APHA Open-Amateur World Show dates to change in 2017

Fort Worth or Oklahoma? For trainers, exhibitors and judges who love both Paints and Quarter Horses, the tough choice between the AQHA and APHA World Championship Shows will be eliminated in a few short years. 

Based on feedback from APHA exhibitors and market analysis, the dates of the APHA World Championship Show will shift from November to late September beginning in 2017.

Adjusting the World Show schedule removes date conflicts between the APHA and AQHA world shows. As many Paint exhibitors also own Quarter Horses—and vice versa—the revised schedule will allow members of the two associations the freedom to attend both events.  

This change also allows for a greater pool of top-quality judges—a significant percentage of APHA judges are also AQHA judges or trainers. By removing the conflict, more judges will become available for hire at the World Show level.

World Shows for 2015 and 2016 will remain in early November, with the following dates tentatively planned for the future:

• 2017: September 20–30
• 2018: September 19–29
• 2019: September 18–28

Delaying the change until 2017 allows for a smoother transition for the association at the national and regional level; shows with conflicting dates will have more than two years to make scheduling adjustments, and APHA will provide rebates on all 2015 and 2016 show fees for existing shows that will be affected by the World Show date change to help minimize financial impact to regional clubs. Shows may also choose to retain their existing September show dates.

To read the full article on APHA.com, click here.