- Mike Holloway Paints

By Jessica Hein
Dating back to the association’s
formation, solid Paints were,
and continue to be,
an important part of
APHA history.
CROP FAILURES. BREEDING STOCKS. SOLIDS.
Over the years, Paint Horses lacking the breed’s
customary color contrast have been given many names.
Although they were once the horses that people preferred
not to talk about, one thing is certain. Times have
changed, and these solid Paints—an oxymoron though the
name may be—have helped lay a rock-solid foundation
for the modern Paint Horse breed.
In the beginning
According to the APHA Stud Book and Registry, Volume
1, Number 1, which was published in 1965, the 1954 sorrel mare Linda Lou Farrow was the first horse issued a
Breeding Stock number—although association records
show that she was later advanced to the Regular Registry.
In 1969, the Breeding Stock and Appendix Breeding Stock
registries were mentioned for the first time in the APHA
Rule Book, and the addition was outlined in the
November-December 1968 Paint Horse Journal.
“Effective January 1, 1969, through December 31,
1969, you will be able to secure Breeding Stock numbers
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on mares of a solid color that may be in your breeding
band at the present time,” the article stated.
Originally intended for the inclusion of Quarter Horse
and Thoroughbred mares, according to the Journal article,
the 1969 rule also pertained to “other mares of quality and
breeding with unknown bloodlines.” In 1970, a new rule
took effect that required Paint Horses to have one Regular or Breeding Stock Registry parent. During this time,
only mares and stallions were eligible for Breeding
Stock papers.
In one of the first Paint Horse Journal articles dedicated
to the topic, titled “Let’s talk about Breeding Stock” and
published in the August 1969 issue, the unidentified author explains the horses’ roles.
“Often, two Paint Horses are mated, and the offspring
is a solid color foal, or one with very little color,” the article stated. “The APHA feels that these foals, if they have
good conformation and other desirable stock-type characteristics, would be valuable to the registry.
“Since they possess the color genes of the Paint breed,
they will likely produce Paint offspring when mated to
S O L I D P A I N T - B R E D P A R T 1
other Paints. These offspring can then be registered in the
Regular Registry.”
The 1973 Rule Book featured an amendment to the
Breeding Stock registries—solid geldings would be given
an Identification Status number only, provided that they
had one Paint parent. However, they would not be
recorded in the stud books.
titles, eight APHA Champion awards and three
Versatility titles.
The Journal article shared statistics of Breeding Stock
mares’ production records, compiled by the APHA performance department in April 1973. The data showed that
27 solid mares had produced point-earning offspring,
earning a total of 703 points.
The proof is in the produce
The Cute Edge was
the first to earn an
APHA Breeding Stock
Champion title.
APHA FILE PHOTO
Hugable
Dixon’s
offspring have accumulated nearly 11,500
points, making her
the leading dam—
solid or colored—of
performance horses
by points-earned.
APHA FILE PHOTO
APHA FILE PHOTO
APHA FILE PHOTO
Traditionally, the most accepted role of solid
Paints has been in the breeding shed, where they
were invaluable assets in producing the next generations of colored stock. According to the 2007
APHA membership survey, 56.8 percent of respondents said they use solid Paints for breeding.
“Some of my best-producing mares were solid,”
said APHA President Carl Thurow of Wichita,
Kansas. “My geldings and stud colts went to the
cowboys as rope horses, but I always kept my
mares and put them in the breeding barn.
“People forget that just because you have a
solid mare, she can be carrying more Paint genes
than a loud-colored Paint, and can produce more
loud-colored foals.”
The concept of using solid Paints as broodmares is an idea shared by many successful Paint
Horse breeders. In a September 1973 Journal
article titled “Crop Failure Fillies,” author Lynda
Bloom applauds the value of these mares.
“These solid-colored fillies with one or both
Paint parents are goldmines sold at fools-gold
prices,” Bloom wrote.
Bloom points to Badger’s Lou as a solid success story.
The 1963 bay mare—a half-sister to four national or
reserve national champions—produced 11 Paint offspring,
eight of whom entered the show ring. Combined, her foals
earned more than 3,200 points, several National Show
The most successful
offspring of the solid mare
Badger’s Lou, San Juan Lou
earned 2,424 points and
four national titles.
