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• QHN file photo

APHA Celebrates 2017 Judge Emeritus Honorees

The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) is proud to recognize the hard work and leadership of several long-serving judges to improve and grow the Paint Horse community by giving them the APHA Judge Emeritus Award.

This award recognizes outstanding judges who have dedicated their careers to judging APHA-approved events. To be considered for the Emeritus Award, a judge must have at least 25 years of service or have judged 150 APHA-approved events (25 years of service or 65 events for European-only judges); voluntarily retire with an excellent record; and be in good standing with the Judges Committee, with no disciplinary actions, probations or suspensions on their records.

For consideration, judges who meet these requirements must complete the Emeritus Award application and submit it to the APHA before Nov. 20.

Applicants must be approved by the Judges Committee on an individual basis according to their records. Deceased judges who meet these award requirements will be considered. Recipients receive a commemorative trophy and customized Gist Silversmiths belt buckle.

The following horsemen and –women will be honored during the association’s annual convention for their tireless efforts to serve Paint Horses and those who love them.

  • Doug Cline (1976-2017)
  • Doug Gregory (1986-2017)
  • Conrad Caines (1980-2017)
  • Brian Ellsworth (1983-2017)
  • Grant Gibbs (1989-2017)
  • Helmut Lekshas (1975-2017)
  • Charlie Sasser (1977-2017)
  • Allan Spidahl (1986-2017)
  • Randy Hembrook (1984-2017)
  • Gary Gordon (1983-2014)
  • Wayne Laske (1970-2014)

All APHA members and Paint Horse enthusiasts are invited to attend the Convention, which will take place March 2-5 in Irving, Texas.