Episode 15 - How to get Involved with AQHA

Hi, everyone. This is Melanie Smith at Solo Select. So today what we wanted to do was talk a little bit about the AQHA convention, review a little bit of what happened this last week, and then also talk about how to get involved, basically. So whether you're somebody that's brand new to the industry or you've been in it for a long time and you've just never taken it upon yourself to really understand how AQHA is governed, my goal here is just to give you guys a general overview of how that works and what the real steps are for you to become involved in the organization as a whole at whatever capacity you want to. And first, we'll talk a little bit about, I'm going to start at the basics. What is the AQHA convention?

So every year, right now it's in March at Vegas, AQHA holds their annual convention, which is where any new rule changes or policy changes are implemented by the membership that will go into place technically the next year. So we made policy or rule changes, whatever it may be, this last week at the AQHA convention, and those will go into effect with the 2027 rulebook. The convention is currently at South Point in Vegas. They were wonderful hosts this week. They do a great job hosting the convention.

This year, they said there was just under 1,000 people there. As a member, that's a little bit disappointing because we have 225,000 members, I think. Active members is what they said there. And so I really want you guys to understand how important it is to get involved because, less than three-tenths of a percent of the membership showing up at the convention is not a great representative of what all AQHA members probably want. And that is the whole goal of today. AQHA's governance, I'm going to try to explain this the best I can and also know that the rulebook dictates all of this. So I'm going to give you my take on how AQHA is governed, but just know that I am not a representative of AQHA as far as I don't work for them, I'm not part of the staff, and so I'm going to give you how I perceive it to happen, but the rulebook governs everything, so just know that.

AQHA is made up of an executive committee of five people. Those people are put into that position by the past presidents. And so the past presidents every year will choose their essentially nomination for the executive committee, and that person will start in the fifth spot. So essentially in five years, they will be the AQHA president, but they operate on that committee, executive committee. Four years until they get to the spot of the president. And so that is the kind of the head of AQHA, of course, and the representative of the members. Now, that is different from AQHA staff, so that's important to understand. The past presidents who are volunteer members are the ones that choose the executive committee, but the staff, which would be like the CEO and the attorney that represents AQHA that's very involved in the process at the conventions and the registrar, like Tammy Canada, any of those people, those are all paid AQHA staff.

So they don't get to vote on issues. And a lot of people want to say, oh, AQHA is always making these crazy rules and AQHA does this and AQHA does that. And I think they imply like the staff at AQHA are making decisions. The staff at AQHA are not making decisions. They are going off of what the membership votes in every year at the convention. So if you're unhappy with the way things work, the way it gets fixed is going to a convention, not complaining about AQHA staff and thinking that they make all of these rules or they make, they don't make the rules. So I think that's one really big thing people need to understand when they are. Voicing their TIFs with whatever processes or policies or rules are put into place by AQHA, the members are the ones that submit policy changes or rule changes, and that goes through the governance process, but that really doesn't have a lot to do with the staff.

So, you know, one of the main things that I want you guys to understand today is that this organization is member-driven and understand more of how it's structured from there. So, if you're a member, you can apply to be on a committee. And so a committee, there's a lot of committees, and I'm going to tell you the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. There's, of course, the stud book committee, which is a, they control the rule. Control is probably not the right word. They are the ones that suggest the rule changes to the membership or the executive committee. About how to register horses and what the rules are pertaining to those registrations and how it works with filing breeding reports and embryo transfers and any rules that have anything to do with registering a foal, stallions, mares, anything like that. That's what Stud Book Committee does.

Stud Book Committee is probably one of the most important committees because it reaches every single member of AQHA. It touches all of them. Not every AQHA member shows. So the show committee is very important, but it doesn't necessarily touch every AQHA member. The stud book committee, the decisions they make in there are really important because they do touch almost every member. And so that's example of one committee. There's the marketing and membership committee, which is the committee I'm currently on. And that committee helps design less rules and more ideas and different programs that help support affiliates or help support and drive membership or anything that has to do with promoting the American Quarter Horse or the breed of American Quarter Horses or the association or memberships. That's what marketing a membership does.

