COVID-19 Update from ApHC President Ken Johnson
ApHC News
With the Coronavirus spreading across America, every day brings new challenges, as well as great uncertainty, for all of us. As ApHC President, I am working with our very dedicated Board of Directors to make sound decisions based on the best information available. On Wednesday, the Board met in a special session to tackle a number of pressing issues. Most importantly, as of right now, the National Show and Youth World Show, set for June 20-July 3, is still a go.
The Will Rogers Equestrian Center has canceled all events through early April. And there’s no guarantee that future events won’t be canceled, too. But we have an obligation to continue our planning. With that in mind, a finalized National Show schedule will be released soon, after getting valuable input from the Exhibitors/Show Advisory Committee.
Secondly, in a move to help Regional Show Managers, the Board, at my urging, waived two rule restrictions for judges. For shows impacted by the highly contagious COVID-19 outbreak, Regional Show Managers can use the same judges in 2020 that they used in 2019. What’s more, we’ve waived the rule which prohibits judges from working two shows within 200 miles of each other during any 30-day period.
The BOD also had a very lengthy and passionate discussion about waiving qualifying for this year’s ApHC World Show. Some on the board wanted to do it right now. Some wanted to wait a little longer. Again, at my urging, we are going to take a few more weeks to see how the pandemic unfolds around the country before making any final decisions. If you want to blame anyone for this, then blame me. Personally, I’m in favor of of waiving qualifying for this year. And, as an exhibitor, I would do it right now. But, as ApHC President, I have to take all sides of this debate into consideration.
There is a very real concern about what impact such a decision could have on our Regional Clubs. My argument, as President: let’s wait awhile longer and see how many shows are actually canceled. There’s no need to rush to judgement since the World Show is still 8 months away and qualifying does not end until August 31 (plus, keep in mind, qualifying has actually been going on since last September). That said, in the end, this Board will do the right thing. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, will be left behind because of this developing health crisis. Our options include waiving qualifying, reducing the number of points to qualify or allowing for the widespread use of “variances” for people disadvantaged by show closures.
One way or another, we’re going figure this out. But it’s a decision that doesn’t have to made at this very minute. Not everyone will agree. I understand that. But I’m also asking you to understand that, we, as a board, have a tough juggling act right now. I also want to assure our trail riding community that we’re thinking of you, too. Both ANCER and ANCCTR have qualifications for participation, and some rides have already been canceled, impacting those who are trying to qualify for the Distance Nationals. We will be closely monitoring these events, and, if necessary, we will be prepared to step in and help.
Finally, no one knows what the future holds. A month from now, we could be turning the corner on this deadly health crisis, or we could be facing yet even greater challenges as individuals, families, organizations, and as a society. In times like this, I reminded of something that I read in a Philosophy Class at Knox College way back when. Plato wrote, centuries ago, “Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
Thank you for supporting the ApHC and stay safe.