Clues Eclipse and MW Clue
Katie In were two of the
first Breeding Stock world
champions, earning titles in
the yearling mares and
2-year-old mares classes,
respectively.
To document the increased—and obviously successful—use of solid broodmares over the last 35 years,
APHA’s information technology department compiled
similar data in November 2007. This information found
that more than 5,000 solid Paint mares had produced
point-earning offspring to date. Remarkably, 114 of those
broodmares have offspring earnings of more than 1,000
points. And of these 114 top-producing solid mares, their
foals have cumulatively tallied more than 225,000 APHA
points.
The solid Paint-bred currently topping the chart is
Hugable Dixon, a 1983 sorrel mare owned by Mike Holloway of Brandon, Mississippi. Hugable Dixon has produced 12 foals, and the three that have earned show
records—Ima Gallant Jet, Ima Hugable Jet and Inspirational—have tallied 11,448 APHA points. This gives the
mare, who was sired by Gallant Hug and out of Dixon’s
Girl, a lead of 4,775 points over the next mare on the list.
Holloway acknowledges the success his solid broodmare
and her offspring have enjoyed, and says that while he
didn’t originally intend to purchase Hugable Dixon in
1989, he’s never regretted the decision.
“Billy McWilliams asked me if I was interested in a solid
broodmare,” recalled Holloway. “I drove to Meridian
[Mississippi] with my little truck and two-horse trailer,
and I was looking at this Breeding Stock when Mr.
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APHA FILE PHOTO
APHA FILE PHOTO
Below: Hempen Jet earned the first World Champion
Running Breeding Stock Horse title in 1985.
Above: Snazzy Indian claimed back-to-back world
championships for racing, and later sired track winners
of nearly $75,000.
A debate for the ages
1990s:
July 1996 PHJ, From Our Readers
“I have owned Paints since the early 1960s, before they were established as a breed. I have also
had quite a few Breeding Stock Paints. Although I
sympathize with the owners of Breeding Stock
Paints, I don’t feel that they should be shown with
colored Paints. They should have their own
classes.”
Joyce Sirratt, Oregon City, OR
February 1996 PHJ, From Our Readers
“The APHA needs to find a solution to the
Breeding Stock situation that will work, before the
association is split in a civil war.
“Breeders want to improve the monetary value
of these by-products of colored Paints by having a
forum provided by the APHA to show and promote solid Paints … Help us turn a negative aspect
of breeding for color into something positive.
Kaneh Harris, Salem, OR
March 1996 PHJ, From Our Readers
“My first suggestion is to allow Breeding Stock
mares and gelding to be shown in Youth and
Amateur classes… Let’s face it, solids will not go
away just because we do not talk about them.”
Carol Keyser, Leasburg, NC
March 1988 PHJ, Mailbag
“Please, fellow Paint owners, don’t follow the
Appaloosa Horse Association’s idea of regular papers for both colored and non-colored horses …
We are the ‘Sports Model of the Horse World’ only
because our horses have a lot of chrome and beautiful color; and color is the name of the Paint game
… without color, you will become just another
‘Plain Jane’ horse association.”
Cynthia Geesling, Turon, KS
August 1980 PHJ, Mailbag
“As a breeder, I know the flusteration that comes
with a solid foal. But it must reinforce our determination to patiently strive for a better mating selection to get a higher number of colored foals. It
is wrong to change the color requirements to fit a
small number of horses to the detriment of thousands of horses that fit the definition of a Paint
Horse.”
Tom Nelson, Shelbyville, IN
1970s:
April 1988 PHJ, Mailbag
“All registered Paints today are true Paints,
whether they display color or not. And they should
all have their place in the shows.”
Valerie Olsen, Murray, UT
May 1974 PHJ, Mailbag
“Most people in the Paint Horse breeding business suffer from the crop-failure at some time (solid
foals from Paint bloodlines). This is especially hard
on the breeders of Paint racing stock. Show and
performance breeders can ordinarily turn their
solid foals into excellent using horses for ranch
work and open show competition. But trying to
turn a hot-blooded running horse into a cowpony
is another matter.
“It has been said that ‘spots do not slow our
Paint Horses down.’ Nor should the lack of them.”
