Director’s Report – January 2005

2005 is upon us and I am looking forward to serving as your Regional Director.

Our first Region 10 board meeting for 2005 was held on January 9^th in Eau Claire. Fortunately, enough of your delegates were able to brave the freezing rain that we had a quorum, so we were able to conduct business.

The Region 10 Show will be held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds this year. We will have a pre-show on Wednesday, June 8^th followed by a four (4) day Regional Show - Thursday, June 9^th through Sunday June 12^th. The Board understands that this early date may conflict with some school system’s schedules and have modified the show schedule so the majority of youth classes will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

Judges for this year’s show are Mary Jane Schroeder Brown, Mary Trowbridge and Corey Soltau.

Dressage and Sport Horse enthusiasts should be pleased that the region is hosting their Region 10 Championship Classes at the Waukesha Exposition Center (Waukesha, WI) on Sunday, June 26^th. This show will be preceded by the two (2) day WDHA Sport Horse and Dressage Show, which should allow more exhibitors to qualify. The decision was made to not offer Over Fences classes this year due to time constraints, costs, and lack of participation in the past.

The Region 10 Youth Round Up will be held on May 14^th and 15^th in Winona MN. Bob Gordon has graciously donated his services as the judge. Contact Joan Rose (608-435-6405) for more information.

We will be publishing a Region 10 Directory again this year in conjunction with the Arabian Horse Times. Our Directory will be published along with the Region 10 Show results in the October 2005 Times.

At our meeting, several delegates said that they had heard members mention that the personal information shown in the 2004 Directory was not accurate. Since this information comes directly from AHA, this means the information they have on you may be incorrect. I would encourage all members to take a minute and verify the information. Log onto www.arabianhorses.org, then log on as a member - click on “Membership Info”, and then click on “Update Personal Info”. It only takes a minute and it is the easiest way to ensure that AHA has the correct information.

The new point system for Regional and National show qualifications is in effect for 2005. The best way to see the complete information is, again, on the AHA website. Laura Mickelson has a summary of the new system following.

If you have a Purebred or half Arabian horse who is over 2 years old and has not been registered, there is an amnesty program in place until March 31, 2005 that will allow you to register that horse at a reduced fee. Again, complete information is on the AHA website.

I would also encourage you to log on to www.region10arabians.com. Bevra Cole has done an outstanding job of keeping the site current. The 2005 calendar is available to assist your planning your show schedule for this year. It is also important that your club officers check your club’s information the Region 10 website and make Bev aware of any changes due to elections.

Hopefully, you have been receiving Myron Krause’s emailed AHA President’s Bulletins. One of his key initiatives is to encourage input from our members. Specifically, we are looking for your thoughts on why and what would make a difference for you or others to make our breed more successful. These areas of concern will be discussed at the AHA Board meeting in March. Myron has set up a process where these suggestions should be channeled through your Club President to the Regional Director. However, time is short and club meeting schedules vary, so I would encourage you to send your ideas directly to me at meier@wisonline.net, or fax to 262-970-4822. If you have a concern or suggestion, please be specific and offer a constructive suggestion on how to correct the problem.

All members of Region 10 should be thankful to Van Jacobson for the outstanding job he did serving all members of Region 10 as our Director for the past four (4) years. Your delegates were pleased to present Van with an AHA life membership in recognition of his service.

Spring should be just around the corner!

Hopefully, 2005 will be a year where you can fulfill your dreams with your special Arabian or half Arabian horse.

Wishing you the Best,

Dean

AHA’s New Qualification System

By Laura Mickelson

The new point system for qualifying for regional and national shows is now in effect.  The complete set of points can be found in the 2005 AHA Handbook which is available online at:

http://www.arabianhorses.org/membership/Membership_Handbook.asp    AHA will mail a copy at no charge to any member who requests one. 

Members are urged to pay close attention to the number of horses in classes and to check the show results on the AHA web site to make sure of the points earned.  The number of points is being reviewed with a report due to the AHA Board at their August meeting, so if you have comments or suggestions, please contact your Regional Director, Dean Meier or one of you MAHA delegates, officers, or board members.  Better yet, attend a meeting and make your opinion known in person! 

