Nominate

The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame's purpose is to acknowledge the impact of any one horse or human upon the American Quarter Horse industry and record the history of the American Quarter Horse Association. 

Read more about the nomination criteria below or submit nominations when ready.

Hall of Fame inductees are nominated in one of two ways:

1. Member-Submitted Nomination: AQHA members are encouraged to submit a nomination packet for horses or humans whose activities and/or achievements have impacted the American Quarter Horse industry. Candidates must meet the criteria for nomination (below).




2. AQHA Past President: An AQHA Past President will be automatically inducted into the Hall of Fame five years after his/her term of office. The Hall of Fame Committee will not consider any AQHA Past President through a Member-Submitted Nomination prior to the five-year anniversary of his/her presidency.

Criteria

All candidates for induction must be nominated under the following guidelines and sorted into one of two categories, as specified below:

Horse

• Horse must be deceased.

• Horse must be recognized through the American Quarter Horse Association breed registry. This may include an American Quarter Horse and/or Thoroughbred as outlined within the current AQHA Rulebook.

• Horse must be outstanding for a multitude of years as a sire, dam, competitor OR brought exceptional visibility to the American Quarter Horse breed.

Human

• Person may be either living or deceased.

• Person is a member in good standing with the American Quarter Horse Association and/or has made a significant impact on AQHA and the industry.

• Person whose activities occurred during the existence of AQHA (i.e., post 1940).

• Person's activities should be outstanding over a multitude of years and contributed to the advancement of the American Quarter Horse industry.

• Person has conducted themselves in a positive way that is becoming of the honor of Hall of Fame induction.

How to Nominate

Member-Submitted Nominations must include the following materials for consideration. Nominations must be submitted electronically through the American Quarter Horse Foundation's online application system. All nomination materials must be submitted online by April 1.

1. Cover Letter: Nominator must submit a cover letter to accompany the nomination packet. The cover letter should include an index of the materials provided within the submitted nomination packet.

2. Completed Nominee Summary: Nominator must complete a nomination summary form (required) which summarizes the nominee's industry-related activities, offices held, honors, achievements, (horse) prominent offspring, other industry activities and achievements, etc.

3. Letters of Support: Nominator must include a minimum of three reference letters (required). A maximum of five reference letters will be accepted for each nominee. Letters should be at least one-page in length.

   1. Letters of support must be prepared by an individual with direct knowledge of the nominee's activities, accomplishments, or impact within the American Quarter Horse industry, such as:

      1. Horse: owner or breeder of the horse, exhibitor, jockey, promoter, trainer, etc.

      2. Human: a family member, personal or close family friend, a business and/or professional contact, etc.

         1. Current AQHA Staff may NOT write letters of support

         2. Current AQHA Executive Committee, AQHF Board of Trustees and Hall of Fame Committee/Subcommittee members may NOT write letters of support

4. Support Information: Nominator should include supplementary materials to enhance the nominee's application. These items may include published works about the nominee through newspaper articles, feature stories, press releases, etc.

1. It is the nominator's responsibility to clearly indicate the nominee's contributions to their field or discipline. Nominator should identify the variety of activities performed to receive Hall of Fame recognition.

2. It is the nominator's responsibility to provide substantiating documentation for verification of all achievements, awards, and/or honors referenced within the nomination packet.

Ideally, a bibliography page should be included in the submission packet which outlines the support information provided. Achievements and/or awards should be dated and listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent listed first.

Evaluation Procedures

Hall of Fame nominations are evaluated through multiple rounds of review based on five criteria and recommended by the Hall of Fame Committee for annual induction.

All nomination materials must be submitted online. Faxed and/or mailed applications are NOT eligible for consideration. Questions or inquiries may be directed to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame at (806) 376-5181 or museum@aqha.org.