Do you ever wonder just what are they thinking in Amarillo? Do the ideas you hear make you go “hmmm”? Well, it is the month of March and that means it’s time for the annual AQHA Convention. The time when those who spend their days in the barn get to rub elbows with executives whose decisions affect their livelihoods. It is a time when year end winners are acknowledged, lifetime achievements are recognized and those who have given their lives to bettering their breed are honored for their accomplishments.
It is the one time where those who lay their hands on horses for a living roll up their sleeves to work side by side with the association’s decision makers with nary a horse in sight. If you have ever wondered just how rule 000 got passed, this is the place where it all happens.
This year’s venue, New Orleans, Louisiana, must be a popular one. AQHA says registration is up over previous years with over 1000 registered members to date. Twelve committees will meet during the four days to discuss, examine and make recommendations on topics ranging from raising the age of the Select Amateur to allowing domestic partners to share horses to adding a fault for jogging 2 1/4 beats or more in a western pleasure class to penalties for mistreatment of our beloved American Quarter Horse and recertification for all judges. Officers will be elected, board of directors approved or denied and recommendations made from each committee, sub-committee and council to the Executive Committee for final ruling.
For those who have never attended, here is a quick rundown on how items come up for discussion. Any member of the American Quarter Horse Association can fill out and submit a rule change form and return it to AQHA for consideration. The rule change proposals then get assigned to the appropriate committee for review and consideration during the convention. Occasionally, AQHA staff make recommendations that again are put on a committee’s agenda for discussion. Finally, matters can come to a committee’s agenda by letters written throughout the year that bring pertinent issues to the forefront. These items again are assigned to the appropriate committees for review. To see this year’s agenda items click here.
Often, much time is spent discussing an item’s merit only to have it rejected, dismissed or tabled. I am always amazed at how much time we spend on a ridiculous sounding idea – but then, that is the point. Some idea that sounds foolish on the surface may launch the next brilliant move. Members consider each matter from as many angles as possible. Committee members discuss, argue and eventually agree on a recommendation for every item on their agenda, no matter the source of the recommendation, or the frivolous nature of the idea.
I have been participating in the Annual event for over 20 years, and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of time spent mulling over the virtues of an idea. We live in fast changing times, when a keystroke can change our lives forever. If ever there was a time to get involved, now just may be that time. Associations survive by the efforts from their members.
Maybe this should be the year you decide to take an active part in the future of the industry you love. Make this the year that you go to your convention, I guarantee you will leave feeling more involved, with new friends and a better idea of how to make things happen within your organization. Get involved – the benefits are many. Besides, it is the one way you know you can advance your cause.
