Director's Message

Fall is definitely in the air here in Michigan and another show season is coming to a close. Sport Horse Nationals has just finished in Lexington, KY and U.S. Nationals is three short weeks away in Tulsa, OK. As I reflect on the show season here in Michigan and Region 13, I find some shows did better than perhaps expected, some held their own and some didn’t do quite as well as hoped. The question as I see it for AHAM is what do we see for the future and what does that mean for our membership? Talking with members, they want a fun, friendly and affordable way to show their horses. Your show committee and Board of Directors are working hard to achieve that goal. As everyone knows, costs continue to increase, so our job is to find ways to give our members the most for their money. To help us succeed, we need to hear from our membership. This club belongs to all the members, not just a few, so we are asking for our members to give us ideas and input.

 

A great way to do this is to come to the Annual Meeting for AHAM on November 12th, 2009. It is being held at Baker’s Restaurant in Milford at 7:00 p.m. Elections will be held for directors, delegates to Region 13, judges selection committee for the shows and the nominating committee. This is one time during the year that we as Arabian horse owners and lovers here in Michigan can come together to talk and share ideas about our horses and activities we are interested in providing.

 

There are some exciting things being planned for this next show season; we will be having the May show as always and are working with the fairgrounds to remedy some of the issues from this year’s show, the August show will make its return and will prove to be bigger, better and more fun! A new marketing and PR committee has be formed, and AHAM now has a Facebook Page! Check it out.

 

So come to the annual meeting and let us know what you are thinking. It is a great way to become involved, share ideas with fellow Arabian enthusiasts and get together with a great group of people who love their Arabian horses! If you have any questions, call or e-mail a board member.

 

Enjoy this fall season, good luck if you are going to U.S. Nationals and I hope to see you at the AHAM Annual Meeting in November.

 

-Ann Knoop

 

 

Some Ways to Make Horse Show Entries Easier

 

Horse Shows are a lot of work and very rewarding. We have developed a system to making the show entries easier for us and the show secretaries. This method works for us, so I thought I would pass it on.

 

  1. Make a list of all the shows you plan on attending for the entire year. Hand out a copy to each of your clients and have them choose the ones they would like to attend. Write on your calendar the deadline dates for each show. Nobody wants to pay post entry fee.
  2. Have your clients give you open checks or credit card numbers. Make sure the checks are made out to the correct person for that show. If they have an outstanding balance on board and training, we do not allow them to enter the show.
  3. Make sure your clients get all their membership cards to you by February 1st of each year.
  4. Have all of the coggins pulled on the horses by February 1st.
  5. Make copies of registration papers, coggins, and cards. Staple them together for each horse and do enough for that year of showing.
  6. Notify the barn manager of each show and let them know approximately how many stalls you will need. Do this early and if you need to send a check to hold them make sure that gets done.
  7. On a computer in a word document type the client information and trainer information and print on mailing labels. This allows for a hassle free entry. You can find these labels at a store that sells school supplies.

 

Now comes the easy part. Stick on the labels with the information for each owner, horse and trainer. It saves time and less chance of error if your labels are correct.

 

  • Make a master copy of a “stall” card list and list clients and number of tack and horse stalls and who is paying for those stalls.
  • Make three copies of each entry, one for the client, one for the file, and one to take to the show.
  • Before mailing in your entries make sure all entries are complete and the payment information is either attached or filled in depending on the client’s method of payment.
  • Now when you check in at the show office if you have any changes to be make you can have it on your copy and be able to fill out your scratch and add sheets without racking your brain.
  • If you have any questions about our system please feel free to call my mother-in-law Sally Rushlow.