APHA Announces Partnership with National Collegiate Equestrian Association

FORT WORTH—As part of the American Paint Horse Association’s education mission, the association has partnered with the National Collegiate Equestrian Association as a corporate sponsor to help support the advancement of Women’s Equestrian on the path to National Collegiate Athletic Association championship sport status.

 Through strong connections with national equine affiliates that emphasize education, the NCEA can continue to work on achieving championship status for the sport of NCAA Equestrian. APHA has been the leader in developing educational tools like its innovative HorseIQ (aphahorseiq.com), which has gained notoriety among university horse judging teams. As such, helping support new athletic opportunities for women on collegiate teams is a natural extension of APHA’s investment in equine education, APHA Executive Director Billy Smith says. That same sentiment extends to NCEA’s advisory board.

 “We are excited about the American Paint Horse Association’s support of the NCEA,” said Kelly Boles Chapman, NCEA national advisory board member, APHA professional horseman, national director and judge. “APHA, with its innovative programming around the world, is a wonderful partner to help provide opportunities for student-athletes in our sport. We are honored that APHA would commit to a continued partnership for the betterment of our programs and equine education efforts.”

 “The addition of the American Paint Horse Association’s sponsorship of the NCEA is further affirmation of the equine industry’s support of collegiate equestrian,” said Nancy Post, associate athletics director/SWA at Baylor University and NCEA’s national championships manager.

 APHA Senior Director of Marketing & Membership Cristin Conner agrees.

 This partnership is a natural fit for APHA; in addition to its commitment to education, APHA has long fostered the development of many successful NCEA student athletes.

 “There is a long history of successful APHA riders contributing to NCEA championship titles. We are so excited to welcome the APHA as a national sponsor and we look forward to developing new opportunities to collaborate on equestrian-related projects. The APHA has provided wonderful opportunities for junior riders to develop the skills and character traits that are highly valued as NCAA student-athletes,” NCEA Executive Director Dr. Leah Fiorentino said.

 For more information about the American Paint Horse Association, visit apha.com or connect with Paint Horse fans globally at facebook.com/americanpainthorse or on Twitter @APHANews.