Deanna Foale, Moore, OK
March 1983 PHJ, Mailbag
“The gamble you take breeding any horse is a
big one … but when you go through all of this and
have succeeded with getting a healthy, well-built,
well-bred colt and no color, you suddenly have to
face the fact he’s not worth a nickel of your time
and money.”
Pam Housh, Farmington, NM
Sept. 1974 PHJ, Mailbag
“I don’t see where going to a show (Paint) and
seeing a bunch of solid horses in the ring is ever
going to do a lot for Paint horse promotion. Here
we are promoting a “flashy sports model,” a horse
that isn’t like any other, and we stick him in with a
bunch of “crop failures” for competition.”
Kathy Mezin, Escondido, CA
1980s:
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McWilliams said, ‘Well, I’ve got this
other one here.’ That actually happened to be Hugable Dixon. He just
pulled her in the barn that night and
said, ‘I’ll sell you these two for
$3,000.’ I said, ‘Load them on the
trailer.’
“Of course, when she foaled out
that next season, it was Ima Gallant
Jet. That’s $1,500 well spent.”
Hugable Dixon proved to be a
valuable addition to Holloway’s
broodmare band, and she and her
offspring have earned notoriety of
their own by way of APHA’s lifetime
leaders lists. With 11,345 points,
Hugable Dixon leads the Lifetime
Leading Dams list for performance
points earned. Her daughter Ima
Hugable Jet owns the Number 1 position on the Open, Amateur and
Youth Lifetime Leaders lists in Western pleasure. And Hugable Dixon’s
son Ima Gallant Jet can be found on
numerous lifetime leaders lists, including eighth place on the Open
Western pleasure list and 12th on
the Lifetime Leading Sires list for
performance points earned.
Holloway’s star mare died in
2004, but her legacy lives on in her
foals, especially those that have filled
her shoes in the broodmare band.
Life could have turned out differently for Hugable Dixon, Holloway
says, and she may have never had a
chance to impact the Paint Horse
breed as she did.
“That horse may have just been
stuck in a pasture somewhere, but it
worked out a different way,” he said.
“It worked out great.”
S O L I D P A I N T - B R E D P A R T 1
Another role of solid Paints—and one that has been
filled with debate for decades—is as show competitors.
Solid Paints have been developed into prized saddle horses
since the beginning of their existence, but prior to 1980,
Breeding Stock horses were rarely present in the show ring
and were excluded from most APHA activities.
An addition to the 1980 Rule Book created the Breeding
Stock performance division, and stated that solid Paints
were only eligible to compete in Breeding Stock classes.
The first events included in the Breeding Stock program
were three halter divisions—comprised of 3-year-old and
under classes for mares, geldings and stallions—and a
Junior Western pleasure class for horses 4 years old and
younger. Hezanexotic Ranger, a 1978 sorrel gelding,
earned the first Breeding Stock show points later that year
in a Western pleasure class.
The 1980 rule change seemed to kick-start an era of
increasing opportunities for solid Paints within the association. Programs were added or revised nearly every year
throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Brenda Helget, a Paint breeder and owner from Omaha,
Nebraska, has been a member of APHA since 1987. Prior
to the rule changes of the 1980s, she acknowledges that
opportunities for solid Paints were few and far between.
“You never saw any solid classes at any horse show, ever,”
she said. “So, it was exciting to see that change and those
horses recognized in that manner.”
In 1982, hunter under saddle was added to the list of
optional classes for Breeding Stocks, and both performance
classes were changed to include horses of all ages. Also, the
first APHA-recognized races for Breeding Stocks were
held, but solids remained separate from Regular Registry
horses on the track until 1987.
Two solid Paints that first excelled on the racetrack were
Hempen Jet and Snazzy Indian. Hempen Jet, a 1983 sorrel stallion owned by Royse R Ranch in Yukon, Oklahoma, earned 20 racing points and nearly $5,000 as a 2year-old. A son of Hempen JC and the tobiano mare Easy
Winner, Hempen Jet was named the first World Champion Running Breeding Stock Horse in 1985.
