Gary Zimmerman, Executive Vice President of AHA for nearly two years, announced his resignation recently. Gary will remain on board through the end of this month and possibly early into February. In his resignation letter, Gary explained that he was leaving AHA "to lead an organization with a substantial public policy mission." Gary expressed gratitude to the membership and board of directors for the opportunity to serve AHA. "I will leave with admiration of and best wishes for the Association. I will value the many friendships and fond memories made during the last two years." I know I speak for all of us in wishing Gary the best in his endeavors and thank him for his contributions to the Association during his tenure as Executive Vice President. A search for a new EVP will be launched soon and I anticipate having candidates for Board of Director review at the May meeting. I will keep you updated on the search for a new administrative leader.


I attended the United States Equestrian Federation convention and was proud of the honors which were bestowed upon leaders in our Arabian horse community, and two prestigious awards for our AHA Modern Arabian Horse magazine. The late Jay Stream earned the Richard E. McDevitt Award of Merit that is named for Richard McDevitt, past president of the American Horse Shows Association. The Junior Equestrian of the Year Award and Ruth O'Keefe Meredith Memorial Trophy was given to AHA's Youth of the Year, Kirsten Kimbler. She also earned the Youth Sportsman's Award. The USEF 2007 Equestrians of Honor were Stanley White Jr., earning the Barbara Worth Oakford Trophy, and Andrew Sellman, the Norman K. Dunn Trophy. Modern Arabian Horse, our official AHA magazine, was awarded the 2007 Pegasus Award for Media as Equine Publication of the Year, and the prestigious Daniel P. Lenehan Memorial Trophy for Overall Excellence in Media. A hearty congratulations to our staff for earning such an honor for us! We continue to work with USEF officials to partner in areas that will be beneficial to both AHA and USEF.

And, speaking of USEF, another notable honor is that the 2008 Chair of the USEF Youth Council is an Arabian Horse Association member, former AHA Youth of the Year, Monica Christian of Ohio. Pertaining to youth, USEF will now have youth representation on the USEF Board and Monica will be that representative. This is a first. Monica said she views this representation as an "excellent opportunity" to speak on behalf of the youth in the horse industry. She added that serving in such a role helps prepare youth for leadership in our equine world. I am proud and pleased to have Monica represent us on the Youth Council and being named to the USEF Board!



The new Arabian Horse Foundation is moving forward with increased visibility. A new website is being completed and when done will be the Arabianhorsefoundation.org. New informational material about the Foundation explaining the various giving levels, and funding designation areas is being completed in time for distribution at the Scottsdale Show in February. You can select the need you want your contribution to go toward: Youth (scholarships); Education; Equine Research, and Disaster Relief for horses. Three prominent veterinarians and AHA members make up an advisory panel for equine research expertise. The Foundation has also had dialogue with USEF which has a disaster relief fund and sent funds to help horses in the California fires. If you have any questions, please contact Larry Kinneer, President of the Foundation at larlv@aol.com.


A formal groundbreaking will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park early in the Spring for the new Museum of the Arabian Horse. The Purebred Arabian Trust is leading efforts to construct and furnish the museum with artifacts. Artifacts from the former headquarters for the Registry in Westminster, Colorado, are being shipped to the park for cataloging and planning for appropriate display. The museum will be opened in 2009 and readied for the huge number of visitors to the park for the World Equestrian Games in 2010. You will be updated periodically on the progress of the museum.


After nearly a decade of negotiations, an agreement was reached in December between the Purebred Arabian Trust (representing the Arabian Horse Association's 100-year-old purebred Arabian horse registry) and the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) granted the Arabian Horse Association Registry exclusive authority over American registrations as recognized by WAHO. The status change was effective January 1 of this year. This is a significant and momentous occasion promising a bright future of significant benefit to the Arabian horse community.


As you all know, our Arabian Scoring System goes into effect April 1 of this year. George Johnson, Judges & Stewards Commissioner, said his office is mailing out nearly 300 new DVD's this month to judges and to AHA Directors on the new system. This new DVD is a step-by-step explanation of the new system. This educational outreach to judges will help prepare them for the new system. Our Judge's Seminar in March in Denver will be the third seminar where judges receive information about the new scoring system. I would encourage those of you who plan to show halter to educate yourselves about the new system. Click here for more information on the Arabian Scoring System. We will all have a learning curve on this before we are comfortable with the new system. I believe the new system will bring new folks to the halter arena, and some folks who left will be inclined to come back. I know clubs are always looking for educational program ideas. This might be a good subject for a meeting with perhaps a live demonstration on how it will work.


The problem of declining registrations and membership numbers continue to frustrate all of us in leadership at AHA. Purebred registrations and Half-Arabian registrations have been declining for a number of years. This past year, Purebreds declined by seven percent and Half-Arabians by 11 percent. And, as of the end of December our membership declined by nearly 2,000 members. I think the horse industry in America in general is taking some serious hits. With rising gasoline prices, higher hay, feed, sawdust/bedding prices, and many with lessened incomes, people are selecting very carefully where they want to put their expendable dollars. Other breeds are experiencing similar declines. However, we can't just accept this as a reality without taking proactive steps to try to correct the slide. I believe this situation calls for the efforts of all of us within our Arabian horse community: our regional leaders and delegates, our club presidents and club members. We've all got to take a piece of this problem and apply ourselves to fixing it. At the March 7-8 Board of Director's meeting, I am setting aside time for dialogue and exchange of ideas on registrations and membership. At that time, I will look to our Board to bring forth innovative ideas, ideas that may be working in their regions particularly pertaining to membership. There are many people out there who own Arabians and Half-Arabians that have not registered their horses, nor joined AHA as a member. We've got to concentrate on assuring people there is value in membership and registrations. Any ideas you have, forward to your Regional Directors so the ideas and suggestions can be incorporated at our meeting in March. While on the subject of declining numbers, such drops along with many other variables have an impact on our budget. Our Budget & Finance Committee is meeting to prepare our next fiscal year budget. We've had substantial budget variances over the last year, and we are facing a tight financial period in FY 2008. We will have to work harder and smarter with our finances to be successful.


I realize that in this bulletin I have not given you the most positive of situations. But, you will recall, I promised I would always be forthright with you, giving you information whether it is good or bad. Facing up to our problems and challenges is realistic. We can't hide from them. They won't just go away. We are addressing areas where we have some hurdles. I have faith we will get through these times and emerge stronger than before. Once again, we have a void in AHA leadership that will be trying. However, our AHA staff will remain on the job conducting "business as usual." I will devote more of my personal time at the AHA offices to insure continuity and encouragement to staff. I expect to have a new Executive Vice President in place by early summer. We've tremendous momentum going for us, a positive outlook, and a determination to be the best breed organization in North America. Let's not lose sight of that vision. As always, I appreciate your belief in where we are going, and hope that you will continue supporting me as your President in 2008.

Thank You and God Bless,