For four days in Vegas, APHA lets you be the judge

FORT WORTH, Texas—The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) has announced that it will host an innovative “Educational Judges Academy” Feb. 24–27 in Las Vegas, Nev., in an effort to keep pace with an increasing demand for horse show judges.

For people who want to learn about becoming an APHA-approved judge, or simply would like to know more about the judging process, APHA is offering its Educational Judges Academy, Feb. 24–27, in Las Vegas.. Hirez JPEG (3.15 mb)

“For people interested in taking that first step of pursuing their desire to judge horse shows, our academy is going to provide the perfect opportunity to get them started,” said Candy Cain, APHA’s director of judges. “And, for exhibitors interested in knowing what goes on in a judge’s mind during the judging process, this academy will give them that insight. Understanding exactly how events are judged could make the difference between leaving the show ring empty handed or coming away with a blue ribbon.”

Current APHA-approved judges and qualified industry specialists will present the curriculum in a classroom setting. Sessions will include discussions on judging procedures for a wide range of disciplines.

Participants will have the opportunity to review videos of actual competition and be given the opportunity to score the classes themselves. Classes will also be scored by the instructor for comparison. Also, participants will learn details about many important APHA show rules, with a sample rule book test given during the training session.

An ongoing educational outreach program, the APHA Educational Judges Academy has become critical to the recruitment of top-quality judges for the show ring. With more than 1,200 APHA-approved shows around the world, the need for judges continues to increase. Those shows include nearly 450,000 entries.

New this year to the educational program will be a special day dedicated to judging roping and working cow horse events, which are growing in popularity and require special judging skills.

Judges, potential judges, exhibitors, owners or anyone else interested in learning more about the judging process is welcome to attend.

How to participate
To register, or learn more about the process of becoming a judge, call Candy Cain at (817) 222-6416 or e-mail ccain@apha.com.
Downloadable forms are also available at apha.com/judges/seminars. The registration deadline is January 19, but APHA will accept registrations until space is filled. Space is limited to 75 attendees. The cost is $250 per person for the core curriculum and $100 for the cattle class seminars.

About APHA and Paints
Since its founding 42 years ago, APHA has registered more than 802,000 horses. The association serves more than 108,600 members around the world.

Paint Horses are recognized for their sound conformation, versatile athletic ability, intelligence, calm temperament, willing disposition and beautiful coat color patterns.