Director's Message
Welcome to the Region 10 website. Please browse through our website and review the opportunities for you to get involved with a local club, horse show, competitive and endurance rides, and the Arabian horse owners who share your love for this wonderful breed. A voting membership with any of the local clubs will provide you with membership in Region 10 as well as the national Arabian Horse Association (AHA). For more information about club membership, contact the club officers listed on the website for the club nearest you.
I am pleased to have another opportunity to
serve as your Region 10 Director. Please feel free to contact me at
vpjacobsen@aol.com with any questions
regarding Region 10 or AHA. Additionally, feel free to contact any of the
officers listed on the officer link or any of the club officers listed on the
club link. We would all be very happy to talk to you about Arabian Horses!
Thank you for visiting our website. Van Jacobsen
A Touch of History, a Sense of Personality
Region 10 is comprised primarily of the Arabian Horse Association clubs in the Upper Midwestern states of
Minnesota and Wisconsin, although the Region also is glad to have a club in
Upper Michigan and one in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Region 10 prides itself on being one of the most harmonious of the eighteen
regions which comprise the Arabian Horse Association, although the
cohesiveness we enjoy now was not always the case.
Former International Arabian Horse Association President and longtime Region 10 member Mary Anne Grimmell recalled in 2000,
"Once upon a time, the officers of IAHA were chosen by their
friends. My husband John became IAHA Secretary, when the sitting Secretary
asked him if he would replace him. We had a family pow wow and decided
that John had something to offer IAHA so we would sell a horse a year to pay the
costs; it almost worked.
"Then Yale Freed came to the Boston convention with these incredible,
democratic concepts of Regions, delegates, and elections.
The people in
attendance approved this concept and voted it in. The sitting officers
said
they would take this back to their first meeting and decide how to
proceed.
A near riot ensued, and the 'people' said 'no way;' they
wanted it done now.
Well, suddenly the old regions were gone, and the new regions were in
place
with no one to run them. At that point, IAHA was without a
Board of
Directors for about six weeks while everyone tried to sort themselves out and elect a Director and board of delegates.
"Minnesota had been a part of Region 3 (Minnesota, North Dakota,
South
Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and Wyoming), and we liked it that way.
I am not
certain where Wisconsin was, but I believe they were with Iowa, Illinois, and
Ohio at least. They liked their region also. One problem we did not
have
was worry over what to do with our Regional money. None of us had any.
"The new Region 10 met immediately--Wisconsin on one side of the table,
Minnesota on the other. For some reason, and I can't remember why,
we
didn't much like one another, and I know we were not happy about this
state
of affairs. Our leaders, Bill Trapp (WI) and John Hay (MN), were there, but
obviously our first order of business was to elect a Director. Both men
were
nominated and of course there was a tie vote. Another vote was
taken, and
Bill Trapp was elected by a majority of one vote. John Hay admitted later
that he changed his vote, and we hated him for it.
"I clearly remember our first discussions which always started with
'Minnesota
does this' or 'Wisconsin does that,' which didn't help our intolerance
level at all. Suddenly we got smart. We decided that no one could
say Wisconsin or Minnesota, we could only say Region 10.
It worked, and we
became one of the strongest and best Regions in the country, and we still
are." |
Indeed, we are! Compromise and mutual support are the hallmarks of
Region 10's clubs addressing issues of show dates, member benefits, regional
championship show location, class lists, budget issues, and on, and
on.
In a typical year, Region 10 clubs put on fourteen or fifteen rated shows,
usually holding a full complement of classes, although a couple of shows are
dedicated entirely to dressage. In addition, clubs offer open shows,
clinics, workshops, farm visits, youth programs, and a wide range of member
opportunities in the form of futurities, high point systems, and awards programs
for competitive and non-competitive equine activities.
Region 10 itself supports a competitive and endurance championship and, of
course, the Region 10 Championship show, which is sometimes preceded by a
qualifying show. In addition, the Region offers a special youth show, the
Roundup, and a very active youth program including support for scholarships and
judging teams. Finally, the Region provides lovely President's awards and Gelding awards for recipients selected by member clubs. See the individual clubs and Heads Up for details.
We invite you to get to know us better by browsing our pages and contacting
people who are involved with interests similar to yours. Welcome to
Region 10!
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This site was last updated
June 19, 2009
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Welcome to Region 10
