Regional Director’s Message
Jan 2010 AHA BoD Meeting
2010 EC Convention
2009 AHA Convention
October 2009
Well, it’s been 2 years since you elected me as Director. In many ways, it has been both challenging and rewarding. With the help of many dedicated members who have worked sometimes tirelessly on behalf of the Region, we have met and exceeded some of these Challenges.
I would like to take a minute to summarize some of the major issues we faced and the progress we have made.
| 1 | Our bylaws had to be the first concern!! It seemed that they had not been ratified since 1989, and there appeared to be several versions available |
| 2 | The website was not being used to promote and communicate advantageously, and had not been updated for a considerable amount of time. We now use it for disbursement of information including our Prize List, High Point & Scholarship information, etc which is saving the Region a considerable amount in postage, and we are able to keep our members up to date on information and programs |
| 3 | We established a Budget Committee to support the running of the Region. It is only by our knowledge of how much the Region is bringing in, that we can establish how much can be used to run our many projects. Although we considered that the Region had a comfortable nest egg, this could easily disappear if not protected |
| 4 | We now have a committee to manage our investments, to be sure that our funds are giving us the best possible interest without creating a potential risk |
| 5 | We have now created a Terms of Reference for the Show Commission. This is assisting the SC and members to establish the responsibilities before, during and after the Show, and gives us guidelines regarding elections and terms of the commission members |
| 6 | We have also established a Judging Selection Committee, to assist the SC in their selection of judges for the Regional Show. This takes a considerable amount of time, with phone calls or e-mails to accomplish this task. It was important to have outside members selecting judges so there was no perceived conflict of interest with the SC |
| 7 | At the AHA Board Of Directors Meeting in March 2009, I was able to persuade AHA to attend Spruce Meadows for the Masters. Our Calgary Club has been representing us at this venue for many years and doing a tremendous job. With AHA’s presence we were able to have a larger booth, with impressive banners and posters (which will now be available to our clubs), and hopefully, will financially assist the Calgary Club at this event in the future. The AHA staff that attended were very impressed with the venue and I have no doubt they will return |
| 8 | In the past the Region has not established any set guidelines for the youth. At this meeting I am hoping we are able to establish a Terms of Reference for them. I hope that this will benefit the youth going forward, so they may know what is expected, their responsibilities, and what is available to them from the Region and AHA (such as Youth Teams, Youth Judging, Scholarships, Meetings, Auctions, Pizza parties and National and Regional meetings) |
| 9 | At the fall 2008 AHA BOD meeting I was able to get CaLDRA approved with AHA for the running of Endurance and Competitive rides in Canada. This was something our clubs have been trying to get done for several years. There are now 4 Approved Ride organizations in Canada. Now our members can compete for Achievement points and Sweepstakes money. AHA has now established a National Endurance Commission to run the National Rides. Our Region has numerous Endurance and Competitive rides for our members in several provinces. Check the Calendar for dates and locations |
| 10 | AHA and the Canadian Horse Registry both have an amnesty at this time for the registrations of older non-registered horses. Please be sure to contact them if you happen to have a horse in this circumstance |
All of these projects took a considerable amount of time and effort from each committee member that has worked on them. I would personally like to thank everyone on behalf of the Region for their time and hard work in assisting in getting all these Projects accomplished!
I would especially like to thank…
| √ | Karen for her extensive work on Sponsorships, the Directory, High Points and as our diligent Treasurer |
| √ | Phil for preparing our Region 17 brochure |
| √ | Rob for our Secretarial duties, and assistance with Youth Terms of Reference |
| √ | Lorne for creating our Budget and assistance with the bylaws, SC manual, etc! |
| √ | All the Show Commission, especially Dianne and Debbie, for their great work at the show |
| √ | Amanda, Nicki and their committee on their work with the Stallion auction, and new Futurity Maturity |
| √ | Donna for her work on the Scholarships |
| √ | Philippa for her hours with the Youth judging teams! |
| √ | Kimberly for her work on the Youth Teams, and SC |
| √ | Gerald for all his mentoring and assistance with the 2011 convention |
| √ | Barb Prowse and Deb and Dianne with their assistance on Battle of the Breeds |
| √ | Sheena and Laurie who have run the Spruce Meadows booth for many years |
| √ | Nan for her assistance with the Endurance and Competitive Trail Rides |
| √ | Wendy for her great work on our website! |
I am sure that I have missed some and I am sorry. Thank you to everyone, for all your hard work and continued support!
It certainly does take an army!!
If you have any questions, comments etc, please feel free to contact me.
Terry Johnson
Region 17 Director
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