More than 150 students from 19 colleges participate in judging competition
APHA extends outreach program to talented collegiates

FORT WORTH, Texas—The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) hosted more than 150 equine students from 19 universities and junior colleges around the nation for the 2004 APHA Intercollegiate Horse Judging Spring Sweepstakes, held Thursday, April 22, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center’s John Justin Arena, in Fort Worth, Texas.

In addition, 32 people put their judging skills to the test in hopes of becoming professional APHA judges. Their exam took place in conjunction with the collegiate competition. This was the first year that professional judging hopefuls were involved in the program.

APHA introduced the collegiate judging competition in 2000 to help students gain first-hand experience in using the knowledge they’ve obtained in the
classroom to judge horses in the show ring. The event has been sponsored annually by Hart Trailers, of Chickasha, Okla.

Students judged several horse show classes typically included in equine competition. Horses were shown in five halter classes, where they were judged on their physical appearance and structure, and in six performance classes—Trail, Western Pleasure, Western Riding, Western Horsemanship, Hunter Under Saddle and Hunt Seat Equitation.

“This was an excellent opportunity for us to allow students to gain practical experience in their fields of study,” said APHA Director of Shows Tina Anderson. “It was also a unique opportunity for them to judge and view some of the top horses in our breed.

“Our involvement in this event gives us a chance to expand on what these students are learning in the college classroom, and at the same time, introduce ourselves to future leaders at college campuses around the country.”

Anderson explained that students actually competed against one another at the event and were themselves judged by APHA officials on their ability to evaluate the equine classes. Scores were based on how closely a student’s placing of horses matched that of an APHA judging official’s scoring. Students were also critiqued on the oral arguments they presented in support of their placement decisions.

With APHA sanctioning more than 1,100 Paint Horse shows around the world, educating and recruiting judges is critical, Anderson said.

At a dinner reception, held April 22, at APHA’s headquarters, in Fort Worth, awards were presented to the top individuals and top junior and senior college teams.

High team and high individual winners
The Senior College High Team Overall winner was Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn. Team members included Elaine Miller, Sarah McKee, Lori Puckett, Barbara Sherman, Kathryn Duncan and coach David Whitaker.

The Junior College High Team Overall winner was Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Miami, Okla. Team members included Tyler Crouse, Brittany Morgan, Lacey Gunn, Amber Martin and coach Shannon Cunningham.

The Senior College High Individual winner was Meriruth Cohenour, Oklahoma State University.

The Junior College High Individual winner was Amber Martin from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.

Colleges that took part in the competition included:

Universities
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan.
Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisc.
West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas