Congratulations to our first forty ACS Show Hosts! The ACS Calendar is filling up for 2006 with Arabian Community Shows represented throughout the country. AHA sponsors will be rewarding our first 40 Show Hosts with incentive gifts, and AHA will be showing their support with marketing fund assistance. Visit ArabianHorses.org/ACS for more information on hosting a local, all-amateur, AHA-recognized competition where flexibility and affordability allow you to create a show that fits your community.

Did you know that AHA has partnered with Choice Hotels International® to offer you a great travel saving benefit? You can take advantage of a 20 percent discount at over 5,000 participating Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Suburban Extended Stay brand hotels worldwide! Make reservations conveniently by booking online at choicehotels.com or by calling 800-258-2847. Don't forget you must book in advance and reference the AHA Special Rate Identification number 00802151.

The news gets even better! This spring you can earn an unlimited amount of room nights at more than 1,000 Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, or MainStay Suites in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or Caribbean by taking advantage of our Choice Privileges, "Stay 2 Times. Earn A Free Night," spring promotion! This offer started February 1 and ends April 15. Sign up to be a Choice Privileges® member by going to ChoicePrivileges.com or calling 800-770-6800. Membership is FREE! When making reservations be sure to reference both the AHA Special Rate Identification number 00802151 and your personal Choice Privileges® identification number.

Top Ten Horse and Amateur Achievement Award winners will receive an extra bonus from Corporate Partner Paint Rock Designs this year, a mane and tail saver blanket especially designed for Arabian horses. Check out all their products by clicking here.

Several farms have teamed up to pay out significant prize money to the Working Cow classes at the U.S. Nationals over the next three years beginning in 2006. Each class will pay $10,000 in prize money for a total of $30,000 per year. Sponsors include San Simeon Arabians (Arabian Working Cow Championship), Wolf Point Ranch (Arabian Working Cow Junior Horse) and The Ranches of Cherry Creek (Half-Arabian Working Cow Junior Horse). The added prize money will provide an incentive for exhibitors to show in these divisions and create excitement for working western aficionados who enjoy the excitement of the sport.

Want to produce an event but lacking the funds? Depending on what type of event you’re planning, you may qualify for funds from either AHA or USEF. AHA provides funds through the AHA Market Development and Promotion budget for individuals or member organizations planning promotional activities. You can download a request for funding form by clicking here.

USEF has announced an Outreach Grant program to assist breed shows with expenses. The maximum grant is $1,000, and $125,000 has been budgeted for 2006 for financially challenged breed competitions. Each grant request will be evaluated based on when it was received and on the proposed use of funds, which must be earmarked for certain expenses, including EMT’s, veterinarians, stewards and insurance. The USEF Executive Office will make the final decision. Download an Outreach Grant program application and read criteria by clicking here.

A new level of participation and cooperation is being developed to help support AHA regions and local affiliates in expanding promotional efforts. The Public Relations Network will consist of an AHA representative from each Region who will work to more effectively disseminate education, awareness, support and resources of AHA into the local clubs and organizations to maximize grassroots breed promotion and membership growth. This Public Relations Network representative will be responsible for establishing strong relationships with local interest groups through face-to-face contact within his/her region of responsibility and growing AHA’s promotional programs. AHA will be supporting this program through personal contact, training, marketing tools, program education and special marketing e-news bulletins. The individual AHA Regions are being asked to help by covering the travel costs of these representatives as they work with local groups throughout each region. If you would like to nominate yourself or another person, please send your recommendations to your Regional Director. Click here to read the specifics.

Readers are encouraged to send questions for the following Arabian Horse Magazine columns: Basic Training, Breeders Forum and Ask the Vet. Experts will respond in each issue. From basic to baffling, your questions are welcome. Send to Stephanie.Darling@ArabianHorses.org or snail mail to Editor, AHA, 10805 E. Bethany Dr., Aurora, Colo. 80014.

