2009 AHA Convention Report
Lori Conway
Have you ever attended an AHA Convention? If not, I hope this report will enlighten you and encourage you to participate and attend one in the future. It offers something for everyone, regardless of your level of involvement in the breed. The week always begins and ends with the Board of Directors meeting, which is open for anyone to attend and this is an excellent opportunity to see the inner workings within AHA. The rest of the week is committee meetings where relevant issues are discussed and the General Session where the reports are given and the Resolutions are voted on. The Educational Seminars are another bonus and the Arabian Type presentation by Scott Benjamin and the Genetic Diseases presentation were great.
Do you belong to a committee? If you go to the website, it is easy to sign up and find a committee that interests you, be it Equine Stress, Working Western, Equitation, Youth, Amateur, Professional Horsemen, Sport Horse, USEF Arabian rules, Racing, National Show Commissions, Distance Riding or if you are into more of the business end of things, Budget & Finance or Internal Audit. Our breed is full of talented individuals, that have a variety of skills to offer, and volunteering to work on a committee is a great way to contribute. We are all AHA and we all need to help our organization improve.
The focus of much of this convention dealt with financial issues. What money we have, where it is, budgets for the future, and missed or hit budgets of the past. I realize that AHA has its financial woes like so many other organizations, and they have had some major problems, but at the end of the convention, there was a greater sense of security and stability about the direction AHA is heading. I credit the EC for taking a hard look at what is working and what is not, focusing on getting accurate numbers, and putting some new key people in position to get the job done. I would encourage everyone to go to the AHA website at http://www.arabianhorses.org/membership/convention/2009/, where you can see the speeches that Lance Walters and Glen Petty gave, as well as a summarization of the shows and other significant AHA events. The election of Stan Morey as our new Commissioner added another level of stability, which we have been lacking for far too long.
Approximately 340 out of a possible 525 eligible delegates attended the convention and an additional 100 people were there as just spectators. Most are Professional Horsemen, Amateurs, Breeders or show management. The Resolutions are always the hot topic, but this year there were really only a couple that had a lot of discussion. They were 18-09 to Award a Full Top Ten at all Nationals, which passed, and 15-09 the North American Halter procedure, which failed. As the proponent and supporter of the Arabian Scoring System, I made a pledge to form a committee that will bring forward changes to address some of the concerns regarding halter class procedures. The Resolutions regarding Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS) and Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA) and the disclosure of known carriers passed easily, as did the addition of the new Select Rider definition. It is my understanding that the US Nationals will include the Select Rider classes in 2010. The opportunity for Select riders to compete within their own peer group should increase participation in all Adult Amateur divisions as well.
In closing, I would again urge everyone to get involved. We have the best product, the Arabian horse, and together we can make a difference. I appreciate the opportunity to serve AHA as Chair of the Equine Stress Research and Education committee, President of the MN Arabian Horse Association and the APAHA Vice President.