APHA Hosts First-Ever Paint Horse Halter Industry Summit

Passionate halter enthusiasts gathered September 24 in Fort Worth, Texas, to share ideas to help improve the Paint halter horse industry. Hosted by APHA, the Paint Horse Halter Summit was an instrumental first step in addressing current issues and brainstorm guiding principles that will help lead the industry forward in coming years.

About 60 halter industry members from across the country attended the meeting, including breeders, trainers, exhibitors and judges; APHA executive committee members and select staff were also present to hear the group’s ideas.

The main purpose of the summit was to develop a list of guiding principles that will be used by APHA to help move the Paint halter industry forward. Attendees’ viewpoints differed on a number of topics, but the final list of action items represented a consensus of opinions among the group—an overarching goal of the summit, APHA Executive Director Billy Smith says.

“We have a grand opportunity to grow the halter industry,” Billy said. “There are a lot of forces at play that I think are leading us in that direction. To get there, we’ll have to find some common ground and consensus.

“I hope you come here with an open mind, thinking you have some strong views but still willing to hear the views of others. Everyone who has a viewpoint is extraordinarily passionate about their opinion; that will get us a long way, but we need to get to a place where we all are comfortable moving forward.”

Two professional moderators lead the day-long discussion: Beth Krugler and Trey Gordon. Both are lawyers who specialize in mediation, and neither Beth nor Trey has direct ties to the halter industry, giving them a fresh view on the discussion.

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