The points needed to qualify for Regional Select Rider classes are not included in the AHA Handbook but the required points are:

Hunter Pleasure Select Rider, AOTR, AAOTR and JOTR requires 10 points

Western Pleasure Select Rider, AOTR, AAOTR and JOTR requires 5 points for purebreds and 4 points for HA/AA.

Country English Pleasure Select AOTR, AAOTR and JOTR requires 2 points.

Highlights:     Points are earned for placing 1-6 with a point earned for each horse beaten and one point for yourself.  For example, if you win a class of 10, you get 10 points.  If you get 4th in a class of 18, you get 15 points—14 for the horses that you beat and 1 point for yourself. If you get 6th in a class of 6, you get 1 point.  Championships do NOT get double points.  

Most classes only require 1 or 2 points to qualify for the regionals.  The greatest number of points required to qualify for the regionals is 10 (for the largest hunter and western pleasure classes).  National qualifying point required range from 1 to 30 points. 

You still need to earn a separate qualification for each class you want to show in.  You can still qualify for any class in a discipline from any class in that discipline, e.g., an amateur-owner riding in an open western pleasure class can use that qualification for anh one of the following: open, any one age group of amateur-owner (including select rider), any one age group of amateur to ride, or junior horse (assuming the horse is a junior horse).  

Qualifications for 2005 regional shows earned in 2005 MUST be from points for all classes except scored classes that can use points or scores.   

Qualifications for 2005 national shows earned in 2005 MUST be from points for all classes except scored classes that can use points or scores and with the further exception that a Top 5 or better from a regional show continues to qualify you for the nationals.  

Qualifications earned in 2004:  If you are fully qualified from placings (or scored) in 2004, you are qualified for 2005. 

If you had a Regional Champion or Reserve in 2004, you are qualified for the corresponding 2005 Regional Show.  Starting in 2005, regional Champions and Reserves no longer qualify for a regional show.  

If you are partially qualified from placings for any specific class, you are not qualified for 2005 and you MUST use points earned in 2005.  This means you have a short qualification season for 2005 so get to those early shows! 

If you are partially qualified from scores, you can use scores earned in 2004 and 2005.  Qualifying by scores has not changed under the new system. 

Region 10 Awards

by Van Jacobsen, Past Director

One of the pleasant jobs a Regional Director gets to enjoy is selecting a recipient for the Directors Award as well as making sure that regional and national level volunteer service awards are submitted to AHA.

I would once again like to congratulate the 2004 Region 10 Award recipients.  Bevra Cole was awarded the Directors award as well as a Region 10 Volunteer Service award.  Bev has worked tirelessly for Region 10 and AHA.  Bev has served as the Region 10 Director for 1993 - 1996 and continues to be very active on a regional level.  Bev does a great job as our web-master as well as her work with our Regional scholarship committee, bylaws committee, nominating committee and directory committee.  Bev is someone you can count on and she is always willing to lend a hand.

Laura Mickelson was also a Region 10 Volunteer service award recipient.  Most of you know that Laura has been a very active member of the Regional show committee and is responsible for compiling the class schedule and tracking all of the class numbers over the years.  This is a big job and it is critical to the success of our Regional show.  Laura has also taken care of our Regional insurance issues and has served on a variety of committees over the years.  Laura is always willing to share her opinions at both a regional and national level. 

Region 10 can be proud that we once again had a representative from our region receive a National level Volunteer Service Award.  Larry Hoffman has worked very hard on a variety of important issues for AHA over the years.  Larry is on the USEF Board of Directors representing the Arabian Division.  Larry has also served on the AHA rules committee, the National and Regional Classes committee, Equine Stress, Equitation, and the Professional Horseman.  Larry was the National Chair for Equine Stress in 2004. 

I want to congratulate these individuals and thank them for their commitment to the Arabian Horse and Region 10 and  also thank all of you who have offered your time and talents to our region....without you, we could not be where we are today.   Finally, I would like to thank  Region 10 members for supporting me during my term as  Regional Director.  I would also like to thank Region 10 for purchasing a life membership in AHA for me.  I appreciate it very much.

