Paint Alternative Competition Undergoes 2022 Program Upgrades
PHJ release by: Elizabeth Lawhorn
APHA members have enjoyed Paint Alternative Competition, presented by State Line Tack, for more than 20 years. This program rewards members who ride recreationally or who compete outside of APHA-approved shows. Here’s how it works: Competitors receive PAC credits based on their non-competitive hours spent riding and all-breed show results. These credits accumulate on the horse’s PAC Performance Record, and they can earn PAC world championship titles as well as PAC year-end and lifetime awards.
PAC has grown by more than 22 percent in 2021. To help it really take off, a task force composed of members from the Equestrian Experience Committee developed a slate of upgrades to improve the PAC experience for members:
- PAC Exhibitor Report forms will no longer require a show secretary’s signature
- PAC Enrollments, Exhibitor Reports, and Recreational Time Logs will only be accepted through the online forms, no longer through mail, fax, or email
- PAC program rules will no longer be found in the APHA rulebook, but instead provided only on APHA.com like other APHA programs
PAC class categories will be consolidated to the following, eliminating categories with historically low participation:
- Color Class
- Dressage
- Endurance
- English Performance
- Equitation
- Eventing
- Equestrians With Disabilities
- Games
- Halter
- Ranch & Cattle
- Recreational Riding
- Reining
- Showmanship
- Speed Events
- Trail
- Walk-Trot
- Western Performance
- Youth Dressage
- Youth English Performance
- Youth Equitation
- Youth Halter
- Youth Recreational Riding
- Youth Showmanship
- Youth Speed Events
- Youth Trail
- Youth Walk-Trot
- Youth Western Performance
PAC exhibitors are required to include the show secretary’s contact information on exhibitor reports for audit purposes. By no longer requiring the secretary’s signature, the program’s reporting system can move completely online and ease the burden of reporting show results for exhibitors. This allows staff to process exhibitor reports more quickly so award standings can be updated more often.
PAC currently has 45 class categories, with nearly 20 having few credit-earning participants over the past five years. The task force consolidated this list of categories down to 26. The consolidations included combining the appropriate 4-H and Youth categories so that Youth participants’ credits would no longer be divided, as well as combining the ranch and cattle classes into one category. These revisions will increase competition within the PAC program and simplify the way in which classes are organized into PAC class categories.
To learn more about the PAC program and how to enroll your Paint, visit apha.com/programs/pac/. For questions about the PAC program, email pac@apha.com.
