Have you ever bred your mare, hoping for a palomino foal, only to get one of the “other colors”— sorrel, bay, buckskin, black, chestnut, or brown? Unfortunately, the odds can be stacked against you. What is a breeder to do?
Enter the Good as Gold Program (GGP), a program launched by the Palomino Horse Breeders of America (PHBA) that allows horses of any color, with at least one palomino parent, an opportunity to purchase a permit to show at PHBA shows. Each year any PHBA registered horse and any non-palomino horse (with at least one palomino parent) can apply for a Good as Gold Permit. This permit allows the horse to show in GGP classes offered by Affiliate Palomino Associations. A percentage of the GGP permit fee will go into the PHBA GGP Fund, which will be distributed to the national top ten in each division at the end of each year. At each Affiliate Palomino Association show that offers GGP classes, 80 percent of the entry fee will be jackpotted and paid out to the top four places.
“This program is a benefit to everyone involved,” says PHBA Chief Operating Officer Brent Harnish. “It gives the exhibitor an opportunity to earn cash to help offset the expenses of showing on a regular basis–not only on the weekends, but at the end of the year as well. For the trainer, it allows him or her to have more horses at the Palomino shows and more customers, which means more income without dividing their time and energies between more than one breed. For the breeder, it creates an alternative market in the unfortunate chance that the goal of getting a Palomino foal is not met. For the owner that breeds one or two mares a year and shows on the Palomino circuit, it will not force them to show that foal somewhere else, they can continue showing with the friends they have made over a lifetime. For the bigger breeder concentrating on raising Palominos to supply the market demand for palomino color, it expands the marketability of the non-palomino colored foals.
“All in all, this program is a win-win for all involved, not to mention the benefits to the local associations hosting the horse shows with the additional income of added entries, increased revenue from stall rental and increased memberships.”
The inaugural year for the Good as Gold Program begins August 1, 2009, and will run through December 31, 2010. Each year after that will run from January 1 through December 31. For specific rules and more information on the Good as Gold Permit Program, visit the PHBA Web site at www.palominohba.com, or call the PHBA office at 918/438-1234.
