Dear AHA Members,

When I begin to collect my thoughts to share information with you, I do so with the intentions of being brief. However, there is so much going on within our Association right now that I feel the need to share with you the progress we are making and the enthusiasm among our members. Just ahead of us we have two trips to Louisville for many of you - our U.S. National Show that kicks off October 12, and our Annual Convention that begins November 15. We've had an action-packed summer with shows, rides and various other activities. I will give you a brief summary of some of the exciting things that have happened and what is in store for our Association.

• The U.S. Nationals with 2,150 horses and 3,200 entries will be one of the best attended in years. Not only do we have a large number of horses, we anticipate a great many spectators for the visit to Louisville, "one last time." Reserved seating the last Friday and Saturday nights is sold out and we have taken two rows of general seating and converted them to "reserved." Friday and Saturday night with entertainment will bring a new excitement to our U.S. Nationals. Good luck to all those exhibiting! I look forward to visiting with many of you.
  
  
• Convention 2006 promises to be one of the best ever. We anticipate having over 500 delegates and alternates gathering in Louisville. Regions 13 and 14 have gone all out to make sure all of you attending have a successful Convention mixed with business and pleasure. The Friday evening dinner is sold out and we are near capacity on the visit to the Kentucky Horse Park on Wednesday. There are 25 resolutions to be considered and this will be done on the closing day of Convention, Saturday. We have a full day, concluding at 4:30 p.m. The President's banquet will be a great evening with a casino night planned right after dinner. I think this will be a great ending to our Convention.
  
  
• Our financial picture remains positive. Our year to date operating expenses are $240,000 lower than budget. Our operating net income is $229,500 higher than budgeted. We continue to see a cost savings from the reduction in staff and increased efficiencies. We are $155,000 better than budgeted in staff expenses. Much of the savings is the result of the reorganization of our organizational chart and reducing Senior Management positions.
  
  
• The Sport Horse Nationals held this year in Idaho for the first time is another summer success story. While the number of horses anticipated was down by about 40, the Sport Horse Commission worked hard to contain expenses and have a top-notch show. The facility was great and the folks who operate the center went all out to promote the Sport Horse Nationals. There were radio spots, a special tabloid in the local newspaper, television interviews, and on-going newspaper coverage of the show. The promotional efforts were accomplished by the management of the Idaho Horse Park. I was able to visit with park management and found them to be very pleased with our presence and anxious to accommodate our needs. It was great to be there. I saw large classes and noted that horses were entered in multiple classes. The Commission and volunteers do a terrific job of balancing the schedule that sometimes had three rings going at once. Often, exhibitors in one ring waited for those finishing in another. There was a spirit of support and camaraderie in all of this.
  
  
• The National Endurance Ride was taking place the same time as the Sport Horse Nationals and was about four hours away from the site of the national show in Nampa. The proximity of this show made it possible to not only visit our Sport Horse Nationals, but to drive to the Endurance Ride in Brothers, Oregon. At our last Board meeting, we saw statistics indicating there is a large number of Arabian and Half-Arabian distance riders who are not part of our Association. Consequently, we're initiating outreach efforts to this segment of our Arabian horse population. I felt in light of this effort, it was important to visit the ride and meet those who were there. Everyone at the ride appreciated the gesture of support. I got to view first hand the operations and the AHA participation in the ride. This was an AERC ride as well but the majority of horses were Arabian or Half Arabian. There were a total of 32 horses participating in the National Endurance Championship, of which 23 were purebred Arabians and 9 were Half-Arabians. I was pleased to participate in the awards presentation at the conclusion of the ride Sunday morning. I want to emphasize that there is an opportunity for AHA membership growth in distance riding and I look forward to expanding our membership in the distance riding world.
  
  
• The Youth Nationals continues to be a bright star in outreach to our youth. Not only did we have a record number of horses entered this year, but the financial results at this time indicate we beat budget by $40,000. I understand that our AHYA Convention was the most successful ever held with a keynote speaker and workshops that the youth could attend. There was a focus on fostering and developing leadership, and on building through teamwork. Thanks to all the sponsors and to our staff for making this one of the most positive experiences of the year for our youth. The golf cart decorating was fantastic this year. The Executive Committee even got to ride in one of the carts!
  
  
• I visited the Canadian Nationals again this summer and continue to be impressed with the efficiency of the Commission and the friendly atmosphere that prevails. Numbers were better than last year and entries were high. One thing that helped this year was the lifting of some restrictions on the VS problem that impacted the show last year. I always enjoy the camaraderie and family atmosphere this show provides.
  
