FORT WORTH, Texas—Earnest Wilson of Tolar, Texas, has received the American Paint Horse Association’s highest honor, its Distinguished Service Award. The well-known trainer and long-time APHA supporter received the award recently at the association’s annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Earnest Wilson, left, receives the APHA Distinguished Service Award from APHA President Carl Parker. Hirez JPEG (1.12 mb)

Legendary Paint Horse trainer Earnest Wilson is renowned for his ability to produce all-around horses and World champions. He is shown here with Calico Dolly Dee, one of the many horses he has trained in his over 30 years in the industry. Hirez TIFF (4.73 mb) Hirez JPEG (1.97 mb)

Wilson has had remarkable success during his more than 30 years of training champion Paint Horses. He is the only person to have trained and shown 24 APHA Superior All-Around horses, in addition to earning two Supreme Champion awards, 131 APHA Champion awards and 117 World, National and Reserve Championships with Paint Horses.

Wilson has served the association as a member of the Regional Club, General Show and Contest Rules, Progress, Occupation and Human Resources, Professional Horseman’s, Breed Improvement and Amateur Committees. He has also been an APHA national director, an approved judge and West Texas–New Mexico Paint Horse Club president for 11 years.

In the show ring, Wilson was the first to ride horses to the APHA World Show’s High-Point All-Around Horse Award three years in a row, and High-Point Western Horse honors for four consecutive years. The All-Around title is given to the horse that excels in multiple events at APHA’s World Show, and the High-Point Western Horse accumulates the most points in the Western classes. In addition, Wilson is a three-time winner of the Oscar Crigler Cattle Award.

Wilson has also created competition programs for other Paint enthusiasts who own versatile horses. One is the Texas Saddle series, a new collection of Amateur and Youth events that awarded saddles, scholarships and U. S. Savings Bonds to the champions. He also developed the annual Paint Performance Horse Super Stakes, which is the championship event of a series of shows. The Super Stakes incorporates the Greatest American Paint Horseman contest, which involves one horse-and-rider team competing in five events.

When he accepted the award, Wilson said that he has worked hard for APHA because he believes in the association, its horses and its programs.

“I have served the APHA to promote the breed, not for an award, “ said Wilson. “I feel privileged that others have recognized my accomplishments.”

Currently, Wilson operates Wilson Training Stables in Tolar, where he has specialized in training and breeding all-around horses since the early 1980s.

For more information on APHA and the Paint Horse breed, visit www.apha.com or call (817) 834-2742.