The Arabian Horse Association will be closed Friday, December 31, for New Years Day. Member Service Representatives (MSR's) will not be available on Friday to answer last minute questions regarding the submission of in-utero foal entries or assist you in renewing your membership. However, you may renew membership or enroll in-utero foals up until midnight MST on December 31 by:

• Fax (303)696-4599
• Online in the Members Only section of www.ArabianHorses.org
• U.S. Postal Service (postmarked by midnight, December 31)

Please call AHA at 303-696-4500 any time between now and Thursday at 5:00 p.m. MST to get the information you need to complete your year-end business. Happy New Year!

Both Breeders Sweepstakes and National Halter Futurities have deadlines of December 31 for in-utero foals. The rules vary slightly. Please read the descriptions below.

Halter Futurities
• No late fees are accepted. If the deadline of December 31 is missed, the in-utero foal will not be able to enter the program
• Halter Futurities require one initial nomination payment when the horse is in-utero and three re-nomination payments in its weanling, yearling and two-year-old year.
• In a horse's three-year-old year it is eligible to compete as a Halter Futurity filly, colt or gelding at either or both the Canadian and/or U.S. Nationals
• A fee for the in-utero horse is $45 per horse per country, with each re-nomination payment of $35 also due by December 31
• An owner may opt to drop out of the program at any year simply by forfeiting a payment. However, once a horse drops out, it is not eligible to re-enter
• A Halter Futurity win can be up to $20,000
• Halter Futurities offer a grace period for re-nominations only from Jan 1 through March 31 for an additional $100 per horse per country

Sweepstakes Breeding Entries
• Must be enrolled by December 31 to qualify for the $400 entry fee
• Late Sweepstakes entries postmarked up through February 15 will require an additional $100 fee
• To enroll your horse as a Sweepstakes Breeding Entry, the foal must be by a Sweepstakes Nominated Sire or out of a Sweepstakes Nominated Mare (if bred to a non-Arabian stallion)
• If you are not sure whether your in-utero foal is eligible to become a Breeding Entry, contact an AHA Member Service Representative at info@ArabianHorses.org

Current members may enroll Halter Futurities and Sweepstakes entries online in the Members Only section.

No excuse to have unregistered Arabian, Half-Arabian or Anglo-Arabians anymore with the great prices now available for horses 2 years old or older. The AHA Amnesty Program offers reduced registration fees for domestic horses. Purebred Arabian horses age 2 and older are eligible if their parentage can be qualified through blood typing or DNA and they meet all registration requirements. Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses must also meet registration requirements. At $250, owners save 50 percent off purebred Arabian registration. Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian owners pay $75 which is a 35 percent savings. A $15 fee is assessed if the ownership needs to be transferred. The Amnesty Program ends March 31, 2005. Find out more at: www.arabianhorses.org/registration.asp

MBNA provides the official Arabian Horse Association (AHA) credit card, which displays a beautiful Arabian horse and offers privileges of particular value to members. Credit lines are individually established to ensure qualified applicants receive the maximum in purchasing power - up to $100,000 of available credit. AHA Platinum Plus cardholders are invited to take advantage of credit-line increase decisions within 15 minutes, 24-hour customer service, emergency-card replacement, and ATM cash-advance access at more than 300,000 automated teller machines worldwide that display the Cirrus® network logo.

It's MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL time for Affiliate, Business and Direct members. No paper, no postage, no hassle - save yourself time and money. Renew online prior to the December 31 deadline to assure uninterrupted online services and benefits and avoid the late fee. Click here to renew online now. (Snail mail memberships accepted if postmarked by 12:00 p.m. on December 31.)

The 2005 AHA Handbook is now available for all members. Click here to download.

The Frequent Rider Program (FRP) has officially extended its recognition milestones from 5,000 to 10,000 so FRP participants can continue to enjoy the program with new milestones and new rewards. Click here for more information.

Disney's Young Black Stallion movie was released in VHS/DVD format nationwide on December 21. Look for it at your local video store. The DVD edition contains 20 minutes of all-new programming created exclusively for this release. Discover for the first time ever the back story of what happened before Young Black Stallion. Bonus features include: Taming the Stallions, Famous Horses of Arabia; Big Black Horse Read-Along; Finding Biana, Shooting in Namibia and Building the Casbah.

This stylish fleece pullover not only keeps you warm but also shows off your Arabian horse pride with an embroidered AHA logo on the left chest. Crafted in a heavyweight, non-pilling polyester fleece that's napped and sheared to a blissful softness, it has a 10" zipper, elastic waist, 2 side-entry lined pockets, elastic cuffs and set-in sleeves. Order at www.ziagraphics.com.

Don't forget! All AHA members are eligible to vote for the 2004 Horseman of the Year Awards! All you have to do is go to www.APAHA.com and click on 2004 Horseman's Awards. Then follow the detailed voting instructions. The voting booth will be open from January 1 through January 31, 2005.