Northeast Paint Horse Championship Comes to New Jersey in August
Photo courtesy of APHA.
PHJ press release by: Kelsey Ritchie
Part of APHA’s pilot program in 2014, the Northeast Paint Horse Championship is returning for its second year after its success in 2014. Held in conjunction with the Zone 7 Northeast Connection Show,the event will take place in Logan Township, New Jersey, August 8-9.
The 2014 Northeast Paint Horse Championship was the first event in the Paint Horse Championship series. The event helped test different eligibility criteria for the championship classes in an effort to help increase local show participation and provide recognition to another group of exhibitors beyond the current show format.
“The goal of the show last year was just to have the event and for more people to understand what it really was,” Marjorie Moser, Zone 7 chairwoman, said. “This year, we added more Novice Youth and Novice Amateur classes to the championship because we think that will be the best way to attract new exhibitors.”
Along with the additional classes, exhibitors who have never before shown at the Zone 7 show will be welcomed with a free stall.
“We want to make this event as happy as possible,” Marjorie said. “I love that APHA developed this program because it gives new exhibitors or exhibitors who don’t have the ability to travel to the World Show their own world show in their zone. It put a smile on so many faces last year.”
The Paint Horse Championship series encourages more exhibitors to attend zone shows by offering 15 specially selected classes that are sponsored by APHA. In order to be eligible, the exhibitor must reside in that specific zone, be a current APHA member, and neither horse nor exhibitor may have placed in the Top 5 of a halter class or Top 10 of a performance class at the APHA World Championship Show within the last five years. Check out full eligibility requirements here.
APHA provides the awards for the Paint Horse Championship classes, along with up to $3,500 for additional awards for Zone classes. Paint Horse Championship class winners receive a custom Gist Silversmiths belt buckle, and 2nd–10th place receive medallions.
The classes offered at the 2015 Northeast Paint Horse Championship are:
- Amateur Showmanship
- Novice Amateur Showmanship
- Novice Youth Showmanship
- Youth Showmanship
- Open Geldings
- Open Mares
- Open Trail
- Western Riding
- Reining
- Open Hunter Under Saddle
- Youth Hunt-Seat Equitation
- Amateur Hunt-Seat Equitation
- Yearling Longe Line
- Youth Horsemanship
- Amateur Horsemanship
- Open Western Pleasure
- Ranch Riding
- Novice Youth Western Pleasure
- Novice Amateur Western Pleasure
