2010 Annual Report
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CONTENTS 2010 AQHA Annual Report 1 President’s Message 2 Horse Statistics 5 Membership Statistics 8 Show Statistics 12 Publications Statistics 14 Racing and Challenge Statistics 15 Additional Programs & Services 16 Financial Statements 34 Past Presidents About the cover: Photo taken by Dan Dry at the 71 Ranch in Elko, Nevada. President Johannes Orgeldinger, Grosswallstadt, Germany AQHA 2010-2011 First Vice President Peter J. Confrancesco III, Sparta, New Jersey Executive Committee Second Vice President Gene Graves, Grand Island, Nebraska (Right to Left) Member Johne Dobbs, Champaign, Illinois Member Johnny Trotter, Hereford, Texas PRESIDENT’S Letter 1 Dear AQHA Members, Here is a recap on the segments of the American Quarter Horse industry that I focused on during my tenure as AQHA president. 1. Increase Participation in AQHA Shows In 2010, the AQHA Executive Committee appointed a task force to review and address AQHA’s show initiatives, with an eye toward increasing participation in AQHA- approved events. The resulting recommendations were to manage the number and types of approved shows in 2011, and develop a leveling program that offers showing opportunities for all rider and horse skill and ability levels – that is tested throughout 2011, with implementation in 2012. AQHA Professional Horsewoman Patti Carter-Pratt was hired as AQHA’s executive director of shows to oversee the development of our levels initiative. Other task forces were appointed to discuss: versatility ranch horse, introductory shows, AQHA champions/performance halter, triple-judged/quadruple-judged shows, classifying shows, English/over fences, halter, ethics, show managers, stock show managers and ranchers. 2. Get Ranches More Involved With AQHA Despite ranchers owning and registering more American Quarter Horses than nearly any other segment of AQHA, I believe that the Association has not done enough to get them involved. Ranchers are truly the backbone of AQHA’s industry. In July, the Executive Committee and staff met with more than 20 ranching representatives in Oklahoma City. Their talks focused on enhancing AQHA’s registration process and continuing to work with the various ranch horse competition groups to explore consistency in rules and possibly co-sanctioned events. I am anxious to move forward in pursuing the recom- mendations that came from that meeting. Another development is the Ranching Heritage Breeders Program, which will consist of ranches that embody the longevity, integrity and honesty of the ranching tradition. Ranching Heritage Breeders are those that breed and raise the ranch-type horse, which remains at AQHA’s core and epitomizes the breed’s versatility. Foals raised by Ranching Heritage Breeders will be eligible for nomination to the Ranching Heritage Challenge, a series of western events now being developed in which these horses can compete. 3. Animal Welfare AQHA is dedicated to enforcing the humane treatment of American Quarter Horses and all other animals. As part of AQHA’s policy statement, the Association is committed to the welfare of the American Quarter Horse. Here are some examples: • The Association implemented Full Circle, a program in which AQHA members can enroll horses to indicate that they wish to be contacted in the event the horse ever becomes unwanted or if own- ers are no longer able to care for the horse due to financial constraints, lifestyle changes or other circumstances. Phase 2 of Full Circle provides for the enrollment of all breeds, including grade horses, into the program. This phase should be done by summer 2011. • The AQHA Animal Welfare Assurance Task Force has reviewed the Association’s rules, policies and best practices utilized in racing, showing, breeding, ranching and recreational riding. The task force developed two objectives: education of AQHA members and the general public, and enforcing sanctions on those perpetuating excessive or unacceptable training practices. • The animal welfare task force met with AQHA’s alliance partners, as well as state racing commissions and racetracks, to ensure adherence to animal welfare practices. • AQHA strengthened show rules covering excessive schooling and training practices and requested that AQHA Professional Horsemen do more monitoring of show grounds and speak out against inhumane treatment of horses. • The AQHA Animal Welfare Working Group was created to develop editorials and articles on animal welfare in the competition arena and thoroughly review AQHA therapeutic medication and prohibited-substance rules for competition. • AQHA is a member of the Unwanted Horse Coalition, along with other breed registries, individuals and industry organizations and veterinary associations. • AQHA has funded more than $8 million in equine research projects since 1960, including research on racetrack surfaces and the use of toe grabs on racing plates. • AQHA conducted a breeders summit during the 2010 AQHA Convention to educate horsemen on responsible breeding practices and breeding selection with respect to genetic defects and dis- eases, and promote