Utah Paint Horse Club earns top APHA honors

FORT WORTH, Texas—The Utah Paint Horse Club was honored recently with the American Paint Horse Association’s (APHA) President’s Club of Distinction Award for its outstanding contributions to the worldwide breed organization. The award was presented to the club, one of 111 affiliated with the association, during APHA’s recent annual convention in Atlanta, Ga. Only four other clubs received APHA’s highest club honor in 2005.

For its President's Club of Distinction Award, the Utah Paint Horse Club received an awards package featuring a $200 Gist Silversmiths gift certificate and four APHA General Store gift certificates valued at $750. Accepting the award on behalf of their club were, from left to right, Club Director Dan Bierman of Sandy, Utah; alternative APHA Director and Club President Brad Jones of Ogden, Utah; club member Kelly Christensen and APHA Director Bonnie Christensen of Salt Lake City, Utah; APHA President Carl Parker of Marriot-Slaterville, Utah and APHA Director Sandi Morgan of American Fork, Utah. Hirez JPEG (1.49 mb)

APHA annually recognizes outstanding clubs for their contributions to the Paint Horse industry and their communities by honoring them with Gold Star Club status. From among these clubs, the President’s Club of Distinction award winners are chosen. The selected clubs exemplify the qualities of a premier regional club through services to their members, their community and APHA.

Among the many worthwhile activities undertaken by the Utah Paint Horse Club were a stallion service auction, the sponsoring of Christmas tree decorations for a children’s hospital fund-raiser, hosting of a charitable tack auction benefiting a foster child and ran a used-computer drive for a learning center.

At the awards ceremony, Utah Paint Horse Club members Dan Bierman, Brad Jones, Kelly and Bonnie Christensen, Carl Parker and Sandi Morgan accepted a prize package for their club that featured a $200 Gist Silversmiths gift certificate and four APHA General Store gift certificates valued at $750.

More about APHA
Since its founding 43 years ago, APHA has registered more than 842,000 horses. Currently, American Paint Horses are being registered at APHA’s Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters at a rate of approximately 40,000 horses each year. The association serves nearly 106,000 members, who are located in every U.S. state, throughout Canada and in 38 other nations and territories around the world.

APHA employs 155 people and has an annual operating budget of $15 million for activities worldwide.

Among the many qualities that make Paint Horses desirable are their sound
conformation, versatile athletic ability, intelligence, calm temperament, willing disposition and beautiful coat color patterns.

For more information about the American Paint Horse and APHA, visit http://www.apha.com or call (817) 834-2742.