Inaugural Performance Halter Champions Crowned at 2017 APHA World

New to the 2017 APHA World Championship Show lineup were the inaugural Performance Halter classes; five took place September 23, with the final class—Performance Halter Geldings—taking place September 28.

Performance halter classes are offered only in the Open division, and the line up featured both Solid Paint-Bred and Regular Registry classes for mares, stallions and geldings.

“You can kind of feel the excitement around these classes,” said exhibitor Olin Parker; he’s a decorated halter trainer who captured two performance halter wins at the show. “I think the performance halter is very good for the breed. It makes those people feel included in the halter and adds some excitement and buzz.”

Solid Paint-Bred Performance Halter Stallions

Swedish exhibitor Jeanette Svenneskog returned to the World Show this year with her 2013 black solid stallion Rockin My Lazy, and added another title to his resume with a win in Solid Paint-Bred Performance Halter Stallions. Rockin My Lazy is by Lazy Loper (QH) and out of Color My Rockies; he was bred by Mark Reisinger of Boone, Iowa. He is showing in Amateur and Open Solid Paint-Bred horsemanship, showmanship, barrels and Western pleasure.

Performance Halter Stallions

Owner Judy Moyer’s No. 1 goal for the 2017 World Show was to see her stallion, The Red Factor, win the inaugural Performance Halter Stallions class, and the 2012 red roan overo stallion lived up to the expectation. Shown by Olin Parker, “Opie” snagged three firsts, a second and a third to lay claim to the world champion title. The Red Factor is by VS Code Red (QH) and out of Miss Annie Fancy; he was bred by Judy, who is from Deepwater, New Jersey. He is showing in Green and Junior Trail and Junior Western Pleasure.

Solid Paint-Bred Performance Halter Mares

Towering over her counterparts, the tall hunter-bred mare Fancy N My Stilettos earned the win in Solid Paint-Bred Performance Halter Mares with breeder Nicole Dalton. This was the second title of the show for the 2014 bay overo mare, who is by All Time Fancy and out of Memoforemma (TB)—earlier, she won the world championship title in Solid Paint-Bred Hunter Under Saddle, too.

Performance Halter Mares

Olin Parker handled his second performance halter world champion of the day with Not To Be Repeated, a 2014 bay overo mare. The statuesque mare, who is owned by Jennifer Benefante of Whitesboro, Texas, is by Repeated In Red (QH) and out of Gorgeous N Chocolate (QH). She later placed 10th in the 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure Sweepstakes.

Solid Paint-Bred Performance Halter Geldings

Hilfiger Again and Kelly Boles Chapman of Bellevue, Michigan, unanimously laid claim to the world championship in Solid Paint-Bred Performance Halter Geldings. Bred by Kelly’s mother, Gail, and owned by her daughter, Mackenzie, Hilfiger Again is a 2012 bay solid gelding by Charlie Hilfiger and out of Gucci Girl (QH). The gelding also showed in Solid Paint-Bred Hunter Under Saddle, where he was sixth.

Performance Halter Geldings

[Results coming soon—class shows on September 28]