responsible horse ownership. • AQHA developed the Q-Contact program, which is a network of AQHA members and directors who meet with federal legislators and others concerning the state of the equine industry and discuss the Association’s position on pending federal legislation affecting more than 300,000 members. Issues include equine processing, land use, depreciation for tax purposes, estate taxes, small-business stimulus and more. • The Association created the AQHA Stewards Program. Stewards serve as ambassadors to AQHA, and at AQHA-approved shows, they will monitor warm-up pens and barns to ensure the welfare and health of horses; evaluate any unsafe circumstances related to a show; ensure that equipment is set up properly; answer questions about bits and safe use of tack and other equipment; and more. 4. International Growth In January 2010, AQHA’s inaugural European Summit was held in Frankfurt, Germany. Representatives from 16 of the 19 European affiliates attended, and discussions centered on increasing international participation at AQHA’s world shows, increasing the number of all-novice shows in Europe, shifting the focus of the American Quarter Horse Youth World Cup to encourage more camaraderie among the youth participants and developing equine passports for American Quarter Horses to help simplify transporting horses across borders. At the first AQHA Latin America Summit in December 2010 in Panama, talk focused on building the breed, increasing membership numbers and offering more racing and showing opportunities for American Quarter Horses. There were representatives from nine Latin American affiliates (Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela and Costa Rica, which just recently filed to become an affiliate). The summit allowed these countries to present their concerns and questions to AQHA and enabled AQHA to develop a plan to address the unique situations that are encountered on a country by country basis. The plan is to conduct European and Latin American summits again in 2012. 5. Genetic Defects The AQHA staff did an excellent job of educating members and owners on the five genetic defects that are known to American Quarter Horse bloodlines. AQHA will soon offer a panel test for all five defects so that breeders/owners can pay one fee and have their horse(s) tested for all five defects. • HYPP is hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, a muscle disease that leads to uncontrolled muscle twitching or profound muscle weakness, and in severe cases, can lead to collapse and death. • HERDA, hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia, causes the skin on a horse’s back to peel away, leaving the horse unusable. • GBED, glycogen branching enzyme deficiency, doesn’t allow a foal to store enough sugar in its cells for energy, and it eventually dies. • MH is malignant hyperthermia, a rare but life-threatening condition brought on by the interaction of certain types of inhalation anesthetics with a defective gene. Halothane, a general anesthetic, seems to be the primary trigger in horses, as well as succinylcholine, a neuromuscular blocker. Stress can also trigger malignant hyperthermia. • PSSM is polysaccharide storage myopathy, a common form of tying-up. A gene mutation causes unregulated synthesis of glycogen, which results in excessive sugar in muscle cells. This leads to muscle pain and stiffness, sweating, exercise intolerance and weakness. 6. AQHA’s World Shows and the New Battle in the Saddle. Exhibitor participation in the Built Ford Tough AQHYA, Adequan Select, Bank of America Amateur, FedEx Open and Pfizer Versatility Ranch Horse world championship shows was strong in 2010. In 2010, AQHA took on the management of a new event called Battle in the Saddle. Owned by Oklahoma State Fair Inc., Battle in the Saddle was the first-of-its-kind event to offer competition in five western disciplines: reining, working cow horse, roping, cutting and ranch horse competition. Open to all breeds, horses and riders competed for their share of more than $130,000 in added money, con- tributing to an estimated $300,000 in purses. The event was well received and will be back this year July 5-9 in Oklahoma City. The 2011 Pfizer Versatility Ranch Horse World Championship Show has been moved to March 9-10 in Houston, in conjunction with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. The Executive Committee felt it was time to bid the show out. We appreciate everything that the management at the National Western Stock Show in Denver did to help us get the versatility ranch horse world show off the ground in 2008 and to grow the event. We’re excited about the move and hope it will lead to a bigger event, with additional enhancements. 7. FEI and Reining I have been fortunate to see reining develop into a truly world-wide discipline and look forward to assisting with its continued growth. Last year, I was appointed as one of five members to the Federation Equestre Internationale Reining Committee, which is charged with overseeing the development of FEI reining, including its participation in major FEI events such as the World Equestrian Games.