Good Point

By Becky Newell, AQHA Editor-in-Chief

While I was researching the origin of AQHA points and achievement awards clear back to the early days of AQHA, it felt a little bit like the scenario described in the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” children’s book series. That story goes: “If a hungry little mouse shows up on your doorstep, you might want to give him a cookie. And if you give him a cookie, he’ll ask for a glass of milk. He’ll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn’t have a milk mustache, and then he’ll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim…”

The domino effect that describes the evolution of AQHA show points, achievements and awards goes like this: If you establish a breed registry, then your members are going to want to match their horses in shows and races. If you provide shows and races, they’re going to want a point system to credit their horses for their placings. If you give them a point system, they’re going to want certificates, plaques and trophies to show off to their friends for the success their horses have had.

AQHA show achievements are Grand Champion, Register of Merit, All-Around, Superior All-Around, AQHA Versatility, AQHA Champion, Supreme Champion, Superior Horse, Performance Champion, Supreme Performance Champion and Year-End High-Point Horse. The awards are based on points and/or achievements earned by a horse in the open division or by a horse-and-rider combination in the amateur, Select amateur or youth divisions.

Show points are also used for qualifying for the Association's world championship shows.

Our racehorses also earn points based on how they finish in races. The money they earn and their accumulated points, which vary depending on the type of race in which a horse runs, then go toward Superior and Supreme awards. The AQHA Dam of Distinction Award is based on a race mare’s progenys’ success on the racetrack. Our sprinters also get considered for champion titles at the end of the year, with an overall racing world champion chosen from the champions by age. 

The one really unique AQHA achievement is one that ties together racing and showing: Open Supreme Champion. This award goes to a racehorse that has earned two official speed index ratings of 90 or higher (formerly called AAA) and earns a total of 40 points in recognized halter/performance halter and performance classes at five or more shows and under five or more different judges. There are additional detailed guidelines regarding how those show points need to be earned. This is a difficult achievement to earn, which is why AQHA has only crowned 52 AQHA open Supreme Champions.

Kid Meyers was the first AQHA Open Supreme Champion. In March 1965, he won his first race. During the next 15 months, he pulled out six wins from 23 starts, earning six AAA ratings at four different tracks. He earned $10,655 in 1966, which was also the year that AQHA debuted the Open Supreme Champion title. Within a month of leaving the track, Kid Meyers was named the grand champion stallion at a show. He earned his western pleasure points within six months of leaving the track. Then, he started learning to be a tie-down roping horse and completed his Open Supreme Champion title on August 20, 1967.

When our members and their horses earn any of these titles, they receive a certificate and, in some cases, a trophy. We also post bios and photos of some of these achievement winners at aqha.com/achievements and feature some on AQHA’s social media.

When a mouse gets a cookie–or an AQHA member gets an achievement–it’s something to be celebrated!