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[RC] AHA Sweepstakes for Distance Riding - Kristen A FisherTitle: AHA Sweepstakes for Distance RidingThis is re-posted at Cheryl's request. -----Original Message-----
Greetings AHA Endurance Committee Members: A couple of weeks ago, the president of AHA Myron Krause, established a new task force to investigate the sweepstakes changes. In effect, he by-passed the existing sweepstakes commission that had been researching and recommending changes for the past year or so. I hear (but have not been able to confirm) that this task force is to make recommendations by November 1 so that the new program can be announced at the AHA convention in November. We also hear 'through the grapevine" and again not confirmed, that this taskforce views the sweepstakes program not as a BREEDERS or EXHIBITORS program, but as a SHOW program. Previously, this was NOT the case. The commission included all distance events the same as before with regional and national Top Five and Top Ten, Champion and Reserve Champion payments remaining unchanged. We all show and distance lost the gelding incentive. This may not be the case now. I have not heard back from any of the five task force members but it is a busy time at the US National Horse Show in Albequerque, New Mexico. They are requesting statistics from AHA staff which probably includes a review of how many horses we have in regional rides and national rides for endurance and CTR. We've been trying to get those numbers up and they are increasing. Let's hope it's enough to make them realize that we need to be part of the changes. Already, our purebred and half-arab sweepstakes are combined in distance events which is unlike any class in the show ring given our small numbers for regional rides. However, there is an email address: sweepstakestaskforce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxg which we can use to communicate with them. Please take a minute if you have concerns, suggestions and ideas, to email the task force so they realize how many distance riders there are in the AHA system. I plan to place this information on endurance.net so that other AHA members who are not on the endurance committee can express their opinions as well. If and when I am given any information from the task force, I will relay this information. Please feel free to email or call me to discuss this. I plan to be at convention for the distance meetings and to push forth our involvement. Thanks for all of your support of AHA distance events. Cheryl Cheryl Van Deusen
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