Snazzy Indian, a 1982 sorrel stallion owned by The
Painted Pitchfork of Rifle, Colorado, also burned up the
track, earning more than $15,000 and a speed index of
108. The stallion earned back-to-back World Champion
Running Breeding Stock Horse titles in 1986 and 1987,
COURTESY LYNN BARAUSKAS
Waves of change
Solid Paints may carry Paint genes and are often capable
of producing colored offspring, illustrated here by Shesa
Play Thing (right) and her 2003 son R Hot Vanilla Fudge.
and went on to sire winners of nearly $75,000. Sired by
Cherokee Indian and out of Miss Snazzy Bar AQHA,
Snazzy Indian was one of the first solid Paints to earn a
Superior award, which he was awarded for racing in 1988.
The year 1991 proved a turning point for the Breeding
Stock programs. By then, shows could offer Open and
Amateur Breeding Stock classes in a variety of halter and
performance events. The halter divisions were revamped
Solid Milestones
1969:
1980:
1982:
– Breeding Stock and Appendix
Breeding Stock registries are
included in the APHA Rule Book
– First Breeding Stock division
appears on the Honor Roll in the
Paint Horse Journal (June issue,
Breeding Stock halter mares)
– Breeding Stock Registry modified to
include solid geldings
– Breeding Stock performance division is established, initially including
three halter classes and one
performance class
– First Breeding Stock points are
earned (Hezanexotic Ranger,
Western pleasure)
1976:
1981:
– First ROM earned by a Breeding
Stock (Miss Misty Leo, Open Western pleasure)
– Bridle Path Hack added to Breeding
Stock performance division
– Breeding Stock races are recognized
by APHA
1973:
1983:
– Five all-age classes added to
Breeding Stock performance
division
1985:
– First world champion title awarded
for Breeding Stock running Paint
Horses (Hempen Jet)
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“When you see this horse lope off, you
can’t help but stare,” said trainer Julie
Thompson-Martell, “and the rhythm and
cadence he has will take your breath away!”
APHA FILE PHOTO
COURTESY RACHEL ADAMS
COURTESY DEBBI MORIARTY
ENDLESS INVITATIONS—NSBA, APHA
Western Pleasure
2004 sorrel gelding
Sire/Dam: Special Invitation x Endless
Zippo
Owner: Debbi Moriarty of Brentwood,
California
Major accomplishments:
2006 Reichert Celebration Equine Chronicle
Color Classic Western pleasure champion
2006 Paint Vegas 2-year-old Western
pleasure champion
2007 Reichert Celebration 3-year-old Color
Breed Open Western pleasure reserve
champion
2007 APHA solid Paint-bred Western pleasure world champion
Quotes: “He’s one in a million,” said
Moriarty. “He’s outstanding, but obviously
he’s outstanding bred. I also own Invite
Henry, and I know what great-minded and
great-legged horses they are.”
TAGS SCENIC ROSE—PAC, USEF
1996 sorrel mare
Sire/Dam:Tag Scenic Star x Sonny East
Wind
Owner: Rachel Adams of Berryville, Virginia
Major accomplishments:
2001 Six PAC champion
2001 PAC leaders list winner in English
pleasure, over fences, trail, Western riding,
4-H English, 4-H showmanship Western and
4-H timed events
2001 Virginia State 4-H Show hunter
pleasure champion
2001 Virginia State 4-H Show showmanship
reserve champion
2002 Virginia Horse Shows Association
associate program adult amateur hunter
champion
Devon Horse Show finalist
1,468 PAC points in 16 events
Quote: “Horses like ‘Rose’ only come along
once in a lifetime,” said Adams. “I am
eternally grateful she was put into my life,
and those memories will live in my heart
forever.”
to create six age-based class designations, and APHA
recognized solids competing in stakes races against their
Regular Registry counterparts, so long as they had one
Regular Registry Paint parent.
The 1991 amendments also provided guidelines for
earning an APHA Breeding Stock Champion award,
which was first attained in 1996 by The Cute Edge, a 1989
sorrel mare owned by John and Marjorie Moser of Wiliamstown, New Jersey. Having earned one point in halter
as a 2-year-old, The Cute Edge—who was sired by The
Razors Edge and out of Cowboys Cupidoll AQHA—
returned to the show scene in 1995 and 1996, where she
GOT COUNTRY GRIP—APHA Racing
2003 bay gelding
Sire/Dam: Royal Quick Dash x Got A Grip
Owner: Jimmy Maddux of Weatherford,
Texas
Major accomplishments:
2005 and 2006 World Champion Running
Breeding Stock Horse
Undefeated in 15 starts, to date
Speed index: 109
Wins include the 2006 Speedhorse Paint
& Appaloosa Derby, 2006 PSBA American
Paint Derby Stakes and 2007 National
Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 2007
Olympia Joe Paint & Appaloosa Handicap
Stakes Earner of more than $235,000
Quote: “Not very often do we get to see a
horse like Got Country Grip break all the
records,” said APHA Director of Racing
Karen Utecht. “He is an outstanding horse,
and has helped put Paint racing on the
map.”