WAHA Establishes a New Award

“Amateur Avenue” is a special group of amateurs who encourage each other throughout the show season with both physical and emotional support. This group also supports various shows, at all levels, by sponsoring classes.  This year two unique, talented members of this group, Sunde Nelson and Dawn VandeCastle, received a distinctive and impressive award.  The Wisconsin Arabian Horse Association has for years been awarding those individuals that accumulate over a 1,000 points in their point system a Gladys Brown Edwards trophy for the WAHA Legion of Merit.  This award is a “silver” Arabian, modeled on the standard for the breed, as illustrated by noted artist Gladys Brown Edwards, mounted on a wood base. This exquisite trophy can only be won only once per horse and is exclusively available thru an Arabian Horse Association affiliated club.

Many of WAHA’s members have received this award for their efforts.  Since it could only be won once, they requested WAHA establish a new award.  This year is the first year WAHA has offered an award to meet these requests.  Working with the noted “House of Horses” proprietors, Keith and Marlys Ludewig, the club was able to fashion an exceptional design.  Marlys has for years been known for the beautiful art work, antiques, paintings, prints and sculptures she and Keith display and sell.  Through their contacts with the art world, Gay Jeanne Bower was able to connect with Jonathan Moeller, an award-winning sculptor.  Jonathan has had exhibits in Scottsdale, AZ and all over the world that have won honors.

With the help of Dawn VandeCastle, Melissa Hammann, Sunde Nelson and Keith and Marlys, Gay Jeanne Bower was able to design a bronze that epitomizes the beauty and grace of the Arabian horse.  This beautiful bronze shows an exquisitely detailed Arabian head, with the mane flowing behind, mounted in a wood base.  The mold that was developed is owned by the WAHA club and can only be awarded to WAHA members.  It was designated the WAHA Legion of Supreme Merit.  This is the first year this special award was offered to WAHA members.

Both Sunde and Dawn had their horses entered in the program for the WAHA Legion of Merit that required at least 1,000 points.  They both decided to try to win both awards in the same year!  It took many miles of traveling and many shows, at all levels, but these talented horsewomen did it!  At the WAHA Annual Christmas Party and Awards Banquet, held in December, both Dawn and Sunde received BOTH their WAHA Legion of Merit and the new WAHA Legion of Supreme Merit. 

They are the first WAHA members to receive this new award.  It is a tribute to their talent and determination that they were able to accumulate over 2,000 points EACH, in only one year.  They promoted the Arabian breed to the general public and showed what kind, intelligent and gifted performers these horses are.   Congratulations to both Sunde and Dawn on their awards!

Spirit Horse President’s Award

By Jackie Johnson

As I’ve said in the past, the best part of being a president of a Region 10 club, is the honor of presenting the President’s Award to an outstanding member in your organization.

This year, Spirit’s award goes to one of the founding members of Spirit; someone who’s always there for each show, clinic or whenever she’s needed.  She hasn’t missed an event yet in spite of moving to Chicago!                       

For her great ideas, her participation, her help, and her loyalty, the 2004  Spirit Horse President’s Award goes to  . . .. . . . .  Marilyn Whiten.

Region 10 Youth

Dear Region 10 Youth,

Hello, my name is Britta Hegge. I am your new Region 10 Youth Director. This year we are planning another fun and exciting Youth Round-Up. The show will be held May 14-15 in Winona, MN. We will also be holding our annual Region 10 Youth meeting at the show. At this meeting we will be deciding on a theme for the youth nationals golf cart so start thinking of ideas now! 

Information will also be given out on Youth Nationals delegates, and volunteering opportunities at Youth Nationals.  The theme for convention this year is “Clue into the AHYA” and the creative contest theme is “The Mystery of the Arabian Horse”. We will also be talking about Region 10 and individual club judging teams to go to the national judging contest held at Nationals.

This will be a very informative yet fun meeting! Hope to see everyone there.

2004 WAHA Region 10 Gelding Award

The criteria for the selecting of an individual for the Region 10 Gelding award requires that the gelding nominated be a good will ambassador for the Arabian breed. This special horse should have also introduced a new part of the industry to the Arabian horse. This award specifies it is NOT to be given to a horse that just exhibits at our Class "A" shows but rather one that has exhibited the trustworthiness, intelligence and affection that make the Arabian stand out from other breeds.