  
• The National Fun Trail Ride held at Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford, Nebraska proved once again to be extremely popular with those who enjoy recreational riding. With Sheila Varian as clinician, the ride reached capacity at 100 riders and, there was a waiting list. The feedback I received indicates that the ride, with its beautiful scenery, expert clinician, and fantastic weather proved to be a fun-filled event and certainly responsive to member needs. We anticipate adding a new ride site soon, and it may be coming to a park near you.
  
  
• We have more positive steps from our AHA Sweepstakes Commission. For an incentive to nominate your stallion, which is already enrolled as a Breeding Entry, the Commission recently approved a significant cost reduction from $2,500 to $1,500. Also, the deadline for 2007 Breeding Entries has been extended to March 31, 2007. The extended deadline for your Breeding Entries will allow those enrolled in the points program to receive their annual payout first before they are required to enroll a Breeding Entry for the year. Additionally, breeders will most likely have received their breeder incentive paybacks for mare and stallion owners. The extended deadline also allows individuals to take advantage of new informational materials that have been disseminated that explain the program and to fully digest the information. It is important to note that instead of the projected Sweepstakes payout of $2.4 million this year, that total is closer to $3.2 million. For those of you who signed up for the point's payout program, I think you are going to be pleased with your payout this year. The Points Program is a large and integral part of the total Sweepstakes payout. Remember, there are points payouts at all AHA recognized shows and events (except ACS) including regional and national competitions in Sweepstakes classes. If you are attending the U.S. Nationals, be sure to stop by two separate informational sessions: Thursday, October 19 and Saturday, October 21, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Sweepstakes Commission Chair, Dean Meier, will be on hand to field questions and comments. Don't miss your chance to get definitive answers about Sweepstakes!
  
  
• We finished our Arabian Community Shows season with well over the projected 50 Community Shows. At this point, we have ten Community Shows lined up for next year. Our goal for 2007 is to have 75 Community Shows. These shows have hit the mark in providing an inexpensive show, with little red tape, low pressure and fun for friends and families. Just as in our Fun Trail Ride, I think this is another program where we are being responsive to member needs.
  
  

I want to end this bulletin with some exciting news for those of you who are anxious to see the site in Tulsa for our U.S. Nationals.

Several of our Board members, professional trainers, amateurs, exhibitors, APHA, show commissioners and other members have expressed an interest in seeing the Tulsa facility. By coincidence, members began to question, why not hold the Convention in Tulsa prior to our going there for the National Show. A preview visit would enable those who would be showing at the facility a chance to see the stabling, show arenas and work arenas, and would give patrons a chance to see the sky boxes and future patron lounges. Commercial exhibitors would have the opportunity to view the property, spectators could familiarize themselves with the complex and it would enable everyone to scout out the city, its hotels and all it has to offer. This Convention would be a perfect opportunity to "kill two birds with one stone" and people would likely attend the Convention that probably would not otherwise attend.

With this knowledge in hand, as President I asked staff to investigate and begin benchmarking, best business practices and due diligence so that I could present this to the Executive Committee and the chair of Convention Planning for review. Fortunately, we have the three-year agreement with Marriott to host our Conventions. Marriott officials were open to our changing the Convention site from Denver to Tulsa; however, time was of the essence as bookings are two to three years in advance and the Marriott required us to make an immediate decision. The Executive Committee had no choice as we had to decide quickly about the site relocation. Consequently, the Executive Committee voted to move the convention to Tulsa for 2007.

I realize that our delegates had been presented the Marriott Denver Tech Center as the site for Convention 2007 because there was no host region. During our due diligence research we found that Marriott would renegotiate and you, our members, did have a choice, and Tulsa was willing to help host the Convention. This gave us a whole new opportunity. Planning is not complete and there remains a lot of work to be done.

History tells us that Convention site locations have been changed in the past and our Bylaws tell us that we must present the Convention location the year prior to the Convention; therefore, we are preparing a presentation for 2007 at this year's Convention in Louisville. I sincerely believe that this decision is in the best interest of the majority of our membership, and the delegates will welcome the opportunity to visit Tulsa and see where our new home for the U.S. National Show will be held. Soon after the Executive Committee vote, I shared the information with our Board of Directors. Many of them have, in turn, shared it with delegates. The response thus far has been overwhelmingly in favor of the move. I think that for many, it may be their only opportunity to see the facility. I believe it will prove to be one of the best attended Conventions we have had.

I hope you have the same sense of excitement that I have about what is going on within our Association and our breed. We continue to be focused on operating our Association in a business-like fashion, following our Business Deployment Plan that assures projects are undertaken and completed. We continue to experience change. We have new staff members on board and new administrative leadership. They continue to "settle in" and do the best job they can, for you, our members. Our staff is doing a great job with the many complex and varied venues we have. We can only get better.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me. I receive many e-mail messages and do my best to personally respond, or direct your inquiry to a Board member or staff person.


Thank you, and God Bless!