earned a total of 57 points in four events, thus locking up
the first APHA Breeding Stock Champion title.
“It’s hard to earn points,” said John Moser in an October 1996 Journal article, “because the biggest halter class
we ever had was a three-point halter mares class. The riding classes have all been one-point classes, so you have to
win them to get a point.”
Another landmark change for solid Paints came in 1999,
when the first Breeding Stock classes were offered at the
World Championship Paint Horse Show. That year, the
show offered three halter classes for Breeding Stock mares:
a yearling class, won by Clues Eclipse; a 2-year-old class,
1987:
1989:
1991:
– Breeding Stock halter added to
Amateur division
– Breeding Stocks are recognized in
races against Regular Registry
Paints in most instances
– Breeding Stock Registry horses are
specifically restricted from competition with Regular Registry horses,
except in produce of dam or get of
sire classes
– Snazzy Indian matches the fastest
speed index ever recorded by APHA,
at the time, at 108.
– Additional performance categories
are added to Breeding Stock division
– Breeding Stock division halter
events expand to include more ageand sex-based classes
– Six Breeding Stock classes added to
Amateur division
– Solid horses competing against
Regular Registry Paints in stakes
races are recognized by APHA if
they have a Regular Registry sire or
dam
1988:
– Breeding Stock showmanship
added to Amateur division
1990:
– First Breeding Stocks enroll in the
Outside Competitive Activities Program
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S O L I D P A I N T - B R E D P A R T 1
Arizona, “from being the horse hidden behind the barn
and never discussed, to being at the World Show.”
APHA/ SYLVESTRI
won by MW Clue Katie In; and a 3-year-old and over
class, won by Grace To Impress. Trainer Tim Finkenbinder,
who showed Clues Eclipse and MW Clue Katie In to
their respective wins, said the classes were a positive
addition to the World Show in a September 1999
Journal article.
“Almost everyone I’ve ever talked to about the subject
agrees that we, as an industry, need to do everything we
can to enhance the value and stability of all our horses—
colored and solid,” said Finkenbinder at the time.
“I see the addition of the Breeding Stock classes for
mares at the World Show as one of the most positive
moves the association has made in recent history to help
out those people who are striving to produce the best
Paint halter horses possible, and who sometimes just miss
the mark by a spot.”
In a recent interview, Kari Sipes, manager of Triple C
Ranch in Evensville, Tennessee, said the addition of
World Show classes for solid Paints has helped increase
their value.
“Once the World Show opened up a place to showcase
[solids] to the world of trainers and breeders in one place,
people could see the beauty and quality along with having an additional chance at a world title,” she said. “I feel
it originally gave the medium market and beginners a
great place to earn a world title with a horse they could afford, which most definitely increased the market on
Breeding Stocks.”
Over the past five years, new events for solid Paints
have been incorporated into the World Show: weanling
halter fillies, Western pleasure, hunter under saddle, cutting, barrel racing, trail and reining. And although the offerings for solids are far from equal to those for Regular
Registry Paints, the world championship classes and the
2006 rule change that mandates a minimum of eight
solid Paint-bred classes be offered at all APHA-approved
shows have helped make positive inroads for these horses.
“They’ve come a long, long way in 20 years,” said longtime APHA member Jeri White of Litchfield Park,
First offered in 2005, Solid Paint-Bred Western Pleasure
has become a popular World Show class. The show
has included events for solid Paints in its schedule
since 1999.
