The American Paint Horse Association has another successful show under its belt with the close of the 51st annual APHA World Championship Show, which took place November 4–14 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Nearly 1,050 Paint Horses descended upon Will Rogers Memorial Center this year, generating a six percent increase in horse attendance from 2014. Class entries were up for the third consecutive year, with this year’s show boasting a 13 percent increase in entries from 2014. Owners and exhibitors representing 42 U.S. states and five countries participated in this year’s event.
Championship honors were up for grabs in 282 classes, including 185 world champion events, and APHA paid out nearly $600,000 in cash and prizes. Quality was deep, and a total of 316 different horses and 285 individual exhibitors brought home champion or reserve titles at this year’s show.
“The 2015 World Show was bigger and better than it has ever been—we saw an increase in horse attendance and entries this year by expanding prize money, improving awards and increasing class offerings,” APHA Executive Director Billy Smith said. “The show ignited an exciting spark that we plan to expand and grow upon for years to come.”
Reining & Cow Horse Commitment
This year’s APHA World Show offered new opportunities and added more than $76,000 in cash payouts for reining, cutting and working cow horse events. The association’s recommitment to these events was obvious, and entries were up in all categories.
Reining entries, for instance, saw a 20 percent increase from 2014, along with payouts of nearly $63,000 in five classes. New for this year was the Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Reining Challenge and Open and Non-Pro 4-, 5- & 6-Year-Old-Reining Challenges.
Cutting class entries experienced the biggest area of growth, seeing a 55 percent increase over 2014. This year, six cutting world championships were up for grabs as well as a total purse of $39,378 awarded in nine cutting classes; the cash-class lineup featured four APHA Challenge classes, one Paint Breeders’ Futurity class and four National Cutting Horse Association all-breed events.
Working cow horse entries increased nearly 13 percent over 2014, attracting Paints to the World Show to compete in four world champion cow horse classes and two working cow horse challenges with purses of nearly $10,000. New for this year were Open and Non-Pro 4-& 5-Year-Old Working Cow Horse Challenges and the Non-Pro Limited Working Cow Horse Challenge.
Roping A Win
The APHA and United States Team Roping Championships co-hosted the third annual USTRC Cowtown ShootOut in conjunction with the World Show November 13–15. An all-breed event, ropers riding registered Paints in the ShootOut competed for two bonuses worth a total of $5,000.
Wyatt Muggli and Chris Young teamed up with Tanks Bueno Streak, a 2007 sorrel solid stallion, in the #13 handicap, netting them checks worth more than $2,000. As the high money-earning Paint in the #6 & Above category, Tanks Bueno Streak earned a $2,500 APHA bonus for owners Mark and Robin Muggli of Lane, Oklahoma.
Twister Royal Pepto and Colt Miller of Royse City, Texas, won the #8 Pick Draw with partner Bodie Brassfield—the win helped the 2011 sorrel tobiano gelding earn the $2,500 APHA bonus for Elite #5 & Below ropers.
Big Money Barrels
APHA’s Paint Barrel Racing Incentive Program Sweepstakes returned to the World Show this year with a significant entry increase of 48 percent over 2014, attracting 50 Paints to vie for a piece of the $11,000 total purse. Two 4-D sweepstakes classes attracted Regular Registry and Solid-Paint Bred speedsters, and Farnam awarded an additional $2,000 to the fastest overall time. Montie Ledford of Justin, Texas, and EZ Jet Express captured a win in the PBRIP sweepstakes and the fast-time bonus with a 15.388 second run. Lance Graves of Hartshorne, Oklahoma, and LLP Susies Witch clocked a 15.617 time to win the PBRIP Solid Paint-Bred Sweepstakes.
The PBRIP Futurity offered a $5,790 purse, and 15 racers entered for a slice of the pie. Winner of PBRIP 4- & 5-Year-Old Solid Paint-Bred Futurity and Farnam Fastest Time $1,000 Bonus was Bryan Ford of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and Bugsys First Timer. Winner of the PBRIP 4- & 5-Year-Old Futurity was Michelle Fleming of Coweta, Oklahoma, and Lajollas Mr Big Stuff.
