American Paint Horse Association
offers awards for international competitors

FORT WORTH, Texas—Equestrians around the world now have more incentives and opportunities to earn special recognition and showcase the talents of their horses, with the expansion of Paint Alternative Competition (PAC). Administered through the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), the program allows people to earn valuable credits for their Paint Horses by competing at a wide variety of shows and events.

	Increase the value of your horse and enrich your experience by earning credits and awards through APHA’s Paint Alternative Competition. Visit apha.com/pac for details and a list of approved competition categories. Hirez JPEG (2.94 mb)
	Hirez JPEG (3.98 mb)

Traditionally, Paint Horse owners had to compete at specific APHA breed shows to earn recognition and have their accomplishments recorded on their horse’s permanent performance records. Once they are enrolled in PAC, these exhibitors may compete at dozens of different shows, as long as APHA recognizes those events as sanctioned competitions. Currently, the association maintains a list of nearly 30 approved PAC categories, from barrel racing to dressage, and the list is growing. To apply to have an event approved for the PAC program, a show coordinator simply needs to fill out a simple form and submit it to APHA. Approval can take as little as 10 to 15 business days, then competitors at the event can be on their way to earning valuable PAC credits.

Special PAC Awards
In addition to credits that are permanently recorded on a horse’s show record, PAC offers the following awards.

• Certificate of Recognition (COR)—Honor for horses that have won at least 20 credits in any one category.
• Certificate of Achievement (COA)—Given for horses that earn 60 or more credits in a category.
• PAC Year-End Leaders—For horses that earn more credits during the calendar year than any other horses have earned in a specific category.
• Top Five—Awarded for horses that place two through five in each category for the year.
• Six PAC Top Five—Top five horses garnering credits in six different categories.
• Six PAC Champion—Single horse winning six different categories.

More awards for international participants
“There is tremendous opportunity for Paint Horse exhibitors throughout Europe, Central and South America, and the South Pacific to gain recognition for their horses through PAC,” said Lex Smurthwaite, manager of the APHA Performance Department.

“While many people in the United States are taking part in the program and earning credits for their horses, there are a lot of international competitors who are not aware of the program.”

For that reason, said Smurthwaite, APHA has added awards for PAC program competitors in Europe (APHA Zone 12), Central and South America (APHA Zone 13) and the South Pacific, including Australia, (APHA Zone 13).

Additional year-end awards will be given to the top five competitors in these specific zones who earn the highest number of PAC credits in all categories combined.

More about PAC
To list your event with PAC and to learn how you can earn credits and awards, contact Amy Foerster, APHA’s PAC coordinator, by calling (817) 834-2742, ext. 249, or send an e-mail to her at pac@apha.com. Visit the PAC Web site at http://www.apha.com/pac.

More about APHA
Currently, American Paint Horses are being registered at APHA’s Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters at a rate of more than 50,000 horses each year. APHA has registered more than 811,000 horses in 49 nations and territories since it was founded 43 years ago.

APHA serves approximately 108,000 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.