AHA PRESIDENT

MYRON KRAUSE

2014 West Alcott
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
Home Phone: 218-205-4666
Cell Phone: 218-205-6066

Email: myronk@sprintpcs.com

AHA President's Bulletin
December 2006

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December 2006 Presidents Email Broadcast

As 2006 comes to a close, we can look back upon the year as one of the best ever for the Arabian Horse Association. The year 2007 holds great promise as we continue our journey to becoming the best breed organization in the world. In November, we held our annual convention in Louisville, addressing issues relevant to moving our breed forward and learning that we will have yet another year of financial growth rather than a deficit. I, along with others on the Executive Committee, will remain at the helm. We are proud to serve you and appreciate your support. There was an excitement at convention based on the positive momentum that I think we have going for our Association. If you would like to see and hear my report live go to our website and click here. I want to recap some of the convention activities for you.

• 2006 in Louisville: What a convention we had! The folks from Regions 13 and 14 went all out to assure there was plenty of interesting and entertaining activities to do when not in committee meetings or in general session. The Kentucky Horse Park tour had nearly 170 people and the visit to the Undalata Farm for the Friday night dinner was sold out at 250. It was also great looking out over a packed room for the President's banquet where we honored several of our equine community's leaders.
  
  
• Resolution Actions: A complete report on all of the resolutions is available on our AHA website. I wanted to point out a couple of resolutions which I think says a lot for where we are in our thinking right now. Typically, in our Association we have been in a "react" mode. I think that has changed. In recent years we have seen a decline in the number of horses showing in halter at our local, regional and national shows. A resolution was brought to convention that addressed this, and was approved by the delegates. While you can read more of the details of the resolution on our website, this resolution adds an "Arabian Scoring System" to our show rules. The objective of this is to reduce the stress for the horse, make the judging more understandable, and have more accountability and explanation for the exhibitors and those in the audience. This new approach will not go into effect until April of 2008, giving our judges ample opportunity to learn about and understand the new rules and scoring system. For me, this is "proactive." We realized we had a problem and we joined together to bring forth a solution. I want to personally thank the Professional Horsemen, the Education and Evaluation, and the Equine Stress and Education Committees for their hard work and to Lori Conway for her efforts and excellent explanations on this resolution to delegates. There also was discussion about the recommendations of the Task Force on Committee Restructure that we formed over a year ago. The Task Force will continue gathering information, working toward committee restructure and will bring new information to the AHA board, and consequently recommendations for consideration at convention 2007. You can view activity of any of the AHA committees by visiting the website and clicking on "Committee" under Membership.
  
  
• Sweepstakes Report: Commission Chairman Dean Meier gave a positive report on the AHA Breeders Sweepstakes Program to delegates. The program has successfully stopped the serious financial decline of the last seven years when more money was paid out than came in. This year, the program will pay out $1.4 million to Sweepstakes horses, and the Point Payout Program will pay approximately $30 for each point earned. Remember a horse earns a point for itself plus every horse it defeats in a designated Sweepstakes class. The Points prize money is now an integral part of your Sweepstakes awards, and every active competitor should sign up. I might note also that this is the highest payout per point of any breed payout program. The Sweepstakes Commission had anticipated bringing in $2.4 million, but instead brought in $3.2 million. We have stability in this program, and more participants than ever before have the opportunity to make money. We had 480 AHA events where Sweepstakes money was paid out. I think you will agree that this is better than payouts only on the regional and national level. Another plus is that stallion and mare owners will also be receiving a percentage of the Sweepstakes earnings. Sweepstakes money will be paid by the end of the first quarter of next year. Also, remember that the deadline for 2007 Breeding Entries has been extended to March 31, 2007.
  
  
• EVP Outlook: This was the first opportunity for many of our delegates and guests to meet Executive Vice President, Gary Zimmerman. In a positive, upbeat report, Gary explained that his management team will work toward exceeding the $500,000 plus net revenues previously earned in 2005 and 2006. He anticipates improved revenue sources, greater efficiencies and lower operating expenses. Gary forecasts the following for 2007:
  • Measurable improvements in member service satisfaction (this month, AHA sent out a survey of 1,000 members selected at random to assess member satisfaction. There will be more surveys)
  • A 10 percent increase in the number of AHA-recognized events
  • A 10 percent increase in AHA membership
  • A 15 percent increase in AHA revenue
  • The ending of a decade-long slide in registrations with a goal of meeting or exceeding registrations for 2006
  • On the horizon for our Association are increased efforts to develop a closer working relationship with various equine entities.
  
