APHA teams up with major players to host the world’s largest Paint Horse Show

FORT WORTH, Texas—Major sponsors such as Equine Sports Medicine, Platinum Performance, Purina Mills, SmartPak and Coors Distributing Company have partnered with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) to host the world’s largest Paint Horse show June 22 to July 5 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Both Equine Sports Medicine and Platinum Performance are new World Show sponsors in 2008. APHA is excited to welcome both companies and looks forward to continuing the relationships.

Equine Sports Medicine will bring 24-hour veterinarian care to the grounds of Will Rogers Memorial Center throughout the show. Acting as the official veterinarian of the APHA World Show, Equine Sports Medicine employs top-of-the-line veterinarians who specialize in everything from orthopedic surgery to identifying lameness, to breeding services, to basic animal care. Competitors can feel confident that their horses have 24-hour access to an experienced team of veterinarians throughout the show. Equine Sports Medicine will also be the presenting sponsor of the World Show’s webcast video.

The official performance nutritional supplement of the 2008 Paint World Show, Platinum Performance, is committed to providing effective preventative, therapeutic and sports nutrition to improve the health of the horse. The product line replaces the need for multiple nutritional supplements.

Back for another round

The 15-day Paint Horse show takes place at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, with the youth portion of the show hitting the dirt first. After a successful partnership last year, Purina Mills decided to return for 2008 and sponsor youth events this year. Along with being the official feed of the 2008 Paint World Championship Show, Purina is sponsoring the Youth World Games and Youth Team Tournament competitions. While the Team Tournament is held annually and allows youth to compete as a team, the World Games is held every two years. Youth from around the world have the chance to compete representing their country while riding Paint Horses that are donated for use by APHA members.

Purina Mills will also be hosting a variety of educational seminars in the Colors of the West Arena. The seminars will range in topic, all pertaining to equine health and nutrition.

Another huge supporter of the Paint World Show is SmartPak. This year, SmartPak will be the official sponsor of the educational seminar featuring popular clinician Stacy Westfall on Saturday, June 28. Westfall may be most well known for her bridleless and bareback freestyle reining performance, as well as becoming the first and only woman to date to win the prestigious Road to the Horse competition. SmartPak and Westfall will bring the clinic to the World Show from 2 to 5 p.m.

Also continuing their partnership from 2007 is Coors Distributing Company. The community-oriented brewing company will be hosting the first-ever “Sip and See” event from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Colors of the West Gift Show. This evening, the gift show will remain open for a night of fabulous shopping and great memories as competitors and visitors can gather for an evening of relaxation. Along with the “Sip and See” event, Coors will be sponsoring a daily happy hour from 4 to 5 p.m. in the gift show.

Additional sponsors
APHA has teamed up with several other companies in order to host the richest World Show to date. This year’s World Show sponsors also include Big D Products, Blue Ribbon Custom Tack, Charlotte’s Saddlery, Hodges Badge Company, Kiser, Lucchese, Metro Golf Cars, National Reining Horse Association, National Snaffle Bit Association, Paint Horse Journal, Paint Racing, S.R. Gold, and Western Horseman.

APHA’s corporate sponsors also play a big role in the success of the event. These sponsors include Barnmaster, Chase, Hart Trailers, Gist Silversmiths, Markel Insurance Company, New Holland and Pfizer Animal Health.

More about the largest Paint Horse show on Earth

An annual non-qualifying event for registered American Paint Horses, the World Show is the original premier competition for the breed. All World Show activities take place at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, an 85-acre equine complex with three air-conditioned arenas, located in the heart of Fort Worth’s cultural district.

Last year, APHA welcomed 1,671 Paint Horses owned by people from 47 U.S. states, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany for its annual World Championship Paint Horse Show. The show logged 4,219 entries—including 1,242 Youth, 1,362 Open, 1,390 Amateur and Novice Amateur, 207 Futurity and 18 specialty class entries.

For more information about the World Show, including a complete schedule, visit aphaworldshow.com or call (817) 834-2742.