The gelding we are honoring epitomizes the ideal for this award.  This beautiful gelding was chosen for a "tandem liberty" demonstration at the Midwest Horse Fair, which had never been done before.  After this demonstration of his fiery Arabian nature, the public was invited back to the stalls to see what a quiet, loving animal he could be.  In open shows, he is a reminder of the versatility for which the Arabian is famous.  He has been successfully shown in halter, western, hunter pleasure; English pleasure; both country and open, and Sidesaddle.  In addition, he has been used in the classrooms at the UW, as a demonstration horse for the students.  His owner's son has used him in all levels of competitions, including open shows, county and state 4-H, as well as Class "A".

He has also been an outstanding performer at the Thanksgiving Chicago Christmas Parade.  He has presented the Arabian as a beautiful, intelligent horse amid marching bands, floats and flying balloons.  To the millions that see this broadcast, he represents the Arabian breed in its best light.

The WAHA Region 10 Gelding Award is given proudly to Keahi, owned by Dr. Marijo Kent-First.

HELP--LIST OF UNRATED SHOWS

Laura Mickelson is preparing a list of unrated shows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas or Iowa that offer halter and/or performance classes for Arabians and/or Half Arabians. In addition she is interested in open shows that offer pleasure type halter or other classes that would be good fit for Arabians.  These shows can be put on by any organization and  is not limited to shows put on by  Region 10 clubs.  This list will be published everywhere Laura can find but will for sure  on the Region 10 website. 

Please send the following information:  Name of Show, Sponsoring organization, Date, Time,  Location, Judge, Classes of interest and contact.
If you can include or point Laura to a show bill, that would be most appreciated.

Send information to Laura Mickelson, 14635 Bloomfield Path, Rosemount, MN 55068 or lauramickelson@aol.com

Misc Notes

Please keep your name & address changes up to date with AHA to insure receiving all mailings.

Labels for shows are available thru AHA either in label or email form.  These are updated weekly with new members.

Club Presidents - send your youth leaders names to Joan Rose, Regional Youth Director.

Check the website for accuracy on your club’s page (officers, delegates etc).  Contact Bev Cole with any changes or with information for the Heads Up area.

May 6 is the deadline for the scholarships.

Club Newsletter Editors, Presidents or Secretaries:  Please add the Regional Secretary on your club’s newsletter mailing list:  Jackie Johnson, N6935 Hwy 55, Seymour WI 54165  (scentedgardens@msn.com)

I am an Arabian

I am your equal.
I am a wild creature that can never be like you.
I have heart, courage, and the same spirit
that is my heritage, and I will be respected.
I will be taught and I will please,
and maybe in time I will be your intimate.
But I will never be your possession.
Mine is a fierce love which knows no mercy for failure, no sympathy for weakness.
I have come from the desert
with its closeness to the spirit of nature
that you do not understand.
I was born of the wind, mine is a warrior spirit.
I cannot be humiliated in punishment.
Or defeated even in death
For my spirit lives on in my children's children.

                                    Author – Unknown

Director’s Report – August 2004

If feels like it has been a long time since I prepared a meeting report for your review…well it has been!  Traditionally we have a May Board of Directors meeting but the meeting was canceled this year with the idea that two meetings in Denver plus a meeting at convention would be sufficient.  There was clear consensus at the meeting that we need a May meeting again.  Five months between meetings was just too long.  We had a lot of business to cover at our August meeting.

The meeting was held August 12 – 14 at the AHA office in Aurora, Colorado.  There was 100% attendance by the directors and officers as well as all of the director elects.  Dean Meier was able to attend and participate.  I was thankful to have the opportunity to give Dean a few inside tips on how the meetings are run and what to expect.  I think it is very helpful to send our Director elect to this meeting, and it is something we should always continue.

The first item on the agenda for Thursday was scheduled to be a presentation of the EVP finalists to the Board of Directors.  As you will recall, AHA was involved in an executive study and search as part of the Merger agreement.  This process included hiring consultants to work with the Governance Committee and staff to develop job descriptions for the EVP and all management positions.  This process was completed in early June. 