$50,000 Farnam Pleasure Stakes
Big money was also on the table thanks to the Farnam Pleasure Stakes program, now in its fourth year. More than $67,000 in prize money was available in the Farnam 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle Stakes classes and the Farnam Non-Pro 3- & 4-Year-Old Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle Stakes.
RJ King of Aubrey, Texas, rode Someone Like You to win $10,103 in the Farnam 2-Year-Old Pleasure Stakes for owner Ali Eidson. The class paid out more than $31,000. Katy Jo Zuidema of Micanopy, Florida, captured the 2015 Farnam 2-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle Stakes championship aboard Shez Always Fancy for owner James Jorgensen. They earned more than $8,800 for the win, along with loads of awesome prizes.
The Non-Pro 3- & 4-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle Stakes title went to Angela Loeffler of Buchanan, Michigan, and Cool Sophistication. Angela took home more than $2,500 and other great prizes for her achievement.
Alison Umberger of Broad Run, Virginia, and Nodoubtimsensational loped to the Non-Pro 3-& 4-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes championship honor. The win netted Alison a check worth $4,000 and tons of other prizes.
Sold!
The Farnam Breeders’ Trust Select Sale attracted a total of 39 horses to this year’s Stakes Session. The high-selling horse was Known To Be Lazy, a 2014 chestnut tobiano stallion purchased by Ida Wright of New Berth, North Carolina. The sale had an average of $6,382.46 on horses sold. All yearlings who participate in the Farnam Breeders’ Trust Select Sale Yearling Stakes Session become eligible to compete in the Farnam Pleasure Stakes classes at age 2, 3 and 4.
Getting’ Ranchy
The World Show featured expanded opportunities for ranch horses to show their skills in events like ranch riding, ranch trail and ranch sorting, which featured both sweepstakes payouts and world championship honors. Farnam added $2,000 in the Open and Amateur Ranch Riding Sweepstakes classes and APHA added $1,000 to the Open and Amateur Ranch Trail. Winners included Peptos Nic In Time and Marcie Blakely of Springtown, Texas, who topped the Ranch Trail Sweepstakes; Gunna Win A Prize and Leslie Temple of Granbury, Texas, who won the Ranch Riding Sweepstakes; Deltas Foxy Flyer and Claire Armstrong of Weatherford, Texas, who took home the Amateur Ranch Trail Sweepstakes; and Zeena Lena and Nonie Casselman-Reed of Hico, Texas, who won the Amateur Ranch Riding Sweepstakes.
Flying High
All-around and high-point awards were also presented to top horses and exhibitors at this year’s show. The All-Around Open Horse & High-Point English Horse titles went to I Got Em Talking, a 2010 gray overo stallion owned by Dominic Destefano of Edmond, Oklahoma. “Buzz” earned a world championship in Junior Hunter Hack, reserve world championships in Junior Working Hunter and Utility Driving, third in Junior Pleasure Driving and fourth in Jumping. For the wins, Buzz took home a Blue Ribbon Western saddle, $2,500 cash and a plethora of other great prizes.
Other top winners included:
· All-Around Classic Amateur: Christine Weiser of Meridian, Idaho, and Nighttime Sensation
· All-Around Masters Amateur: Coleen Bull of Reed City, Michigan, and Timeless Assets
· All-Around Novice Amateur: Jill Silverberg of Montecito, California, and Send Roses Please
· High-Point Amateur Walk-Trot: Jeannie Llpphard of Centreville, Maryland, and Instinctively Dirty
· High-Point Amateur & Open Solid Paint-Bred: Kristy Doyle of Ellsworth, Illinois, and O Where Is My Spot
· High-Point Western Horse, Oscar Crigler Cattle Award and Super Gelding: Lenas Flying Delta CT, owned by Chris Lytle of Wickenburg, Arizona
· High-Point Exhibitor: Shannon Gillespie of Whitesboro, Texas
Full results from the 2015 APHA World Show, as well as more news from around the show, can be found online at apha.com/oawcs.
