Paints owners have hailed from 43 nations around the world American Paint Horse Association highlights breed's popularity, accomplishments in new report

FORT WORTH, Texas- More than 269,000 people in 43 nations around the world have owned registered Paint Horses in the past 40 years, according to a new report issued by the American Paint Horse Association (APHA).

Since its founding in 1962, APHA has registered more than 650,000 horses. In the last 10 years alone, APHA has registered more than 450,000 horses - 69 percent of the 40-year total. Those figures helped make APHA one of the fastest growing horse breed registries in the world.

These facts and a variety of other news and statistics are contained in the 2001 APHA Annual Report.

Last year, according to the report, APHA:

-- registered nearly 57,000 horses;
-- sanctioned more than 1,100 APHA-approved horse shows around the world;
-- processed more than 421,000 show entries for horse show exhibitors;
-- hosted a two-week World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas, that featured nearly 1,900 horses in competition and logged more than 4,600 entries;
-- gave out more than $143,000 in prize money at the World Championship Paint Horse Show;
-- awarded more than $100,000 in bonus money to Paint Horse owners as incentives to compete against other breeds at horse shows;
-- paid out more than $711,000 to 1,829 people as part of a special "Breeders Trust" incentive program to reward owners and breeders of competitive Paint Horses;
-- increased participation in its innovative Ride America" saddle-log program to more than 3,200 recreational riders; and
-- published a new coffee table book, titled The American Paint Horse: A Photographic Portrayal, which is receiving outstanding reviews around the world for its insightful text and magnificent images of Paint Horses.

Paints at the top of their class
The APHA Annual Report also stated that the American Paint Horse kept a high profile in 2001, by proving at several venues around the nation that when it comes to intelligence, versatility and athletic ability, the breed is at the top of its class.

Paints scored impressive, unprecedented victories at both the United States Equestrian Team Opening Reining Championship in Gladstone, N. J., and the National Reining Horse Association Futurity in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 2001.

In Gladstone, Colonels Smokingun, "Gunner," handily outdrew his competition, while RR Star slid into stardom in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City was also the site where two other Paint Horses made their mark as champions-this time in team roping. Ladybugs Sugar Bar and Time Piece teamed up with their riders to become the No. 7 shootout champions in the prestigious United States Team Roping Championships event.

In cutting competition, Ifitaintgotthatswing won the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Futurity, Burbank, Calif., and J R Smart Smokin was Non-Pro Reserve Champion at the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity.

At the National Reined Cow Horse Association's GMC Sierra Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno, Nevada, Paints continued their winning ways, this time with Plan To Win doing just that in the Non-Pro portion of the event.

A Paint Horse named Docs Lucky Legs took home many top honors in 2001, including International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA) Heel Horse of the Year.

To read more about these horses and the successes of APHA and the breed it serves, you can view the complete 52-page APHA 2001 Annual Report on-line at http://www.apha.com/association.

http://www.apha.com/