The consultants then began recruiting candidates for the EVP position, acknowledging that Barbara Burck would be one of the candidates.  It was anticipated that there would be candidates to submit to the Board at this meeting.  This was not to be the case.  The Directors were advised that although many resumes were reviewed and several candidates were interviewed by Bob Fauls and Alan Sankpill (a Governance Committee sub committee) they did not feel the candidates interviewed to date were the right fit to present to our Board.   Accordingly, there were not candidates to interview at the Board meeting.

 This development let to a motion by the Executive Committee to stop the executive search.  The motion passed and was presented to the full Board of Directors for ratification.  There was a lot of discussion on the pros and cons of this motion.  The motion was approved, and the executive search is concluded.

George Johnson gave the Judges and Stewards Commissioner's report and reported that there are 5 new National and Regional level judges.  There are now 280 total judges.  George reported that the Mark Himmel case is now scheduled for a jury trial the week of April 18, 2005.

Barbara Burck gave the EVP report.  She reported that there has been “lots of progress in house bringing the two staffs together.”  She then asked the department managers to report on their various departments.

 Janet Holloway reported on the Competition Services Department.  We have had 379 recognized competitions this year compared to 412 for the same period last year.  Sweepstakes breeding entries are down slightly with 4,469 for 2004 compared with 4,667 for 2003.

Candy Vande Ven gave the HR report.  The employee count has been reduced from 71 to 65.  We are in the process of hiring a new director for the IT position.

 Rick Wilson reported on the IT dept.  We also heard a special presentation from the IT committee with their recommendations for upgrading and merging the IT functions of the AHRA and IAHA.   This proposal is very costly, between $600,000 and $700,000 depending on how it is implemented.  There was a motion to approve the recommendations of the IT committee with the timing and funding to be determined by the President and the EVP.  We also discussed this issue in one of our break out focus groups as how to best implement these recommendations.  There are no easy answers here folks, but we need to make these improvements.  The old system is becoming obsolete and we need to act soon or we could crash big time.

Steve Josephs and Cynthia Richardson gave a report on Marketing and Market Development and Promotion.  Revenue from the AHA magazine is up and we are recruiting new corporate sponsors and show sponsors.  I anticipate that we will receive a special report from the Market Development and Promotion committee at convention.  The promotion efforts are very impressive.  We were shown many ads that are running in all breed magazines, which are very impressive.  MDP sponsored the Arabian Horsepower at Youth Nationals. This program exposed 230 children and their parents to the Arabian horse.  The children had to learn about the horse by participating in a scavenger hunt for correct answers about horses.  This involved visiting various farm stalls at the show and getting the opportunity to see the horses up close.  This program was very well received and indicates just one of the many activities the MDP committee is involved with.  There are many more, but space does not allow me to talk about all of them here.

Lorrie Liddicoat gave the Member Services report.  We have 45,195 current memberships as compared with 45,151 from one year ago.  This is very encouraging because we expected the number to decrease as some of the duplicate memberships were expiring.  The membership renewal VIP trip program is back in effect.  Renew your membership on line by 9/15 to be eligible for this promotion.  AHA currently has 205 linked clubs and 52 non-linked clubs.

Debbie Fuentes gave the Registry Services report.  The number of purebred registrations is down 8% from last year.  There is a slight increase in HA/AA registrations, and transfers are up slightly.  AHA will be issuing new HA/AA registration papers with the pedigrees and any legion awards listed.  You will be able to update to the new papers for a cost of $10.00.  We are in the process of updating our database to include foreign registries.  There are now 15 foreign countries included in our database.

Alan Sankpill gave the treasurer's report.  For the year ending March 2004, the association has a change in net assets of  -$545,260.  Some of our activities had better financial results than others.  The loss included $116,198 of paper loss on investments and $344,274 of merger expense (approx 327,000 was budgeted).  We also paid $609,859 to the Purebred Arabian Trust.  Without the first two loss items, our loss would have been a much more manageable loss of $84,788, but is still a loss.  With a new association, we must be very serious about hitting our budget.  We are actually a bit ahead of our budget for this year, but we budgeted for a loss the first quarter and have a smaller loss than budgeted for.  Alan encouraged us not to do anything that did not support our business plan and budget.