Share your love of the breed year-round with friends, clients and students away at school. Give them a subscription to Arabian Horse Magazine! 6 issues packed with news, photos, profiles and hands-on horsemanship articles. Just $25 a year to subscribe or get it free with a $25 adult or $20 youth membership. Easy to give—enjoyable to receive! Call 303-696-4500 or subscribe online here.

More than 60 percent of our website visitors view the online classifieds on Marketplace at ArabianHorses.org. New features on the Arabian Farm Directory now give you the option to showcase your farm, and upgrade your listing with photos and your farm logo. Don’t miss the most affordable way to reach the audience of the world’s largest online marketplace for Arabian horses.

If you missed the December 31st, 2005 deadline to submit your 2005 Halter Futurity renewal payment, the final deadline to pay the late renewal fee is March 31, 2006. For $135 per horse per country, you can maintain your horse’s eligibility to compete as a three year old in Canadian and/or U.S. Nationals Halter Futurities.

Dick Reed of Aubrey, Tex., has been elected to the Arabian Breeders Sweepstakes Commission. He and his wife Christine own Toskhara Arabians, one of the largest active breeders of Polish horses in the United States. Dick also serves as the President of Korona, the Polish Arabian Breeders Organization. He and Christine were active in the Arab Horse Society in the United Kingdom for 10 years where their horses showed in both Europe and the U.K., winning major championships at the British Nationals, European and World Championships as well as the European Sport Horse Championships. Their stallion, *Kordelas (Monogramm x Kabala), raced in Poland and won multiple halter championships before coming to the United States and becoming a U.S. National Top Ten Reining Champion in 2004.

Jim Sullivan, advertising sales manager and Barney Seward, events sales manager, have joined the Marketing team to assist with a wide variety of sales activities that provide a hefty chunk of revenue to AHA. Jim Sullivan brings sales experience from both the United States Trotting Association and the American Paint Horse Association and is eager to help our members and commercial entities develop advertising packages that help boost sales. He will sell display advertising in Arabian Horse Magazine and national show programs and prize lists as well as assist in sponsorship development. Barney Seward brings national and international sales and event experience to his role and will be handling show sponsorships, patronships, admissions and commercial exhibits. Barney has raised and trained Arabian endurance horses.

Contact Jim at Jim.Sullivan@ArabianHorses.org or call 303-696-4584. Contact Barney at Barney.Seward@ArabianHorses.org or call 303-696-4558.

Youth Coordinator Katie Reynolds has a story appearing in the upcoming book, Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul II entitled “On My Left Side.” The book will be available this month in a bookstore or tack shop near you.

This year’s Creative Contest theme is Treasure of the Desert. Anyone under 21 years of age or under is eligible to submit an entry in multiple categories for just $10, and the deadline is June 1. Winners receive Breyer model horses and cash. The contest is sponsored by Breyer Animal Creations. Click here for info and an application.

AHA will partner its national championship endurance ride in 2006 with the Pacific North USA Endurance Team Fundraiser in Brothers, Oregon. The ride is FEI sanctioned and will be a qualifier and/or selection ride for the Pan American Championships to be held in 2007. Sharon and Gordon Westergard are the ride managers and Dewayne Brown is the assistant manager. The trail has great footing and offers AERC rides of 25, 50, 75 and 100 miles. AHA rides will be the 50 and 100 milers, and FEI is also 100 miles. For information, contact AHA.

If you’re an endurance rider with a horse enrolled in Sweepstakes, please note that you can only earn points for rides that are 50 miles or more. Limited Distance rides will not count toward points for Sweepstakes prize money. However, Limited Distance rides will continue to receive Achievement Award points based on Resolution 7-05.

The Amateur Achievement Awards program now mirrors the Horse Achievement Awards program, requiring that one of the two quality achievements (wins) be at the AHA national level for Handler of Excellence and Rider of Excellence.