Brittany Bevis
August, 2004

 

Brittany Bevis

  Feature Story:
 

to connect with nationally known trainers, Scott and Julie Suggs of Aubrey, Texas.  With her new trainers in Texas it was necessary to move her horse, Harley (show name - “Spot Me a Seven”) to their stables. “It was difficult being separated from Harley,” Brittany confessed she was used to having him in the field right outside her window. However, she was comforted by the fact that she would be in competition throughout this year and therefore spending a great deal of quality time with him. When Brittany is at home and separated from Harley, she has the companionship of her two dogs, a cat and her first show horse Sparky. The family retired Sparky from the show circuit four years ago after they purchased Harley.

Brittany does everything she can to ensure that Harley looks his best for each show. As part of the traditional grooming, Brittany paints his hooves black, puts baby powder on the white markings and in order to give him that winning sparkle, she applies an oil or light grease to his face. Brittany is easily identifiable to the judges throughout the shows. All of her outfits sport her trademark colors of white and turquoise. Many of the jackets she wears in competition are made by a designer in California who specializes in horse riding outfits. They are often highlighted with embroidery and an assortment of colorful jewels. Recently when Brittany needed to have a special jacket made

in a hurry she sought out a local clothes designer, Helen Gerro who owns The Perfect Fit in Punta Gorda. The jacket was completed on time and actually was “a perfect fit.”

Brittany is thrilled to have won her first World Championship title bringing home the coveted silver and jeweled buckle in the Youth Showmanship at Halter Class. She was competing against 117 other contestants in the 14-18 age group at the 2004 World Championship Paint Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas on June 21. In addition to the prestigious Showmanship award, Brittany also placed in the top ten in various other competitive classes including a second place win in the Hunter-Under-Saddle competition.

After Brittany’s year long competition ends in December, she will resume her studies at Edison Community College. However, she plans to continue competing moving up from the youth category and entering the Amateur division.

Paint Horses:

Paint horses are actually quarter horses. In order to qualify as a paint horse the quarter horse must have at least one 2” spot of white above the knee. The overall markings can be any shape and style which generally consist of areas of white surrounded by shades in the black or brown spectrum.

Because of its athletic ability, agreeable temperament, and other desirable characteristics, the American Paint Horse has become extremely popular and as a result its national association, APHA has become the second largest breed registry in the U.S.

The American Paint Horse lineage can be traced back to horses brought from Spain to this continent by the explorer Hernando Cortes in 1519. According to the Spanish historian, Diaz del Castillo, who accompanied Cortes and his conquistadors, one of the 16 horses used on this journey was a sorrel and white horse with spots on its belly. When this white and spotted horse bred with the Native American Mustang it created the bloodstock for

the breed which is now known as the American Paint Horse. The American Indians, especially the Comanche, preferred these spotted horses for their physical ability and flashy colors.

During the 1800 and 1900’s these particular horses were also known as pinto, paint, skewbald and piebald. By the late 1950’s a group who was committed to safeguarding the spotted horse, formed The Pinto Horse Association.

Then in 1960, Rebecca Tyler Lockart began contacting other owners who might be interested in starting a registry for the spotted horses, preserving both the color and distinctive body type. By 1962, the American Paint Stock Horse Association (APSHA) was formed and on August 11, 1962, the pedigree of  “Bandits Pinto” a black and white tobiano stallion, owned by the Flying M Ranch of McKinney, Texas was registered as the first American Paint Horse.

In May of 1965, another group, the American Paint Quarter Horse Association asked to merge with the American Paint Stock Horse Association. As a result of the merger, a new name evolved, the American Painted Horse Association (APHA) and of course, the overall membership increased as the two groups came together.

Since its inception in 1962, APHA’s has grown from150 members and 250 registered horses to its current level of over 100,000 members and more than 780,000 registered horses from around the world.
 

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