1994:
1997:
1999:
– First Breeding Stock earns Ride
America credits (Truely Shes
Quincy)
– Breeding Stock broodmare halter
class added to Breeding Stock
division
1995:
1998:
– Breeding Stock Western Riding is
added to Amateur division
– First Breeding Stock appears on the
Paint Horse Journal cover (January
issue, Cross Over Sugar)
– First Breeding Stocks earn Paint Preferred money (Maxalito Bars at Old
Fort Barrel Days Futurity, and Bears
E Nuff in USTRC Amateur division)
– First Breeding Stock classes debut
at the World Show
• Clues Eclipse (won yearling halter
mares)
• MW Clue Katie In (won 2-year-old
halter mares)
• Grace To Impress (won 3-year-old
and over halter mares)
1996:
– First Breeding Stock APHA Champion awarded (The Cute Edge)
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APHA FILE PHOTO
KC MONTGOMERY
COURTESY CARLIE MCKIENZIE
RU MISSIN DIAMONDS—NRHA
2001 sorrel gelding
Sire/Dam: Like A Diamond x Missy Olena
Owners: George and Cindy McKinzie of
East Wenatchee, Washington
Major accomplishments:
2005 NRHA Limited Non-Pro Derby
champion
2005 and 2006 Paint Preferred money
earner at NRHA Non-Pro Derby
2007 NRHA Intermediate Non-Pro Derby
champion
2007 Reining by the Bay Non-Pro and
Intermediate Non-Pro Derby champion
2007 Las Vegas Classic Non-Pro and
Intermediate Non-Pro champion
Earner of nearly $80,000 in NRHA
Quote: “He’s such an amazing horse,” said
Carlie McKinzie, “Diamond’s” exhibitor.
“Words can’t really describe what he’s all
about. He’s always going to give you 110
percent every time.”
BODIE BAR LENA—NRCHA, APHA Reining
2002 palomino gelding
Sire/Dam: Bodee Boonsmal x Lenas
Candy Bar
Owner: Kate Lehman of Gainesville,Texas
Major accomplishments:
2007 APHA solid Paint-bred reining world
champion
2007 Palomino Horse Breeders of America
Junior working cowhorse world champion
2007 National Reining Breeders Classic
Rookie Professional champion
Earner of nearly $10,000 in NRCHA
Quote: “He’s just so willing, and he’s really
good-minded,” said Lehman. “He’s really
cow smart, and he’s pretty—he’s got a lot
of style for the reining. I didn’t hesitate to
buy him, and I’ve never regretted it.”
Currently, the optional list of solid Paint-bred events approved by the association mirrors those events available for
Regular Registry horses; however, clubs may choose to
offer more than the minimum eight classes at their discretion. Additional awards, including annual solid Paint-bred
Top 10 and Zone Top 5 awards, help provide recognition.
And the addition of numerous programs over the years
have provided expanded opportunities for solid Paint-bred
participation within the registry.
“More programs and opportunities for solid Paint-breds
are available today than ever in the past,” said Cindy Grier,
APHA’s managing director of registration, who has worked
for the association since 1985. “Solids are known to be talented, athletic and capable. They have opportunities in
JR COLORD PROM—NCHA
1996 bay mare
Sire/Dam: Color Me Smart x Senorita
Summer Prom AQHA
Owner: Jerry Durant of Weatherford,Texas
Major accomplishments:
2000 NCHA Super Stakes Open champion
PCCHA Open Derby champion
Earner of more than $140,000 in NCHA
Dam of NCHA money earners
Quote: “I liked her because of her ability,
and the way she looked on cattle,” said
Durant. “I think she’s going to be a
producer, and I’m looking forward to riding
her babies.”
the APHA show ring, PAC programs, Gelding Plus and
Breeders Trust, just to name a few, and they are invited to
participate in the APHA trail ride and Ride America programs. Avenues are available for solids to establish performance records, thereby proving their talents and increasing their value as a competitor.”
One example of such an opportunity is the Paint Alternative Competition (PAC) program. When the program
began in 1990, there were 68 participants, eight of which
were Breeding Stocks. In 2007, an all-time high of 400
solid Paints enrolled in PAC, marking a 5,000 percent increase in solid Paint-bred participation. In comparison, the
enrollment rate of Regular Registry horses has increased
by 2,790 percent over the same 17-year span.
