Latest News and Happenings:

March 28, 2020
Letter from the President of the
Arabian Horse Association

Dear AHA members,

As I was writing this message, I received an emergency alert that people in my area of California are required to stay inside until April 19th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When this year began with such excitement as we were able to present the Arabian horse on the national stage at the Tournament of Roses, who would have guessed it would evolve to where we are now, and we are only 90 days into 2020. This week, US Equestrian announced that they are extending the moratorium on recording USEF approved horse show results through May 3rd from the originally announced April 16th. The impact of COVID-19 is being felt worldwide and everyday there is a new twist with uncharted territory for all of us.

I know that everyone is worried and downright scared and looking for reassurance, this is a frightening time for all of us. Will we be able to return to our livelihood after this is over or will this change our way of life forever? When will it end, when will we be able to ride and spend time with our fellow horse lovers? What an uncertain time in which we live. What a hard time for all of us. I know you all have questions. Will Youth Nationals, Canadian Nationals, Sport Horse and US Nationals be held, now that many of our local shows have been canceled. Will my Regional show be held? If one is held, will it be safe for me to attend? Some of us can't even go see our horses right now, and one of the reasons we have horses, for the love and stability that they bring to our lives, has been taken away. As AHA President, I want, more than anything in this world, to be able to provide you with answers and something to plan for, but I can't right now and probably not for some time to come. I can only ask you to be patient and to tell you that we are working diligently daily to find our way through this. I know for me personally, this is altering the way I look at the world.

As a licensed official (Judge and Steward), I have always been taught to look at the many sides of a situation, not to jump to conclusions until the facts are known and arrive at a decision in a calm and measured way. I believe this is the approach we need now. At this point, I can tell you that AHA, our staff, the Emergency Response Team, your Executive Committee, Budget and Finance Committee and Board of Directors are committed to find the fairest solutions in a situation that is not fair. The Board is meeting almost weekly, the Executive Committee is meeting multiple days each week and the Emergency Response Team, daily.

Today, I can only say that everyone should take this CRISIS seriously so that hopefully it will pass sooner than later. We must take this one day at a time. I sincerely request that you do your best to exercise patience now. The Emergency Response team and our staff are monitoring all our related equestrian and Agricultural organizations, as well as the requirements from the government. We are listening to you and your concerns and are trying to balance them with the needs of our clubs and Regions. We are planning daily on how our programs and competitions can return to some kind of normalcy with a reasonably level playing field. You have my personal promise on this; I am working everyday to make sure you will be able to compete as soon as it is safe to do so.

We will all get through this eventually. It is hard on everyone individually and our breed and the sport collectively. It is a potentially life-threatening disease that can devastate us on so many levels. AHA and I need your support so that we continue to look at the big picture and work toward our eventual recovery from this very life altering event we are all experiencing and then we can direct our focus to our sport.

You will be hearing from us shortly on the changes the BOD has made to prepare AHA for the future. None of these decisions were taken lightly and involved research and input from many. As the situation plays out, I may have more announcements. I want to thank the members of the EC, the BOD, the B&F, and the Response Team for all the hours they have devoted to helping AHA.

The Emergency Response team will be holding a Town Hall on March 31st. You can direct questions for that Town Hall to marketing@arabianhorses.org.
Please take care of yourself and others.

Best Regards,
Nancy Harvey, AHA President