I wrote to my AMHR directors

[LaVern]

A few days ago I emailed a letter to all the directors voicing my opinon on a proposal that was coming up at Convention. I received a very nice response from two of them. One of them was from my area.

She said that she would love to hear my reasons as to why I felt the way I did. She said that she needed credible reasons for my beliefs. She said that it would all be confidential. I thought that was very nice of her and I am trying to put my thoughts together to send to her.

I have been on the Forum the last few days and some of the reponses from others, that do not feel as I do, have made good points. I love the Forum as it is kind of voice of the average guy. However, our directors can not be too influenced to a bunch of people like myself, with made up names like LaVern as to how they will vote.

So, I hope that if you feel strongly about something that is coming up at Convention, you will write a personal letter to the directors and tell them how you feel.

 

[LaVern]

This is what I came up with. I hope it doesn't sound to dumb. If you agree or disagree please write them too.

Dear ASPC/AMHR Directors,

I would like to voice my opinion on why I am opposed the allowing of The Shetland Ponies to cross over at shows where they offer classes for both. It is simply a matter of self serving economics for me.

Most of us Straight Miniature Breeders are having a very hard time trying to promote and sell our Straight AMHR Miniatures, as are most owners and breeders of all horses. The influx of the double registered Shetland/Miniature has hit us very hard, as trying to compete with them and being judged as a Shetland pony has pretty much taken us out of the market.

Some of us feel that we don't have much to hang on to within this registry. We know that you can't stop progress and it will be what the people want it to be. However, when you allow one division within the same association to have more opportunities than the other it is just another blow.

I also feel that it is not fair to the taller Shetland Pony and it's owners. These shorter ponies will be the ones that will take all the yearly awards as they will already be at the shows to be shown as Miniatures (two for one), other than Congress.

What I guess I am saying, is that if this were to go into effect, it would be another reason that I would have a hard time telling people that it is a wise decision to breed, register, buy, own or show a Straight AMHR Miniature Horse.

Thank you very much for you continued service to our association and I do appreciate all your hard work.

Renee LaBarre Reiten

 

[Lewella]

Excellent post Renee.

Please everyone understand though that every AMHR Board member is ALSO a member of the association. At Convention in the Committee Meetings and the General Membership meetings Board members are MEMBERS just like everyone else. That is your Director's opportunity as a member to vote their own opinion on a proposal. So yes, by all means contact your Directors who will listen to your concerns but understand that in Committee Meetings and the General Membership meeting Directors are members first and foremost and can exercise their right to vote on a proposal as a member.

The Board won't vote on most proposals passed in the Committees at Convention until the Spring Board meeting with the exception of those items that meet the requirement for an Extraordinary Rule Change. If a proposal is proposed to take effect for 2013 and is passed then the Board will likely be voting on it at the final Board meeting at Convention IF the Board is convinced it meets the Extraordinary Rule Change requirement. If a proposal doesn't meet the requirements for an Extraordinary Rule Change, and most don't, then the Board won't vote on it until Spring. If a proposal is for 2014 then it definitely will not be voted on by the Board until the Spring Board meeting. So it is important to contact your Director now about items that could be Extraordinary (in effect for 2013) but if it is something that wouldn't go into effect until 2014 then the best time to contact your Director about that proposal is going to be before the Spring Board Meeting (usually the first weekend in March). The Committee minutes are published in the December/January issue of The Journal so everyone can see what proposals from the Committees that the Board will be voting on in March.

Please remember also that each Director, though a representative from an Area, also has a fiduciary responsibility to the organization as a whole and that means they have an obligation to act in the best interest of the organization and protect the assets of the organization regardless of what would be best for their own Area or themselves. Your Directors try their best to balance the needs of their home Area with their responsibility to the organization as a whole.

 

[LaVern]

One more time. If I had been pitch'n it in the barn for as long as I have been on Lil Beginnings, I could have had my barn cleaned. But, if this makes it easier for anyone, here are the emails for our directors - [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

 

[Lewella]

Steve Henderson's correct email address is: [email protected]

Julie Mabie's correct email address is: [email protected]

Syndi Kanzler will be replacing Lauri Villalpando in Area 8 on the Board at the Board Meeting before Convention and her email address is: [email protected]