American Paint Horse Association pays out $45,000 in first year of Gelding Plus incentive program - January 2001 - Equiworld

Prize money increases to $60,000 for 2001

American Paint Horse Association pays out $45,000 in first year of Gelding Plus incentive program

FORT WORTH—The American Paint Horse Association paid out $45,000 in prize money in 2000, the inaugural year of its innovative Gelding Plus Program.

Designed to give horse owners and breeders of Regular Registry and Paint-bred geldings an added opportunity to earn prize money and increase the value of their horses, the program paid the highest-advancing registered Paint geldings in both the open and non-pro divisions of select futurities $5,000 cash awards from APHA.

The most recent payout went to John and Rebecca Hofeldt of Green River, Wyo., owners of Budasa Little Smart. The horse was the highest-placing Paint gelding in open competition at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Championship Futurity, held in December. There was no eligible Paint Horse competing in the non-pro competition at that event.

At the National Reining Horse Association Futurity in Oklahoma City, also held in December, Ron and Ruth Varner of Adams Run, S. C., earned $5,000 with their gelding, GS Red Corvette. The horse was the highest-placing Paint gelding in open competition. In the non-pro division, Gay Bay Prize was the highest-placing Paint gelding. Owner John Covington of Allen, Texas, picked up the $5,000 Gelding Plus payout.

All three winning horses were Paint-bred geldings registered in APHA’s Breeding Stock Registry.

APHA maintains the Breeding Stock Registry for Paint-bred horses that do not have sufficient white to be included in the association’s Regular Registry, but that meet certain bloodline and registration requirements.

“Although the Paint-bred horses that won these Gelding Plus events didn’t meet color requirements for our Regular Registry, they certainly were high-quality, athletic, talented horses,” said APHA Assistant Executive Secretary Jim Kelley.

Kelley pointed out that of the more than 592,000 horses that have been registered with APHA since its founding in 1962, 30 percent have been classified as solid-colored, Paint-bred. “These horses are quality animals,” he said. “They’re bred from horses with superior genetics, and they have all the talent and all the ability that their colored counterparts do.

“The advantage of the Gelding Plus program is that the owners of both Regular Registry geldings and solid-colored, Paint-bred geldings have the chance to increase the value of their horses. They spend time and money training a quality Paint Horse, with or without color, and this gives them the opportunity to take him to a competition and earn some money.”

With $10,000 in payouts being added in 2001, Kelley foresees the program growing in popularity.

$60,000 in payouts to be awarded this year

In 2001, enrolled geldings will compete at the following futurities:

National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) Western and English Futurities
National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Futurity
National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity
National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity
World Barrel Futurity, Barrel Futurities of America

Prepare now for 2002 Gelding Plus payouts

Don’t miss out on the chance to earn Gelding Plus prize money in 2002 at select futurities. It’s easy to participate in the Gelding Plus program.

Enrollment is free, automatic and applies to horses in both the Regular and Paint-bred (Breeding Stock) registries. To qualify for Gelding Plus:

The horse must be foaled in 1999 or later and registered as a gelding prior to his 3-year-old year, or gelded and his status change reported prior to his 3-year-old year. (To be eligible for the APHA Gelding Plus payout at the 2002 futurities, owners of horses foaled in 1999 must notify APHA of their horse's gelding status prior to December 31, 2001.)
Owners of the horses must be current members of APHA.

For more information on the Gelding Plus Program, visit the APHA’s Gelding Plus Web site at http://www.apha.com/programs/geldingplus.html

To learn more about the American Paint Horse Association, visit the association’s Web site at http://www.apha.com or call (817) 834-2742, extension 788.