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Re: [RC] [RC] my next step: Proposed letter to AHA - heidiPoppycock, Heidi. Call it what you want. The fact remains that the horses do not sell readily, whereas the horses bred to be riding horses do. That is all the evidence I need. I'll work with Lif and whoever else wants to give input and we will put together something for AHA and those who want to try yet again to make a difference More power to you. I will also continue to write my share, but I'll continue to back it up by breeding what I believe in, and by making efforts to educate by taking private booths to conventions, speaking at symposia about conformation, etc. My complaints are just not as generalized as yours and I choose to do something now with AHA now that it has merged with IAHA. Which continues the implication that others of us are not. To use your word, poppycock. I am not denigrating such efforts--merely pointing out that they have to be coupled with action to do any good. I never said efforts haven't and couldn't be made in other areas-- Truman's idea of suggesting that AHA attend ride conferences is excellent and should be put into this letter to AHA.. I've spent a lot of money with them with registrations, shipped semen permits, blood kits... Sweepstakes Nominations...DNA tests... whatever--- as I'm sure you have...seems like they always have their hand out for one more expense--- hopefully if enough join together it can make a difference. Again, despite the merger, the Registry function is not the same thing as the promotional function. I have high praise for the Registry, and the strides it has made. Unlike you, I have NOT spent my money (at least not in recent years) supporting the promotional arm which promotes something I don't believe in. Yep, I've spent my share for registrations, DNA, blood kits, and all that stuff. That has nothing to do with the issue at hand. You didn't pay your Sweepstakes nominations to the Registry, and I haven't paid money to the former IAHA. Nor do I support the show end of the new AHA--they DID leave us with a choice. My dollars are limited, and I've found them to be spent more effectively doing booths at regional and national conventions and getting actual horses out into the world to do things. There is a competing Registry, BTW in case you don't know; it was developed by Jay Stream. It is not important for endurance riders to be registered with the AHA in order to participate and they can always show a pedigree from the other Registry, which to my knowledge is the only Registry accepted by WAHO (unless some recent development just happened that I am unaware of-- being out of racing it is easy to lose track of all the politics). That registry is a political entity to deal with WAHO, as you state. I have no beef with the former AHR, nor any beef with its current subsection of AHA. You are mixing apples and oranges here. The Registry's function is to safeguard the recordkeeping of the breed, so that we know that we are getting what we think we are getting. No more, no less. They HAVE stepped into the vacuum in a few cases due to the lack of direction of IAHA, but that's a whole nuther discussion, and moot now that there has been a merger. Meanwhile, as an endurance rider and a breeder, I need not support the formerly-IAHA arm of AHA in order to do business with the Registry. You make your impact by breeding and I'll make mine in the best way I feel able to and perhaps between us and a whole lot of others such as Lif, Jan, Truman, and lots of others, we can turn this thing around. Let's not snipe at each other. I never criticized your contribution of breeding, just pointed out that perhaps that was not the best way to proceed in my neck of the woods. Nor did I snipe at the letter writing issue. I merely pointed out that it has to be coupled with an alternative in order to be effective--namely, breeding the sort of horse that the public DOES want to ride--and that I objected to the implication that none of us had ever done such a thing before. And I stand by those observations. Heidi ============================================================ There are 2 ways to win at this sport. You take a horse and race him for a short time and then find a new horse or you can take one horse , do the homework and spend many miles and years enjoying that horse. ~ Paddi Sprecher ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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