AQHA: 2024 Recap

Updates on the Association’s progress in 2024 from AQHA Chief Executive Officer Karl Stressman.

It has been a big year for the American Quarter Horse Association. Looking at the numbers, we have seen record attendance and engagement at AQHA events while also celebrating landmark anniversaries. In January 2024 we hosted the first-ever AQHA Professional Horsemen Academy where we educated 90 attendees on topics including financials, equine law and liability, client communications, animal welfare and marketing.

Then we moved into March and one of our largest-attended AQHA Conventions to-date with more than 870 people in attendance.

In May, along with the Arizona Quarter Horse Association, we hosted the largest AQHA West Level 1 Championships, with 3,200 entries. That put us into June where we brought the AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships home to Amarillo for the first time and had 2,865 entries and a purse of nearly $400,000. Due to unprecedented fires and flooding this summer, the All American Futurity and Derby had to be moved to The Downs at Albuquerque. That’s where we saw Hezgothelook Z win the All American Futurity and become the first horse in 43 years to win the Ruidoso Triple Crown, which comes from winning the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American futurities. We closed out summer with the AQHYA World Championship Show, which saw a 5% increase in entries.

Then in September, we had the best-attended American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Induction & Reunion Celebration to date. The 50th anniversary of the AQHA World Championship Show concluded in November, which documented record numbers across the board, including 344 first-time exhibitors which is a 23% increase from 2023 making up 21% of the total exhibitors in 2024. All the while, we celebrated 40 years at our Headquarters here in Amarillo where the staff of AQHA are hard at work for our members.

Many use this time of year as a season of reflection, and I want to take a moment to reflect on some of the positive things we have accomplished this year. Our work is ongoing, but taking a moment to pause and recognize what we have accomplished and how we can grow even more in 2025 and the future is important.

Our primary focus in 2024 was to structure the future of AQHA through the following initiatives:

• Continue development and progress on myAQHA.com, AQHA’s new business portal, to better serve members.
• Update to a new phone system.
• Increase membership engagement and awareness of the benefits of being an AQHA member.
• Engage AQHA affiliates and local equine groups.

Here are some updates of how we progressed in 2024.

Progress on myAQHA

Over the past year, myAQHA has made some tremendous progress in launching new tools and progressing existing features. The platform now hosts more than 25,000 users, with over 12,000 new profiles created since the first of the year. From the launch of QID, the new user ID and password platform system where members will only have to remember one username and password for all AQHA applications, to the virtual assistant tool using AI technology to find general information about AQHA and the rulebook, AQHA is moving into the future with technology.

In the spring, we launched the renew or upgrade membership feature on myAQHA in addition to adding the Horseback Riding Program and some of its tools to the platform, including a way for users to track their enrollment status and hours logged.

This fall, myAQHA was optimized for mobile use which makes using the portal on a mobile device or tablet much easier. Members also now have the option to purchase a membership e-gift card through myAQHA, which can be redeemed within the myAQHA shopping cart.

The largest addition came with the launch of the certificate manager in the fall. This new function allows members to:

• View certificate copies of registration papers for any horse within their current ownership foaled or transferred on or after 2019, with the option to request a certificate copy for free on any horse within their ownership that was foaled or transferred before 2019.
• Share a certificate copy of a horse’s registration certificate via email.
• Update the gelding status on any stallion within their ownership.
• Change a horse’s status to deceased.

More than 1,300 accounts have been activated with certificate manager and those users have shared certificates via email and updated their American Quarter Horse’s status. These tools are a direct implementation based on member requests and feedback.

MyAQHA continues to evolve and grow with our team capturing feedback and thinking outside of the box for how best to serve our members.

Updated Phone System

The Association implemented a new phone system earlier this year, which was better suited to the type of call center we offer to our members. It allows us to handle incoming calls more effectively and provides us with the ability to handle technical support rather than using a third-party company. Additionally, customers speak with live member services representative located in Member Services in Amarillo.

We reduced the average customer hold time to less than a minute and a half. Often, a call is answered within seconds.  The number of calls received each week has been reduced by more than 1,000 calls, and this is attributed to the new phone system being in place and because our dedicated team members are processing member requests timelier and more effectively.

Increase Membership Engagement

This year, we created a variety of programs and added incentives to our existing AQHA programs to increase member engagement. Some of the highlights include:

• Created the AQHA Fan Favorite voting to share the American Quarter Horse with all of those attending or watching equine events across the country and adding them to the AQHA Fan Zone.

• Kicked off the Member Collective email, a monthly email newsletter sharing what is going on at AQHA.
• Launched the new podcast “Good Horses.”
• Created the Trot-to-250 Horseback Riding campaign to increase HBR program participant engagement and, more importantly, reward members for spending time with their American Quarter Horses.
• AQHA now has a permanent booth space at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, which hosts a plethora of equine events throughout the year, to reach out to members or prospective members attending those events.
• Enacted the AQHA “In The Know” texting system, a messaging system with the goal in mind to share important information and news fast by gathering mobile phone numbers and permissions to send SMS messaging.
• Increased social media follower engagement across all AQHA platforms.

Through the efforts of the AQHA team and the passion of AQHA members, more people are being exposed to the American Quarter Horse and the joy that comes with being involved in AQHA events and membership.

Engage AQHA Affiliates  

Another 2024 goal was to increase engagement with our AQHA affiliates. We started this initiative by adding additional communications to the affiliates throughout the year and to open our lines of communication to see what is happening within each affiliate and how we can best serve the affiliates. Additionally, we kick-started a new affiliate webpage that provides information and resources for affiliates, as well as individuals looking for contact information for the affiliate in their state.

Not only have we worked to increase communication, but we have also provided financial assistance through the affiliate funding request program. We also increased educational opportunities for affiliates and their representatives during the AQHA Convention.

Throughout the year, we have also worked with our alliance partners to promote their respective disciplines while recognizing the performance of American Quarter Horses competing in those events. One way we have done that is through the implementation of the AQHA Fan Favorite Award, encouraging everyone to partake in noticing exceptional American Quarter Horse athletes at premiere equestrian events across the country.

Lastly, we added the ability for new and renewing members to share their information with the affiliate organizations closest to them. This not only supports affiliate growth but also AQHA membership engagement.

Final Thoughts on 2024

While our initiatives are a primary focus, we also had other wins that deserve to be highlighted:

• Processing time for transfers and registrations is now a matter of days rather than weeks or months so long as everything is received correctly. Most transfers are processed within 48 hours and registrations are done in less than a week.
• There were around 25,000 registration applications backlogged at the beginning of the year. That has been reduced to approximately 5,000 at the end of November. What’s remaining is actively being reviewed and worked to attempt to get what’s needed to allow the registration to be completed.
• Member Services provided onsite services at 30 events this year. At these events, they processed more than 4,700 transfers, 1,900 registration applications, 1,700 memberships and a variety of other services.

As we approach the end of 2024, you still have the opportunity to make changes in your Association by submitting your rule-change proposal forms by December 31 and to also register for the 2025 AQHA Convention, which is March 28-31 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. That’s where members and the AQHA Board of Directors consider rule-change proposals and discuss critical industry and Association issues.

Our offices will be closed December 24 and 25, as well as January 1, to allow employees to spend time with their families during the holidays.

We are excited for the new year and what it will bring for AQHA and the equine industry!

AQHA news and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more information visit www.aqha.com/news or tune into our Podcast, “Good Horses.”