American Paint Horses show practical talents
during recent working ranch horse competition

FORT WORTH, Texas—Delta Flyer Gold Bar, ridden by Tom Neel of Millsap,
Texas, proved for the second consecutive year that he has what it takes
to excel in American Paint Horse Association (APHA) working ranch horse
competition. With his victory on May 7 at the Paint Ranch Horse Round
Up in Stephenville, Texas, the 5-year-old chestnut tobiano stallion
repeated his performance of a year earlier during APHA’s inaugural
working ranch horse event at the same venue.

Delta Flyer Gold Bar, ridden by Tom Neel and owned by Craig Campagna, repeated his stellar performance at this year's Ranch Horse Round Up. The horse won the Open division for APHA Regular Registry horses and won Top Hand Open honors. Hirez JPEG (2.40 mb)

Delta Flyer Gold Bar, owned by Craig Campagna of Huntsville, Texas,
took first place in the Open division of APHA Regular Registry Horses
and also won “Top Hand” honors in a head-to-head match-up against APHA
Open division Breeding Stock Registry winner, Lil Rooster Cogburn. That
horse, ridden by Al Thomason of Kennedale, Texas, and owned by Linda
Calame of Mansfield, Texas, was awarded second place in the Top Hand
competition. The Top Hand Amateur division winner was Kids Lil Tiger,
ridden and owned by Chris Schoeneberg of Louise, Texas.

The making of a two-time champion
The fact that Delta Flyer Gold Bar won the first APHA working ranch
horse competition in 2004 and did it again this year came as no
surprise to either the horse’s owner or his trainer.

The son of legendary cutting horse sire Delta Flyer, Delta Flyer Gold
Bar certainly inherited the genetics to do great things. What seemed to
be unusual, however, was how calm the horse acted, even at an early
age, said Campagna, who bought him as a weanling.

“He was always dead-broke gentle,” said Campagna. The owner knew from
experience that horses with that type of personality were valuable
commodities on a ranch. For the first two years of the horse’s life.
Campagna introduced Delta Flyer Gold Bar to the sites and sounds of his
Huntsville ranch.

Lil Rooster Cogburn, ridden by Al Thomason and owned by Linda Calame, won the Open division for APHA Breeding Stock Registry horses. Hirez JPEG (2.87 mb)

“You know, gates banging, diesel tractors firing up—he’s heard all the
loud noises you hear on a ranch,” Campagna said. “And he was around
animals under his feet and around him all the time. Everything from
pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, and of course he was around cows.”

Campagna rightly figured that Delta Flyer Gold Bar would be a natural
for reined cowhorse and working ranch horse competitions. He sought out
Tom Neel to train the Delta Flyer Gold Bar when the horse was about 2 ½
years old, and the 5-year-old stallion has been with Neel ever since.

“Sure, he’s a quiet horse,” said Neel, “and that’s great, but a horse
has to have more than just the right disposition. This horse can stop,
turn around, work cows, everything. It takes a lot of time and
training, and especially desire on the part of the horse.”

With that desire of the horse, trainer and owner all headed in the same
direction, Delta Flyer Gold Bar will continue down the competitive
trail in reined cowhorse and working ranch horse events. APHA Ranch
Horse Round Up, Campagna and Neel agreed, will remain at the top of
their list.

“It gives these horses a chance to show what they can do,” said
Campagna. “People are looking at the versatility of horses these days.
Not just a horse that does reining or roping or trail, but a horse that
can do everything. They want a horse that can do it all.” Working ranch
horse events provide venues where horses can showcase those skills, he
said.

Kids Lil Tiger, ridden and owned by Chris Schoeneberg, was Top Hand Amateur division winner. Hirez JPEG (2.15 mb)

Horses show versatility in four classes
A total of 14 horses from four states—Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana and
Texas—competed at the APHA Ranch Horse Round Up in four different
classes:

• Stock Horse Pleasure—horses were asked to walk, trot and lope
  smoothly and efficiently on a designated course.
• Stock Horse Versatility—horses performed some of the many tasks
  required of them in the course of actual ranch work. Horses were
  required to cross a muddy draw, walk through brush, back up into
  specific areas, negotiate obstacles and drag a log, to name a few
  challenges.
• Working Stock Horse—horses moved cattle to specific areas. In this
  category, riders had the option of either roping and stopping a cow or
  taking it to the center of the arena and circle it at least once in
  each direction.
• Stock Horse Reining—horses had to show that they could be guided and ridden willingly, without resistance, in specific patterns.

Special recognition for winners
Winners of each of the divisions – Open Regular Registry, Open Breeding
Stock and Amateur were awarded a trophy belt buckle, courtesy of Gist
Silversmiths. Top Hand winners received a pair of custom spurs, also
courtesy of Gist Silversmiths.

Also, winners in each class in each division received $200.

The Paint Ranch Horse Round Up was sponsored by Gist Silversmiths, Hart
Trailers, The Kent Group, Pro Orthopedic, Jerry’s and Top Hand Tack.

APHA will host another Paint Ranch Horse Round Up on September 10 at
Fort Robinson State Park, near Crawford, Nebraska, in conjunction with
APHA’s annual trail ride, which will be held September 5–10 at that
location.

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.