Bob Fauls reported that the Purebred Arabian Trust is in the process of their annual audit.

Howard Pike gave the report for the Governance Committee.  Three resolutions were put forth by the governance committee that were unofficially approved by the BOD that will now be coming to the convention delegates.  These resolutions had to do with establishing a combined Budget and Finance committee, revising the duties of the AHA treasurer in the bylaws, and setting forth the EVP duties and responsibilities.  A motion was also put forth and approved by the Board to adopt our Vision, Mission and Strategic plan.

Alan Ehrlich reported that we have lost about 100 horses from the Canadian Nationals because of VS.  Alan feels we will still be able to meet budget.  Good Luck everyone!!

The Market Development and Promotion committee is looking for a contact in each region.  Is there someone out there that is willing to serve in this capacity?  Please contact me.

Sport Horse Nationals is all systems go.  Entries have just closed, so we were not able to get an accurate estimate as to the number of horses that we expect.  There are a number of promotional activities planned.

Now I am sure most of you have heard this already……but here I go anyhow.  Lance Walters gave the report on US Nationals.  Lance brought forth a very well thought out and well presented proposal to evaluate the proposal from Tulsa to hold our US National show there in 2008 – 2010.  The presentation included comparing costs, projected revenues, and anticipated profits based on various comparisons of the three facilities and various numbers of entries.  The report indicated that there would be estimated additional revenue of between $87,630 and  $470,643 per year.  This issue was discussed extensively and approved by the Board 27 in favor, 1 against.  I know many of you may have strong opinions on this issue, but it was clear that the Board was voting based on what is in the best financial interest of AHA.

The next hot item that came from the US Nationals report was the approval of a point system to qualify for regionals and Nationals.  The show commission had earlier been directed to bring back to the Board a proposal that would “tighten” qualification for Nationals to make the show more manageable from a size standpoint and hopefully support increased participation at the local shows.  The point system can be viewed on the AHA web site and is open to revision as may be suggested and agreed upon.  I raised a concern that this should have gone thru the National and Regional Classes committee and was advised that it had been sent to the Chair of that committee but that they did not support a point system.

There were some other items of business that may be of interest to all of you.  There was a vote to approve the Regional AHA logos using a numeric listing as opposed to a Roman numeral.  Therefore, we will need to use Region 10 on the AHA regional logo as opposed to Region X.

There will be a new membership resolution to provide for membership categories with add ons for additional services.  This will be presented to the delegates at convention.

In summary, the meeting was well attended and generally positive.  We worked on setting some GOALS and doing some planning for the association and not just dealing with short-term issues.  It was a long meeting, but we were all there to work.  Decisions were made with the best interests of the long-term success of AHA in mind.  These decisions may not always be popular, but if they are in the best interests of the association, they represent a fiscally responsible course of action that needs to be taken.

Again, thank you for allowing me to serve as your Director these past four years.  I have done my best to represent Region 10 and have done what I feel is in the best interests of the Arabian horse and AHA.

Finally, I have previously advised you that I am running for President of AHA.  I have heard the rumor that I am the "registry guy."   At the 2003 convention, delegates voted by a landslide in favor of merger.   We no longer have "the Registry," and we no longer have "IAHA."  We have the Arabian Horse Association.   I'm an "Arabian Horse Association guy," and I support ideas that are in the best interests of our breed, regardless of where they come from.  I just want you all to know that I have always done what I feel is in the best interests of the Arabian horse and AHA.   I am who I am, and I am simply an advocate for the Arabian horse and AHA.  I believe strongly that we need to continue our efforts to be united for the Arabian horse and all work together.  I believe that there is more work to be done along these lines, and I believe that I am the person who can get this done.  I would appreciate your support.  If any of you have any questions you would like to discuss with me, feel free to contact me.

Thanks again everyone.

