From Incoming AQHA President Dr Glen Blodgett at Convention
I am honored to serve as the next AQHA president, and I’d like to mention some of the areas I’d like to focus on as president.
As you know, our customer service with regard to registration and transfer turn-around time and our youth programs have vastly improved over the past couple of years, and I want to continue to build on that success.
Animal Welfare
We’re making good strides in the racing industry with the Multiple Medications Violations System and that the AQHA Animal Welfare Commission through the AQHA Show Council and Show Committee are tackling some tough issues on the show side. We must push forward with these and more efforts to do all we can to protect our horse and to avoid the government or over-zealous, but well-meaning, animal rights groups from stepping in and dictating how we are to use and care for our animals.
Membership
In partnership with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, we recognize horses in these events each year with the AQHA-PRCA horse of the year awards, but we need to do more to entice these enthusiasts to join AQHA and to register and transfer their American Quarter Horses.
In 2014, we developed an alliance partnership with the United States Team Roping Championships and we are renewing our partnership with the National Barrel Horse Association. We are also exploring additional avenues for spotlighting these horses in AQHA’s publications and through AQHA’s promotional activities. We also have our onsite services at the USTRC, NFR and the Calgary Stampede. We will identify other large events for the onsite services, as well.
Breed Sustainability
The five-panel genetic disease test will go a long way to help our members when they are making their breeding decisions. I know we’ve done some educational articles in the AQHA publications, but we need to explore other ways of reaching out to our members to educate them more about the tools available to be more responsible breeders.
Communication
We need to reach out to members to find out how they best want to receive communication from AQHA. Our directors would like more information – in addition to the weekly enewsletter that they already receive from the executive vice president – and we need to figure out how they want to receive that information.
This winter, we’ve conducted what we call town-hall conference calls with all of the directors and got a lot of good feedback. We are thinking about how to use this concept more often with the directors so that they can pass information on to their constituents.
Fiscal Responsibility
Over the past several years, we were allocating $2.5 million out of Investment Income to the Operating Budget. We’ve reduced that amount now to replenish the reserves. I’m proud to say that AQHA was able to add $1.9 million back to Net Assets in the 2014 fiscal year. I’d like to thank my employer of 33 years, Ms. Anne Marion.
I also want you to know that I have always ridden for the Four Sixes brand, I also ride for the AQHA brand. I know how to ride for the brand.
