, Paint Horse Journal staff writer/photographer Ross Hecox earned an honorable mention with his illustration of a feature story about improving riding in reining events. The story, titled "Riding Light," appeared in the April 2001 Paint Horse Journal. The photo was titled "Show Stopper."

Hecox earned second place in the "Instructional Single Article" category for his story titled, "Get Pushy," which appeared in the November 2001 issue. AHP judges credited Hecox for his skill in writing a piece about showing working cow horses in competition without becoming too involved in the trainer's story. Judges said that all too often, articles designed to be instructional for readers evolve into features about trainers. Hecox stayed on track with his story.

"I learned all I was looking to learn without having to get sidetracked by the trainer's story," a judge wrote.

Honorable mention went to Rebecca Overton in the "Service to Reader" category for her February 2001 Paint Horse Journal article, "Positively Perlino." The piece, which was about how genetics affect horse coloration, was cited as being outstanding not only for the way it was written, but also for the way it was illustrated with photos and drawings.

"Obviously, that extra effort was put into this package," judges wrote in their reasoning for selecting the piece.

Overton also earned an honorable mention in the "Feature Article" category for "The Girls from Toad River," which appeared in the December 2001 Paint Horse Journal. The story was about sisters living in a remote area of British Columbia who haul their Paint Horses thousands of miles to shows. Overton was credited for her "clean, crisp writing."

In the "Color Editorial Design" category, designer Jeanette Poer captured first place for "Mud, Sweat and Cheers" in the August 2001 Paint Horse Journal. Poer created a "breathtaking opening spread," said the judges. The article featured an American Paint Horse named Colonels Smokingun and his gold-medal victory at the USET Festival of Champions in Gladstone, N. J.

In the "Publication Staff Color Advertisement" category, Poer and author Irene Stamatelakys earned third place with an August 2001 eye-catching ad called "New Spin."

The ad promoted an issue of the Paint Horse Journal that featured reining, cutting and working cow horses.

Poer and Dodds captured a second-place title in the "Magazine Cover Page" category for the February 2001 Paint Horse Journal. The cover featured a dramatic action photograph of Real Easy Cash on his way to victory at the Masterpiece Futurity in Los Alamitos, Calif.

"You can't get any more power in a photo than this," said the judges.

APHA Executive Secretary Jim Kelley praised those responsible for publishing the association's material.

"The high-quality images and writing that are consistently being produced by our talented staff members go a long way in helping us bring American Paint Horses the credit they deserve," said Kelley.

"The Paint Horse Journal has a proven track record of success, and it shows by the numerous awards it wins year after year. Producing a quality coffee-table book about beautiful American Paint Horses is something we've wanted to do for quite some time. It's great to see The American Paint Horse: A Photographic Portrayal, capture the title for best equine book so quickly."