2000:
2001:
2004:
– 15 classes are added to Breeding
Stock division
– First Breeding Stocks earn Gelding
Plus payouts (Gay Bay Prize and GS
Red Corvette at NRHA Futurity, and
Budasa Little Smart at NCHA
Futurity)
– First Breeding Stock division
Superior is earned (RFF Starbuck,
halter)
– First Breeding Stock earns more
than $100,000 in its 2-year-old
racing season (Texas Wildcat)
– First Six PAC title is awarded, and
won by a Breeding Stock (Tags
Scenic Rose)
– APHA Breeding Stock Top 10 award
is instituted
– APHA Breeding Stock Zone Top 5
Award is instituted
2002:
– Breeding Stock performance
categories changed to mirror
Regular Registry rules
2003:
– Breeding Stock weanling halter
fillies class debuts at the World
Show (won by BC Solidly Imprinted)
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2005:
– Yearling in-hand trail added to
Breeding Stock division
– Breeding Stock Western pleasure
debuts at the World Show (won by
Sensational Leaguer)
– Breeding Stock hunter under saddle
debuts at the World Show (won by
Baryshnikov)
S O L I D P A I N T - B R E D P A R T 1
“Solid Paints are an important part of our association,
and they always have been,” said Smurthwaite. “About a
third of our registry is made up of solid Paint-bred horses.
That’s an important number. There are well-bred horses
and good quality there, and they play an important role.”
g
Watch for Part 2 in our solid Paint-bred series, appearing
in the February 2008 Paint Horse Journal, which will take
a look at current issues affecting solid Paints.
HOLMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Lex Smurthwaite, APHA executive director, agrees that
more opportunities are available for solid Paint-bred
horses, and says that has helped keep them more involved.
“There is an increased awareness of solids, and their
value to the association and the membership,” he said.
“For years, the association has allowed for lower
registration fees for solids as an encouragement to get those
horses registered. It was very interesting to see in the
membership survey results that 95 percent of members
that responded register their solid Paint-bred horses. That’s
a high percentage.
“The programs that the association has developed over the years—whether it was Ride
America or PAC or Breeders Trust—have
evolved, and they’ve included solid Paint-bred
horses. There are more and more opportunities now, and they’re out there for people to
take advantage of. But people have to know
that they’re out there—increasing awareness
of the opportunities is our responsibility as an
association.”
In 2006, the APHA membership chose to
change the designation given to solids from
Breeding Stock to solid Paint-bred, a term
that Grier says “more correctly identifies their
Paint heritage and genetics.”
The next chapter
Currently, more than 282,500 solid Paints
have been registered since APHA’s inception.
Debates about these horses and their exact
role in the association have been around for
decades. That much is obvious, simply by
looking through the “From Our Readers” and
“Mail Bag” sections of old Paint Horse Journals. But one thing is certain—further exploration into their roles and available programs
will continue well into the future.
Maggie and Benny Boyer’s solid weanling filly Dont Cha Luv R
Dream won the seven futurities in which she was entered during
2007. Although APHA rules currently keep solid and colored
Paints separate in the show ring, many other organizations
allow them to compete together.
2006:
– Name changes from “Breeding
Stock” Registry to “Solid PaintBred” Registry
– Executive Committee approves a
solid Paint-bred late-enrollment program for the Breeders Trust
– Executive Committee waives APHA
show processing fees for solid Paintbred classes for 3 years
– APHA requires that shows offer at
least two performance classes and six
halter classes for solid Paint-breds.
– Grand champion/reserve grand
champion halter classes added to
solid Paint-bred division
– Working ranch horse is added to
solid Paint-bred division
2007:
– 20 solid Paint-bred classes added to
Amateur division
– Solid Paint-bred trail debuts at the
World Show (won by Zippin And
Zoomin)
– Solid Paint-bred barrel racing debuts
at World Show (won by Leighs
Midnight Magic)
– Solid Paint-bred cutting debuts at
World Show (won by Cee No Color
Here)
– Two solid Paint-breds become the
only Paints to exceed $200,000 in
lifetime racing earnings (Got Country Grip and Calista Corona)
– Got Country Grip records the highest APHA speed index (109)
– Solid Paint-bred yearling longe line
is added to Amateur division
– Solid Paint-bred reining debuts at
the World Show (Bodie Bar Lena
wins)
– Got Country Grip surpasses the
AQHA record for most consecutive
race wins (15)
2008:
– Ranch sorting is added to the solid
Paint-bred performance division
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