A Quick Look at the More Interesting AQHA Agenda Items
By: Brittany Bevis
It’s that time of year again when conversations become ideas and discussions turn into plans of action. Every 12 months, breed associations gather to elect new leaders, discuss rule change proposals, and educate their membership on new happenings in the horse industry.
The 2021 AQHA Convention will be held in a “business format” March 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas, and agendas for the AQHA Standing Committees to discuss, debate, and decide upon have been released to the public this week. Ever wondered how a member submitted proposal can turn into a rule change? Click here to watch a quick video that explains the process.
Here is the procedure in a nutshell. Members may submit a rule change proposal form, which is then sent to the appropriate standing committee. Committee meetings consist of two different sessions- Open Discussion and Committee Member Discussion. Committee members then vote on the proposals. The Board of Directors then votes on which proposals to forward on to the Executive Committee. Then, during the Executive Committee meeting in April, the EC members can modify, table, approve, deny, or send a recommendation back to the committee for discussion at next year’s convention. Finally, new rule changes will be announced on AQHA.com and appear in the next year’s rulebook.
There are thirteen AQHA Standing Committees, including Amateur, Equine Research, International, Judges, Marketing and Membership, Nominations and Credentials, Public Policy, Racing, Ranching, Recreational Activities, Show, Stud Book and Registration, and Youth Activities.
Links appear at the bottom of the page that will direct you to the complete agendas for each standing committee. But, just for fun, let’s peruse some of the more interesting rule change proposals up for discussion. (Thoughtful commentary appears in parentheses.)
Judges Committee
Agenda Items Eligible for Membership and BOD Consideration
#7- Review request to change the current five-judge format to a four-judge format, where only the low score is dropped, in Halter classes at AQHA World Championship Shows. (Always a popular item up for discussion almost every year.)
#11- Review request to add a 10- point penalty in Showmanship for “horse stepping out of or moving the hind end significantly during a pivot or turn more than one time.” (An interesting conversation regarding the importance of the correctness of a turn in a Showmanship class.)
Confidential Discussion of Judges Committee (Executive Session)
#30- Discussion on adding an “eye appeal” column to score sheets. (It will be interesting to see what qualities and characteristics might encompass “eye appeal.”)
#31- Review lameness protocols at AQHA Championship Shows. (This statement is quite a broad, so it could refer to the job of lameness stewards to assess a horse’s condition prior to a class or the procedure a judge must go through to recommend a horse exit a class, ect.)
Show Committee
Agenda Items Eligible for Membership and BOD Consideration
#8- Review member proposal to offer Longe Line and Trail-In-Hand for 2- & 3-year-old classes to increase the number of entries. (Longe Line and Trail-In-Hand for older age groups of horses have been added in other breed associations.)
#10- Review member proposal to amend Rule SHW467.1 Water hazard (ditch or small pond). No metal or slick-bottom boxes will be used. Proposed Rule Change- SHW467.1 Water hazard (ditch or small pond). No metal or slick-bottom boxes will be used. When a water hazard/box is used, it shall remain dry at all times in all divisions, with the exception of the Open Level 2 and Level 3 senior trail. Water may be added at the discretion of the course designer in the stated classes. (Ah, the good old days when there were water boxes in Trail.)
#12- Review member proposal to offer virtual AQHA-approved shows. (Likely a recommendation coming as a result of the pandemic. APHA does already have a similar virtual showing program.)
Leveling and Awards Subcommitee
#22- Review member proposal to exclude 2020 points from leveling range calculations due to COVID-19 impact on sanctioned show participation. Further consider a bottom point value on leveling ranges so exhibitors know the lower limit won’t vary. (Another recommendation coming from the effects of the pandemic.)
#23- Review member proposal to add Green Non-Pro division for exhibitors. (It would be interesting to see what requirements a rider must meet in order to be a “Green Non Pro.”)
Western and Timed Events Subcommittee
#36- Review member proposal to add new rule that poles used as a Trail obstacle must be either natural wood colored or if painted, they should be painted in natural colors including, but not limited to white, black, red, green, blue, etc. The patterns used to paint the poles should be stripes that are between 1 foot and 6 feet in width of the same color with straight lines perpendicular to the end of the poles. In no situation should the poles be painted with any type of unnatural pattern or pattern that creates an optical illusion or unnatural looking obstacle. (Another interesting idea that would likely eliminate poles in brighter neon colors like electric yellow and bright pink.)
World Show Subcommittee
#70- Review member proposal to add new rule to the World Show Handbook: Political banners, drapes, flags and signs will be limited to specific size restrictions. [to be determined by committee]. (Most likely related to the recent election.)
#71- Review member proposal to continue the 3-year-old Western Pleasure class at the World Show as a standard World Show class. (Initially started as a 3-Year-Old Challenge class, one wonders how a new designation might alter it, if at all, perhaps only to guarantee its inclusion year after year.)
#72- Review member proposal to eliminate shootouts at the championship shows and replace with: In Level 3 scored classes with 65 or more entries SHOWN, the top 20 scoring horses (plus ties) will advance to the finals. (The shootout procedure at the World Show can be quite confusing.)
#77- Review member proposal to permit Select amateurs to show in their respective Amateur Level 2 and Level 3 classes at the World Show. (Select amateurs did have the opportunity to compete at the AQHA World Show this past year, after their World Show was cancelled, so this recommendation might be related to that experience.)
Halter Subcommittee
#80- Review member proposal to allow a qualified person (chosen by AQHA) to track a halter horse if this is requested by an exhibitor due to age or disability. (This has been something seen in the APHA Halter pen upon occasion.)
Stud Book and Registration Committee
Agenda Items Eligible for Membership and Board of Directors Consideration
#10- Amend REG103.3 to allow the use of symbols when naming a horse. (Could we see hashtags and dollar signs in show names of the future?)
#27- Amend REG124.4 to remove the seller’s responsibility to deliver the transfer report and certificate of registration to AQHA. (This is a topic of much debate among horse sellers and buyers in the industry.)
Click on the links below to view the complete agendas.
AQHA Standing Committee Agendas