Van Jacobsen

2004 WAHA PRESIDENT’S AWARD

by Dean Meier

The Wisconsin Arabian Horse Association is fortunate to have a solid core of dedicated members that make choosing a single recipient for this award difficult. There are many of us who understand the benefits of participating with Arabian horses as a family and the enjoyment this provides.

For these reasons, I would like to present this year’s award to the Richard Hoeft family. Dick, Nadine and daughters, Rachel, Lenore and Laota have all been terrific WAHA members whose contributions of time and talent provide benefits to all WAHA members.

Dick has served on the WAHA board and as a Region 10 delegate or alternate for more than 25 years. Nadine, with her family’s help, started and continues to organize and produce the annual WAHA Youth Silent Auction at our Awards banquet. This activity provides the major source of funding for the club’s youth group. Both Lenore and Laota have been officers in the youth group and have been recipients of the William Trapp Award that is presented each year to an outstanding youth in our club.

Because of their low key approach, much of their activity may be under the radar screen. But, all five of them are always eager to help the club in any way they can. It is difficult for me to recall any WAHA show or activity where help from the Hoeft family wasn’t enthusiastically provided.

The Hoeft family serves as true ambassadors of the breed. All of the children have and continue to show in a variety of disciplines – English, Saddle Seat Equitation, Driving, Hunt, Costume and Western, even over fence classes. From an open show up to the National level, you can count on seeing them enjoying their beautiful Arabian horses as a family.

Please join me in thanking Dick, Nadine, Rachel, Lenore and Laota for their help and in congratulating them for receiving this award!

West Niles Update

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause a range of symptoms of varying severity in humans. The virus is relatively new to the United States, having made its first known appearance in the summer of 1999 during an outbreak in New York City.   Since then, West Nile virus has spread rapidly westward, infecting birds, humans and horses.

As of September 28, 2004 avian or animal WNV infections have been reported to CDC ArboNET from the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

Human cases have been reported in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Maps detailing county-level human, mosquito, veterinary, avian and sentinel data are published each week on the collaborative USGS/CDC West Nile virus web site: http://westnilemaps.usgs.gov/

Minnesoate human cases by County so far in 2004 are:     Big Stone 1, Blue Earth 1, Carver 2, Cottonwood 2, Grant 1, Isanti 1, Lyon 3, McLeod 3, Nobles 1, Otter Tail 1, Pine 1,  Ramsey 2, Redwood 2, Scott 1, Watonway 2, Wright 3.

Minnesota veterinary cases by county in 2004 are:     Benton 1, Clearwater 3, Goodhue 1, Pipestone 1, Steele 1, Wadena 1, Wright 1.

Wisconsin Human cases by county in 2004:  Chippewa 1, Dane 1, Iowa 1, Outagamie 1, Polk 1, Portage 1, Rock 1 and Wood 2.

Wisconsin veterinary 2004 cases by county are:  Barron 1, Clark 2, Crawford 1, Dane 2, Green 1, Green Lake 2, Jackson 2, Manitowoc 1, Monroe 1, Richand Center 1, Saint Croix 1, Walworth 4.

From the Incoming Director:

Dean Meier

I would like to express my thanks to the delegates of Region 10 for the confidence they placed in me by electing me to be your new Director.

I appreciated the opportunity to attend the Arabian Horse Association Board of Directors meeting August 12th through the 14th and sincerely feel that this meeting was enlightening and will be helpful in allowing me to be a more effective director in a shorter period of time.

Hopefully, by now, you have had a chance to read Van’s complete report. Our new combined association faces many challenges and I would like to enlist your input and cooperation in moving our association and our wonderful Arabian and Half Arabian horses forward.

I would also like to thank Van Jacobsen for the tremendous job he has done as our director. His accomplishments and his involvement in AHA have been effective and far reaching. 

The most evident thing to me was how well respected Van is by the Directors and the AHA staff. His ability to respectfully listen to all sides of an issue and form a consensus is a true gift that few leaders possess. He assumed a leadership position on so many issues at this meeting, I, (and all of us), should be proud to be a Region 10 member!

Thank You, Van!!!

WEBSITE

Check out the Region 10 website (address on cover page of Communicator) for late breaking news.    Contact Bev Cole with any club information  you would like included.

