Delegate Reports From the 2007 AHA Convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Lori Conway - lori@conwayarabians.com
I have been attending the Arabian horse conventions since 1980 and this one was by far the most unusual. I have never seen so many standing votes taken when the voice vote was not discernable or motions made from the floor to change resolutions and then voting on the motions and people not understanding what they were voting on and then more standing votes with people changing their minds. This process is democratic, but some of the decisions that are being made, and the affects of the future of the Arabian breed really need to be considered when voting. You do not have to worry about any of our MAHA delegates; we are an opinionated, firm and smart group.
One of the resolutions that I am referring to is 15-07. I never thought this would pass. It refers to having two judges adjudicating at the same time and having it count as if you were at two shows. On the face of it, it sounds reasonable, which is why so many people voted for it. I did not, just so you know. The reality is that now AHA has to figure out how Sweepstakes and Achievement award points will be affected by this change and the Regional and National qualification points will have to be increased if many of the shows start using two judges and getting double points. AHA & USEF has changes that will need to be addressed too. In my opinion, most of the advantages that were touted such as less fees, double regional qualifications and cheaper for the owners due to less travel etc. will be gone. It could possibly wipe out many smaller shows too. I will not be surprised to see a resolution next year to rescind this one.
Another one of those up down votes referred to changing our Regional and National scoring system to either MOS or the Total Points System. These resolutions were back to back. MOS was the first to be voted on and it was defeated. Then it was time for the Total Points resolution. It was amended from the floor to require that two firsts would become the winner. Essentially, when this amendment passed, it screwed up the scoring system and changed the dimension of it dramatically. That is when the proponent (Ron Harden) wanted to withdraw the resolution, which was then denied. It was finally voted on as amended and was defeated. These were first voice and then standing votes each time. The consequences of this brought us right back to where we started with the system that we voted in last year and disliked. A motion from the floor to bring the MOS Resolution back for a new vote was made. I have never seen a defeated Resolution brought back up again for another vote. We had to vote to bring it back and then the MOS scoring system was passed. To say it was a little bit out of control on the floor at that time would be an understatement. I have never seen anything like it. Nevertheless, we are back to MOS, which in my opinion is better than the Three Judge System.
If you show in the English, Driving and Park divisions there are two Resolutions that passed that you should know about. One requires exhibitors to come into line-up in the correct direction (the one you were going in when the line up was called) and the other is for the English Pleasure & Park classes where it refers to allowing work-offs at Regional’s and Nationals. This will hopefully get the horses into the line-up faster and safer and create more spectator appeal to allow work offs.
In my view, one of the most important Resolutions was 17-07. It
would have delayed the full implementation of the Halter Scoring
System. I believe there would have been negative ramifications
within the Arabian horse community if it had passed. A large majority
defeated the Resolution and the new Halter System will go forward
as planned on April 1, 2008.
Having the Convention in Tulsa was a great idea. It gave everyone
the chance to see the fairgrounds and get a feel for the city.
The people in Tulsa were so hospitable, and grateful for us to
be there. When we went to the fairgrounds, some of the exhibitors
showing that night said they were excited about our Nationals coming
to their town and could not wait to see our beautiful horses. These
were barrel racers and local horse folks and they had seen all
the ads on TV that they have been running already. The fairgrounds
are such a huge step up from what we have been living with in Kentucky
and it is clean with out all the dirt compared to Albuquerque.
There really is no bad spot in any of the barns to be stalled in.
It sure looked like there is plenty of workspace for everyone in
every discipline. The stalls are open half the way up; so many
people will have to purchase plywood to put barriers between the
horses. We had to do that in Kentucky where we were stalled, so
this is not a completely new problem. The fact that this is a horse
show facility 365 days of the year makes it more horse friendly.
There are plenty of wash racks, electrical outlets and water faucets
for everyone. The RV Park is great for those that have motor homes
or campers and is located right near the stalling area. The show
rings are bigger than I had envisioned from all the discussions
that have taken place. I am looking forward to showing there next
year.
I hope you got a sense of what the convention was like and what went on at it. We have some strong willed, intelligent, hardworking people in our group and I am proud to be a part of MAHA and Region 10. I would urge more people to get involved and come to the conventions. Even if you are not a delegate, you can have a voice in the committee meetings and on the floor. One person can make a difference. Thank you for allowing me to be a delegate for you.