The just-concluded American Paint Horse Association (APHA) Youth World Show offered more than $110,000 in scholarship prizes to competitors, the association said in a news release.
The 10-day event at the Will Rogers Memorial Center ended July 8 and was conducted in conjunction with the Appaloosa World Championship Youth Show, the APHA Youth World Games, the Western Horseman Fence & Boxing Challenge, the inaugural Ranch Work Championship, and the ACHA Cowtown Cutting.
APHA said the prize money included scholarships for top finishers in 86 world championship performance and halter classes, along with scholarships for randomly selected entries and other special events.
The show attracted nearly 1,200 entries and 249 horses from 32 U.S. states and Canada.
“Our Youth Show exemplifies what an amazing group of kids we have in our association, and this year was no exception,” APHA Executive Director Billy Smith said in the news release. “They work extremely hard to get to the World Show, and we are honored to provide them with the opportunity to save for their future education while they show their horses.”
Seven exhibitors won All-Around and High-Point titles: Rebecca Figueroa, 14–18, of Ocala, Florida; Lauren Hall, 13 and under, of Seattle, Washington; Ella Storch, Novice Youth, of Bend, Oregon; and Sabine Lazo, Solid Paint-Bred, of Caldwell, Texas.
Four additional High-Point awards were presented to top-placing youth: Amanda Walsh of Thornton, Colorado, earned the High-Point English Youth award; Jennifer Stanley of Holland, Texas, took home both the High-Point Western Youth and High-Point Power Performance titles; and Delaney Good of Boone, Iowa, won the High-Point Walk-Trot award.
Nine countries were represented in the biennial Youth World Games. The top three teams were the United States, Team United (representing France, Italy and Slovakia) and Canada.
Amanda Nelson of North Logan, Utah, was named the AjPHA Youth Member of the Year. She is a national director and president of the Utah Paint Horse Youth Club. The Garden State Junior Paint Horse Club was honored as AjPHA’s Youth Club of the Year and also earned the From the Heart award, presented to the club that provides the most support to the AjPHA Presidential Service Project.
The Robyn Hanna Memorial Sportsmanship Award honors an exhibitor selected by an anonymous panel of judges as someone who exemplifies what it means to be a role model in and out of the arena. Walsh received this year’s award.
The Western Horseman Fence and Boxing Challenge took place July 5-6 and presented a unique opportunity for cow horse and ranch horse competitors to exhibit in cow work only.
New this year was the Ranch Work Championship, sponsored by Classic Equine., an all-breed, all-ages event took place July 7.
“It was a great event and very well run,” said competitor Trevor Carter of Farwell, Texas. “It was great fun. I showed four horses and had a blast doing it.”
The ACHA/APHA Cowtown Cutting, an all-breed, all-age event approved by the American Cutting Horse Association and APHA, took place July 7-9 and attracted 291 entries.
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded in 1962.