Among Appaloosa Horse Club members “observing” the Board of Directors meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico this week are Stan and Janice Dobson of Auburntown, Tennessee. The Dobsons are long-time Appaloosa folks and dedicated breeders of Foundation horses. Besides that, as with many of you out there, they are committed to regional club activity and to the general promotion of the Appaloosa breed.
In the background (left) is Mark Pozzi of Sandia Park, New Mexico, and (right - the serious looking bearded guy) Robert Swick, trail professional from Lebanon, Missouri. We’ve had a few visitors come and go, including a representative of the Albuquerque Mayor’s office and of Congressman Tom Udall’s office.
One of the “major” committees having discussions today was the Planning and Review Committee, chaired by director Laura Lyon. Much of this committee’s agenda involved proposals that will move forward to the Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday.
P&R Committee will bring forward some discussion items in July that deal with ApHC committee and board processes, roles and responsibilities of committee chairs, the flow of action items through the committee structure, ideas about the number of committees, the number of members on committees and other related issues.
The committee recommended that a specific proposal to establish an ApHC Foundation be provided at the July board meeting. The ApHC Foundation would enable Appaloosa folks to contribute tax-deductible funds to categories such as equine research, a crisis fund for ApHC members and others suffering hardships, injury or other difficulties, as well as youth leadership development and education/information programs. This organization would not displace or effect the status of thhe Youth Foundation or the Museum Foundation. It would in fact be able to direct funds to those groups while also supporting things such as genetics or equine health research.
There was also consensus that ApHC needs to explore membership options for the the club to join the Unwanted Horse Coalition. Board members agree that the slaughter ban and worsening economic conditions have had a critical impact on the number of abused, neglected and abandoned horses all across the country. The coalition is involved in public education and industry initiatives to address the problems associated with literally “unwanted” horses.
A group will be established to ensure that plans are made for a workshop to be held at the 2009 National Show. The workshop would specifically involve regional club leaders, especially those responsible for managing regional club shows.
Another proposal would open the registration “window” for horses currently registered with the Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada. Those horses would be deemed eligible for ApHC registration.
Discussed the payback schedule for racehorses as well as distance/endurance horses from the Performance Permit funds.
The ApHC Board of Directors is meeting this week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As you can imagine, much of the discussion takes place in committee meetings leading up to the board session. In many cases, directors bring forward comments and recommendations from members in their territories and beyond. Some issues and questions come from previous board meetings for final action or some sort of adjustment.
For example, the Show Committee conducted a work session on Sunday March 9th to sort through a rather long list of topics. Some of the discussion turned into specific agenda items for the official committee meeting on Tuesday and some require more development before they can be given serious consideration.
Western Area Show
Dennis Dean is spearheading a study group that is exploring options for a major ApHC-approved show in the spring of 2009. The location is yet to be determined, but the group is looking at Reno, Nevada, and Indio, California.
Regional Show Management
There is definite interest in organizing more idea-sharing opportunities for folks who manage regional ApHC shows or serve as officers of regional clubs. Opportunities include hosting a workshop at the National Show in 2009. It wouldn’t replace town hall meetings or any other gathering. It’s simply meant to give a chance for people to visit with each other and staff to brush up on show rules, paperwork requirements, web-based services and even issues relating to registration.
We are working to put more information on the appaloosa.com website and provide managers with more tools and ideas for their toolboxes. We may also try to organize a rotating group of guest panelists to help us provide one-on-one communications.
Communication
While we’re on the subject, we understand the importance of getting more web-based information through webinars, podcasts and other means out to all ApHC members. For example, it would be neat to post in-depth interviews with various program staff, board members, judges and others. We could feature a panel of trainers, hear from our AYA officers and listen to tips from some of our vendors and sponsors.
Judges
We continue to deal with the implications of an aging population of judges (with complete respect to our current judges) and the rate at which we are able to replace retiring judges. One part of the equation is how far we should go in requiring applicants to “junior-judge” and how many shows they need before receiving their card. In case you’re wondering, we haven’t answered all the questions yet, but it’s being considered to require junior judges to turn in their cards just as if they were handing in official cards and to require them to junior judge at shows with at least a certain number of entries (not sure of a number yet).
The schedule and agenda for the March 10-12 Board of Directors meeting in Albuquerque are posted on the appaloosa.com Web site. Click on the “Association” tab, then “Board of Directors,” where you’ll find the meeting details.
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