Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Title: AHA Enews Flash

Since my name got mentioned I will respond... and it is hard for me sometimes to take AHA's "side" :-)  First, re-read the message, it says it's the first time since 2005 that they have raised *any* fees, then further down the page it states that it has been since 2002 since they have raised the "competition card" fee.  I believe that 2002 is when the "merger" first started (a multi year process) and that is when the competition card was introduced.  And if you actually follow the dues structure back from that point (with $55 being the cost of membership prior to the merger) it was sometime in the late 90's when IAHA added the insurance to the dues (there was a $5 surcharge for a $1,000,000 Equine liability insurance added to membership dues) I am not sure when prior to that changed that the actual dues were raised, but they were changed between when I became involved, mid-1980's and mid-1990's.  So, taking all of that into account, it has actually been in the neighborhood of a couple of decades since IAHA/AHA has truely raised their dues.  I hadn't really thought this through until just now,  been to "mad" myself to do the "research" backward and I do not know the exact years of dues increase.

 

Nope, I'm not happy with the changes.  I understand *why* some of the increases in "fees" were necessary, and it would have done AHA  much better to explain that the programs should be paying for themselves, just not happy they occured during the middle of the year and "without any apparent input from any of the effected committee membership".  It is very hard to be on the front line when actions like this happen.

 

Wish I could tell you that the increase in costs will bring you a big return in the future, but best I can tell it is going to pay for program decisions made in the past. 

 

thanx eric

Eric Rueter
Rueter Consulting, Inc.
Eric@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
865.988.4134(W)
865.599.3594(C)
865.986.5966(H)

----- Original Message -----

From: rides2far@xxxxxxxx

To: firedancefarms@xxxxxxxxxxx

Cc: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 3:39 PM

Subject: Re: [RC] Fw: AHA E-News Flash: Effective April 1, 2008 AHA to raise program fees for first time since 2005

Yeah, I felt sorry for Eric Reuter. He's worked so hard to get the AHA distance awards going. I got a competition card for the first time this year but it may be the last.   Love they way they say "FIRST time since 2005....as if that's been sooo long. Also, I don't believe that increasing the charge 75% is exactly following inflation trends. :-P

 

Angie

 

On Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:52:31 -0500 "Firedance Farms Arabians" <firedancefarms@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

This is really depressing.  Is there nothing members can do?  No wonder they don't have more AERC riders.

Louise

Louise Burton
Firedance Farms Endurance Arabians
http://pages.prodigy.net/firedancefarms

----- Original Message -----

From: AHA E-News

To: firedancefarms@xxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 1:21 PM

Subject: AHA E-News Flash: Effective April 1, 2008 AHA to raise program fees for first time since 2005

March 26, 2008
Effective April 1, 2008 AHA to raise program fees for first time since 2005

	On March 8, the Board of Directors of the Arabian Horse Association approved recommendations of the Budget & Finance Committee to raise program fees in order to offset price increases passed on to AHA by awards vendors over the past 4 years. In addition, inflationary adjustments have not been made as evidenced by the Halter Futurity processing fee which has not seen an increase since 1989. For the first time since 2002, there will also be an increase in the Competition Card fee from $20 to $35. The AHA Board of Directors weighed these increases very carefully and found that AHA has not kept up with inflation in our program fees. These incremental adjustments will help keep AHA's awards programs active and financially healthy. The chart below details the AHA program fee changes, which will be effective as of April 1, 2008.

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is a 40,000 member equine breed association that registers and maintains a database of more then one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. It publishes the bimonthly Modern Arabian Horse Magazine, provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership, administers $4 million in annual prize money, produces national events and recognizes more than 500 Arabian horse shows and distance rides.

 

          

 

Angie McGhee
http://www.lightersideofendurance.com
Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger!