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About the Incentive Fund

Enrollment in the AQHA Incentive Fund is an investment in your horse.

Halter Futurity FoalThe AQHA Incentive Fund is a multimillion-dollar program involving stallion and foal nominations with pay backs to the stallion nominators, foal nominators and owners of the competing horses. The program is owned, managed and operated by AQHA.

The Incentive Fund utilizes the most familiar and proven concept in the American Quarter Horse show industry: points won at AQHA shows. Each point earned at an AQHA-approved show in the open and/or amateur division by an Incentive Fund nominated horse will be worth a specific amount. The exact amount will depend on total money in the fund for that show year and the total number of points earned in that year by Incentive Fund-nominated horses.

How to Nominate

Each year, the owner of the Incentive Fund-nominated horse (if a competition license has been filed), will receive a check for 70 percent of the horse's earnings. The nominator will receive 15 percent of the horse's earnings and the horse’s sire nominator will get 15 percent.

The nomination process starts with the stallion owner. Here are the rules:

  • The stallion owner must nominate the stallion within 90 days of its first ever breeding. (E.g. stallion breeds the first mare in April, then he must be nominated by July).
  • The same stallion must then be nominated again by November 30 of that breeding season. This is because stallion nominations are due a year in advance. (E.g. nominate in 2008 for the 2009 breeding season that produces foals born in 2010). 
  • The price to nominate a stallion is $300 (flat) for the first breeding season, and then based on the number of mares bred thereafter. Click here for a price chart. 
  • After you’ve mailed your stallion nomination in the first time, you can call it in each year thereafter. AQHA even makes it easy by calling everyone eligible to nominate by phone each year!

Foal nominations work like this:

  • Mare owners breed their mares to AQHA Incentive Fund-nominated stallions. This the only way for the foal to be nominated – if its sire was enrolled in the program. Mare owners can check the nominated stallion list online, or call AQHA Customer Service at (806) 376-4811 with a stallion’s name – we’ll tell you the information.
  • Once you have the stallion picked, the breeding done, simply check a box on the foal application, and be sure to sign the form, and AQHA will nominate your foal for the Incentive Fund.

Competition Licenses

As of January 1, 2012, for the owner of an Incentive Fund-nominated horse to receive payment for any point earned that year, the owner must file a competition license prior to earning points. Let’s take a look at the competition license facts:

  • Incentive Fund competition licenses expire December 31 every year.
  • A $50 fee must be paid per division – $50 for amateur and $50 for open – per horse to earn Incentive Fund payouts.
  • The license fee may be paid at any time during the year.
  • The annual license must be paid and filed prior to earning points to earn Incentive Fund money.

If you’d like to take part the Incentive Fund and start earning money for your AQHA points, the place to begin is with Incentive Fund nomination. For owners who already have nomination crossed off their list, the next step is to download and complete the annual competition license. Forms can even be found and completed at AQHA shows.

Should you need assistance, AQHA Customer Service is always here to help at (806) 376-4811, and license fees may be paid over the phone to expedite the process.

Resources

Incentive Fund Financial Statement
View the computation of Incentive Fund point distributions for the year ending December 31, 2012.

Incentive Fund Changes
Learn more about changes, effective January 1, 2012, that were made to the Incentive Fund.

2013 Incentive Fund Competition Licenses
Download the list of 2013 Incentive Fund competition licenses that have been processed and received by AQHA.

Incentive Fund Forms
Find foal, stallion and second career nomination forms, plus the annual competition license form.  

Frequently Asked Questions
Read frequently asked questions about the AQHA Incentive Fund.