They have a racing committee, which of course helps create rules that dictate how AQHA racing operates. The nominations and credentials committee, they go through and look at all of the different people that apply to be directors or anybody that's going to be in a member-driven leadership position within AQHA and. Just basically make sure that they are qualified for that, that there's no grievances that need to be addressed or anything like that. And so that's just a handful of the committees that exist. You can get on the AQHA website and they have all the committees listed on there. And you can see if there's a committee that you're interested in being on. Even if you're brand new to the horse business, I think you can just learn.

You do not understand what you can learn and the people you can meet by going to this for four days during March. There's such a wide variety of people there from so many different disciplines and so many different walks of life. Even if you're brand new to AQHA or you're just getting into horses, I would highly recommend you go because I feel like you can't really understand the industry until you've gone to this and start getting involved in it. So if you own one quarter horse or you own none, you're just a lover of quarter horses, you love to watch the shows, apply for a committee and come and be a part of it. So I don't want you to think that there's like too small of a player to get involved.

Any size from a small breeder to somebody that owns one horse to somebody that owns no horses to somebody that has a huge ranch. There's all walks, all shapes, all sizes of programs that are represented at this convention. And I would encourage you no matter the size of yours to figure out a way to get involved. Okay, so we talked a little bit about committees. Any member can apply to be on a committee. You don't have to be a director, and I'm going to talk a little bit about directors next, but I want you to know that any member can apply to be on a committee. Now, if you're listening to this, we're filming this on March 18th of 2026. The committee member applications are due by March 22nd of 2026.

So if you're listening to this now and you think you want to be on a committee, get on there and apply. We're going to link all of that in this podcast, or you're welcome to contact us. You can search AQHA committee application and find it on the AQHA website. Robin Brooks is who handles all of that at AQHA, and so she is wonderful, and I'm sure she would be more than happy to walk any of you guys through any questions you have about committees and how all that works. The next thing, the next kind of layer of governance is directors, and so what is a director. A director is a representative of a state, and each state gets allocated a certain number of director spots. And so Texas, this isn't going to be exact, but I think we maybe have 30 or 40 or.

Director spots. And that is all decided every year based on the population of horses that are in Texas. So it's the government. You get so many seats based off a population. It's the same thing in this. The population of horses dictates how many seats as far as directors go each state gets. And so there's different types of directors. I am not fully educated on every single one that exists, but there's directors at large. And those people, I believe, have been coming and been directors for 10 years, and they're no longer counted against the director number for each state. So if Texas is allowed 40 directors and somebody graduates to a director at large, for example, then they all of a sudden open a spot up as in that state director listing, I guess you would say it.

And that to be said, what I've heard some people say is my state only has one director spot because I live in a state with a smaller horse population, and that's okay. I would tell you to contact Robin and let her know that you're interested in becoming a director. She also handles everything that has to do with directors. And she can guide you to, hey, this person maybe is going to be up for director at large soon. Or, hey, we'll put the bug in their ear that there's somebody that wants to be a director in that state. And if that's something that maybe they feel like they're not having the time to give their all to, then they may put you in that spot at some point. And just know if you want to be a director, I would encourage you to contact Robin and apply.

But I think it's very important that you go to a couple or at least one convention to understand how it all works. And I think you may be required to anyways before you apply to be a director. And if you don't get to become a director the first time, I would tell you to keep applying. There's a lot of people for the Texas directors that apply every year. And a lot of times those people come back a couple of years in a row before they get put on as a director. So I would tell you, don't weaken. Just continue applying and continue showing up and show that you want to be there and that you have things that you want to contribute to AQHA, and those members are going to make sure that you get on there.

