For Immediate Release
May 1, 2006

KyQHA President’s Message

“You create your opportunities by asking for them.” - John F. Kennedy

It’s a done deal! House Bill 453 passed on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, paving the way for the Kentucky Quarter Horse Breeder’s Incentive Fund (KQHBIF) to become reality! The passage of this legislation follows the success of legislation in 2005 which created the Kentucky Horse Breeder’s Incentive Fund. This is likely the most important piece of legislation ever enacted in Kentucky that will result in making the Kentucky-bred Quarter

Horse a sought after commodity. This is a very special program for all Quarter Horse enthusiasts in Kentucky and we have many people to thank, but I wanted to single out one.

At the top of the list would be Senator Damon Thayer, R-17, who was the “Champion” of the original breeder’s bill that actually passed the legislature in 2005. Senator Thayer, long considered a friend to the horse industry, primarily the Thoroughbred industry in the past, should now receive praise from other horse enthusiasts from numerous breeds across the state. Senator Thayer met with a contingent of Quarter Horse folks earlier in 2006 and we told him of some “housekeeping” items we would appreciate him addressing in this legislative session. He was keen to hear of our needs, committed to assisting us, and most importantly got the job done for us! We hope to hear more from

Senator Thayer in the future and we appreciate his support of our industry.

Behind the scenes you may not be aware that our year-end awards program has been reviewed, revamped and restructured. Cara Stewart is serving as the coordinator of the awards program this year and has been in communication with Regina Kernin from the Empire State Quarter Horse Association. Regina has graciously offered to give us their points calculation program utilized for many years quite successfully within their association. Cara and Regina have consulted together to bring us a new computer points calculation program that will take a download directly from the AQHA computer. The net result will be points that are accurate, up-to-date, and therefore accessible to the membership much sooner. The awards program nomination forms are on our web site: kyqha.com.

Speaking of our web site - I hope you all have visited our new site recently. The good work of several of our members serving on the Web Site Committee has yielded a vastly improved site with a wealth of up-to-date information. The services of Jennifer Elwell were secured to assist with the development of the site, and because Jennifer has a great background with horses and working with agricultural organizations, our new site came together very quickly. Thanks go to the committee and those people that continue to supply information for the site.

Another committee moving forward very effectively is the Publications Committee. Chaired by Gene Clabes who has a background in media and publishing, this group has taken a comprehensive look at our publications such as the Quarterly and the Directory. They have mapped out a plan that calls for themes for each issue. As a volunteer organization this is one of the most difficult projects we face each quarter. However, with this new committee energized, we should all look forward to the results.

The KyQHA Sponsorship Committee, co-chaired by Verna Stewart and Cheryllee Sargent recently completed a comprehensive plan for a sponsorship program that makes great strides forward for our organization as well as our gracious sponsors. It is a coordinated package that gives the sponsors more exposure opportunities for their businesses, and allocates the dollars received from sponsors across more of our program areas. This concept had been discussed for some time, but was approved earlier this year and is now in the implementation stages.

Nathan Smith, the chairperson of our Kentucky Summer Classic, Cheryllee Sargent, the chairperson of the Kentucky Amateur Quarter Horse Association’s Summer Spectacular, and Barbara Rea, the Chairperson of our Kentucky Futurity, along with their respective committees, are far out in front of our planning needs for the 2006 versions of these shows. Of note, there is a new barn with 83 box stalls that has been built at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. This will mean a vast improvement for stabling at our Classic and Summer Spectacular. We hope our Kentucky horse show enthusiasts, as well as all of our members, will come out again this year to experience these shows. The country fair atmosphere and camaraderie at these two shows can be enjoyed by all.

A complete list of our KyQHA committees can be found on the web site. I would hope that each member would take an active role in one or more committees that might interest you. The continued momentum of KyQHA will depend on the collective participation by all of our members. So as John F. Kennedy recommended, I am asking that our membership continue to become involved and create opportunities for the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association.

Finally, thank you to our Executive Director, Mike Nolan, who has worked with us over the last year. Mike resigned to take on a new assignment with the American Farrier’s Association headquartered at the Kentucky Horse Park. There is a committee reviewing the needs of our association and working to identify some individuals that we can interview for the job. We hope to have that person in place in the near future.

Thank you to everyone for their hard work on behalf of our association.

Sincerely,

Norm Luba
KyQHA President