  
• Marketing Initiatives: We have an exciting new venture coming up in February. The FBR Open is one of the premier golf tournaments in the world, bringing to Scottsdale some of the world's best golfers. Nearly 530,000 people will be in attendance at the event scheduled for January 31 through February 4. The Arabian Horse Association will have a corporate tent promoting the Arabian horse experience and lifestyle to visitors. Visits to horse farms for barn parties and display of horses will be a part of the experience. There will be more on our AHA website about this effort to showcase our breed.
  
  In April 2007, we're unveiling a brand new look for our breed magazine, renaming it Modern Arabian Horse. The "new" magazine will be positioned as a breed-based lifestyle magazine, similar to Southern Living, full of articles and up-to-date information in a format that is reader-friendly and consistent from issue to issue. You will immediately notice improvements. We believe Modern Arabian Horse, over time, will become the leading equine publication for the Arabian horse..
  
  In the coming year, AHA will complete and market a 30-minute documentary to many cable channels, marking a first for our association and an outreach that will present our breed to a vast number of people.
  
  On Sunday following convention, our new PR Network Representatives attended an all-day seminar aimed at familiarizing them with AHA programs and services, and the various marketing tools they can take into the horse community. I am pleased to report that we have PR representatives in all 18 of our regions.
  
  

President's Banquet Honors: I am honored as your President to have the opportunity to recognize outstanding members of our community. We have so many people who do so much. They willingly give their time, talent and energies, and this makes the decision-making difficult. So many of you have been of great assistance to me and to our Association. The President's Award was personally very difficult for me to decide upon. This honor is the highest our Association can bestow upon an individual. I presented two awards this year, to two very special people who are not only great friends of mine, but who have devoted their time, efforts and energies for the betterment of AHA. Janet Holloway, a 20-year employee of AHA, is one of the two people I selected. Janet, who has been in the equine industry for over 40 years, is someone I can always count on for her loyalty and support. She has served in various capacities at AHA, and last year served as a manager of the day-to-day operations at AHA while we searched for a new executive vice president. At times, I directed Janet to do some tasks that were difficult. She accomplished them professionally and honorably. She is a dedicated professional. It was fitting to present Janet with this award, as this would be her last year attending convention as part of the AHA team. I have great respect for her and appreciate her friendship. The other person I selected is a member of the Executive Committee, Lance Walters, AHA Vice President. Lance has served the Arabian Horse Association for many years, having been on several committees and commissions. He has devoted a tremendous amount of personal time and effort to AHA and has played key roles in tackling difficult situations with a focus on what are honorable solutions. I have been able to call upon him, day or night. Over the years that I have known him, we have grown to respect one another's opinion, even when they differ. When we walk away from our disagreements, we remain friends. Lance exemplifies the word "service." It was my extreme honor to present the award to someone as deserving as Lance who has remained a true friend and someone I can always rely on!

The Director's Award was given to a very special person. This award is not an easy award to earn as all of the directors have to have voted for this individual. The winner of the 2006 Directors' Award is Joleen White, the AHA executive administrative assistant. Joleen has been with AHA for nearly 30 years and is a tremendous asset and resource to the entire board of directors, and to myself. She has been a loyal and trusted friend of our association and has become an important part of the AHA team because of her knowledge about our history. I sometimes refer to her as the "AHA walking encyclopedia." It was an honor to present Joleen with this prestigious award at the President's Banquet!

Some Personal Notes

I would like to publicly thank the North Dakota Arabian Horse Association. This club surprised me with an AHA lifetime membership at the President's Banquet. It meant a great deal to me. This is my home club where my relationship began in this Arabian Industry and which instilled in me the understanding and commitment to our grass roots people. I truly appreciate this generous gift and vow that I will never forget the grass roots! Thank you North Dakota Arabian Horse Association from the bottom of my heart!

Opening Doors

We have begun to open new doors which I believe will lead us to relationships within the equine world that will benefit all those involved. Just recently EVP Gary Zimmerman and I went to Oklahoma City and met with the president of NRHA Mike Boyle, president elect Kim Sloan, executive officer Dan Wall, marketing director Dave Patterson, and director of affiliates Debbie Drinko. We also visited the Pinto Horse Association offices, toured their facility and met with executive officer Darrell Bilke. I would like to thank all of these individuals for generously giving us their time, and extending their hospitality. We are also beginning working relationships with AERC, NSH, and have other association negotiations in mind. I am confident that these relationships will build strong bridges in the equine world.

Here's to a Great 2007!

We've had a productive and energizing 2006! I am proud of all that the Arabian Horse Association is accomplishing. I sense that you share in that pride. We have to remain focused on where we want to go, and remember that this is not the time to splinter our efforts. We have to be team focused if we are to be the best in the equine world. I have faith in AHA, and in you, the members who steer the ship and keep us going forward.

I will be spending Christmas with my wife and our children. We are anxiously awaiting the blessing of the birth of our first grandchild due any day now. We sincerely wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!