So that's how directors work. Now, to think of what is the difference in a director and just a regular member at convention, and what's the. Rule change proposals are submitted by members by December 31st of the year prior to convention. So, for example, if you wanted to submit a rule change proposal for the 2027 convention, it has to be done by the end of this year. And AQHA will post their form that you fill out. It's really easy to fill out. Any member can propose any rule change in the world that they can make up. So, sometimes you see some kind of wild rule change proposals on different committee agendas, and that's, anybody can put anything they want on there. And you would submit that there, and then it would be referred to the appropriate committee, and the committee, which, as we've discussed, any member can be on a committee, as long as they're chosen.

The committees will discuss these rule changes and they will make a final decision on Sunday and they will bring those to the general membership meeting on Monday. And so I'm going to talk more about that and the schedule of the convention in a minute. Back to the directors and how are they different from committee members or just regular members that attend the convention. So you have your general membership meeting on Monday and that's whenever each committee chair will come up and explain this is the different agenda items we went over and here's our essentially suggestions to the executive committee and the membership that we would like them to accept. And so most of the time those are accepted with no issue the president says during that meeting, is there any discussion for each agenda that's presented?

For instance, marketing and membership would give their agenda and he would say, is there any discussion? And if any member at that time wants to come up and say, hey, I don't like this, or I want to discuss this, or I want to vote on this, you could make a motion on the floor to do that. So that is the general membership meeting and any member can talk at that. Now, the next meeting right after a luncheon is the board of directors meeting. That meeting is open to all members, but the board of directors are the only ones that can talk and they're the only ones that can vote at that point. So if something is raised in the general membership meeting, it can be voted on at that time by all the members that are there at the convention.

And we use these clickers and we vote. So that is like this weekend, the two-year rule was challenged and voted on during the general membership meeting on Monday morning, and that was where the general members did vote that they wanted to delete rules despite what the Stud Book Committee's recommendation was. And so, technically, that's not the final vote, and I think that's where people get a little bit confused. Now, the board of directors generally would follow what the membership once. And that is what happened on Monday. But the board of directors could vote the opposite direction. So. To put all this an example, Monday morning, the stud book committee chair got up and said, these are all of our recommendations.

And we got up and said, hey, we want to make a motion to pull this certain thing out that was voted on and approved by the membership to pull the deletion of the two-year rules out of the agenda. We approve the rest of the agenda. The next step is, I made a motion on the floor to say, we want to delete these two rules as stated in agenda item 28, and we would like the membership to vote on that. So essentially from there, the membership was able to vote. It went up on a screen, and they said you can choose button one on your deal for yes and button two for no. And so that was voted on, and ultimately the membership voted that they did want to delete those rules despite the stud book committee's recommendation.

So after all of that was done, we broke for lunch. Now we go to the board of directors meeting at one o'clock. The board of directors at that time will listen to the agenda or the different each committee's agenda of recommendations again. When the stud book committee chair came up, he said he read each item and the one that we voted on as a membership to change was worded differently. It said the membership recommends to delete the two rules that address the inability to use embryos or frozen semen after a horse has been dead for two years if they were born in 2015 or later. And so he said that, and it was that the membership recommended to delete them. Now, this was the time where we had to see if a director was going to stand up and dispute that. and ultimately no directors got up and disputed it.

I was really proud of the directors because they did go with what the membership overwhelmingly voted for that they wanted in the membership meeting. So I have a lot of respect for the people that we ultimately disagreed with and they did not try and squash what the membership wanted and they could have. If you were one of the people that sent a letter to the board of directors, I would encourage you to respond to them again and just tell them thank you for that. I know there was a lot of different opinions on it, but that is how the committees interact with the membership meeting, which interacts with ultimately the board of directors. Now, the stud book committee. There, anything that's decided on in this meeting does not go to the executive committee to approve.