Its that time of year where many clubs are electing new officers.  After your elections, please contact AHA to allow them to update their pages, and Bev so Region 10 can be kept current.  Remember – contacting one does not cover the other – you must make changes in both places.

If your delegates have changed – please contact Jackie Johnson preferably by email (scentedgardens@msn.com) with an address so the new delegates can receive agendas.

Regional Officers

Director – Van Jacobsen
     Phone:  507-289-2546
     VPJacobsen@ol.com

Vice Director – Dean Meier 
     Phone:  262-968-2867
     meier@wisonline.net

Secretary – Jackie Johnson
     Phone: 920-833-2323
     scentedgardens@msn.com

Treasurer – Jill Frieders
     Phone:  507-289-4041
     jfrieders@obrienwolf.com

2004 Region 10 Scholarships

The Region 10 scholarship program was initiated in 1990.  This year two $1,000 scholarships were presented by Regional Director Van Jacobsen at the Region 10 Championship Show in Milwaukeee on June 18^th.

These scholarships are open to any Region 10 resident who is a current member of a Region 10 affiliated club, has been a member for the last two years and resided in Region 10 within the lat five years.

The first recipient is Britta Leigh Hegge, the daughter of Laura and Jon Hegge from Evansville, Wisconsin.  Britta served on the student council for all four years of high school.  She also served as student council secretary and student council president.  While in high school, Britta served on the Prom and Homecoming Committee and was the St. Jude Fundraiser chairperson.  She was on the Honor Roll for four years.

At the local level in 4H, served on the 4H Equine Board and was a youth leader of the Horse and Pony project.  She was active in FFA for four years, serving both as secretary and president.  She has been an active member of the WAHA Youth Association holding the positions of reporter, vice president, and currently, president.  Britta is choosing a Public Relations Marketing major.

The second recipient is Kristi Jo Theede, daughter of Mike and Shirley Theede from St. Mary’s Point, Minnesota.  Kristi is currently a junior at Winona State University and is studying Nursing.  Kristi has maintained a rigourous scholastic schedule and high GPA in college.  She is a member of her Resident Hall Council and ha served on the Relay for Life team for two years.

In high school Kristi was a peer tutor in math and science.  During her senior year, she served as co-chair for the Prom Committee and decorating chair for the event.  She was also a delegate to the Arabian Horse Association Youth Convention in Alburquerque for two years.

Kristi has successfully shown her purebred Arabian Hunter at the Class A, regional and national levels.

Kristi says she has chosen to become a nurse (specializing in OB/GYN) because she loves caring for people and would be honored to play a role in the miracle of birth.

Congratulations to both Britta nd Kristi!

Spirit of the Arabian Horse Society

Region 10 Gelding Award

Last year Spirit Horse decided to promote the Arabian horse on the local level and became the only breed organization in the six-club Northeast Wisconsin Pleasure Horse Association.

As a member club, 2004 was the first Spirit open/NEWPHA show they sponsored.  It was held in Green Bay in July with about 60 horses.   The show was successful both with a small profit and with lots of fun promoting Arabians in an open show atmosphere.

Spirit chooses this event to award the Region 10 Gelding award to the show’s high point Arabian gelding.  This year’s award was given to WP Shainon owned and shown by Cournty Kucera of Oconto, Wisconsin.  Shainon pariticipated in eight classes with four firsts, 1 second and two thirds in both Arabian and Open classes – PB Arabians Mares and Geldings, PB Arabian Hunt, PB Arabian Western but also in Open Western Pleasure and Novice Western Pleasure (against other breeds) and came in First in Open Bribe Your Horse.

Congratulations to  Courtney and Shainon!

Other Spirit news includes assisting their new youth leader, Gail Rentmeester, sponsor an open youth fun show in October.  Spirit is offering an associate youth membership which includes a Spirit Tee-shirt.  Plans are already underway for their Fifth Annual Healing Hands Clinic promoting complementary therapies for Equines and their Human Companions scheduled for June 25 in Green Bay.

Reminder Delegates

Region 10 Delegate Meeting – Sunday, October 25^th in Eau Claire.   

Agenda Items will be posted separately.