All the other, all of the other committees do. So the executive committee has the final say. And so the stud book committee, whatever's decided on there is final. So that is final. What was decided at this board of directors meeting, which was that those two rules would be deleted. So hopefully that kind of explains a general idea of the governance. I'm going to go into different parts of this as we continue through this podcast, but hopefully that kind of explains some of what is very confusing about the governance process. So just to recap, let's say that you want to submit a rule change proposal. You will submit it by December 31st of the year before the convention. So, for example, you would submit it by December 31st of 2026 to have it reviewed at the 2027 convention by the appropriate committee.

Let's say you submitted something to the stud book committee because that's the one that I'm the most familiar with. So if you submit it there, then that will go on an agenda that is posted and provided by AQHA prior to the convention for all members to review. If you're going to post or if you're going to submit a rule change proposal, it's very important that you come to the convention to back up the what's and the why's of why you want this rule change proposal to be enacted. So that rule change proposal goes on the stud book committee's agenda. Then Saturday morning, it will be for the stud book committee. It will be the open membership discussion. So they go through each agenda item and the chair will say, is there any discussion on this?

We're on agenda item 25. Is there any discussion? And that is your chance as a member, whether you submitted the rule change proposal or not, that's your chance to go up and give your comments or anything that you want to say that you want the rule change proposal or you don't. And this is why. And that's what the Stud Book Committee is there for, is to listen to that and take those member comments. What each member says whenever they come up into account as they have more discussion on Sunday. So Saturday is the day for all the members to be able to voice any concerns about any agenda items to the stud book committee. Now, an important note about that is you can't just show up and at the convention and say, hey, by the way, I want to change rule 1110.9.

That's not how it works. They will not address anything unless it's on the agenda. So it's very important that you understand that those have to be submitted formally as a rule change proposal for it to be discussed at any committee meetings. This is any committee throughout all of AQHA. So on Sunday, the Stud Book Committee will go through and discuss that with amongst each other, but members cannot talk then. That is specifically for the Stud Book Committee to be able to interact with each other. There was, I think, 25, 24, 25 people there this week that were on that committee, and so obviously with 25 people, there's a lot to be said, and it takes a little while to go through a lot of those agenda items. So that's what they do all day Sunday.

Monday is the general membership meeting. That's when members get to vote. So when you're planning out how you're going to come, the membership vote on anything that is disputed in the general membership meeting is on Monday. Not every single agenda item is voted on, to be completely clear, because we would never get out of there. Only if it is brought up for discussion, which anyone can address anything to be brought up for discussion as long as you're an AQHA member on Monday. Board of Directors will vote if it's, once again, if it's brought up for discussion again that afternoon, which is the final vote. And for most of the committees, that has been taken to the Executive Committee to approve.

And then I think they will say what their final decision was a couple months after the convention. But for Stud Book Committee, whatever's decided by the Board of Directors stands. So just a recap of how that process works. So I'm going to talk a little bit now about this year's convention. I know I've touched on a little bit here, but, you know, the kind of change in tides that happened this year. So we were, we meaning, I think all of the directors, the members, the executive committee was all really excited to see that there were so many new people there this year. They said they had over 100 first-time convention attendees, which is huge for the convention. And I hope that next year there will be even more. And we're going to continue to try to educate and push to try and get as many of you involved to go to this as possible next year.

You've got a year to plan, so I don't want to hear any excuses. I think that what we're seeing is a change in tide where people just thought, oh, AQHA is what it is. I'm going to gripe about it, but I'm never going to do anything about it. And my big push has been you cannot gripe if you don't show up or send a representative on your behalf to vote. And I say vote. Probably a better word for that is to voice their opinions. There's plenty of time to do that. Every member is given the same opportunity as I am or Taylor is or anybody that goes. We're all given the same opportunity to be able to share our views on anything that's brought up. So I would encourage you guys to make sure that you try to figure a way out to go next year.

You can get through Vegas pretty reasonable by staying at South Point. They have special room rates. It does not have to be an absolutely extravagant Vegas experience for you to go. So I know that still is a lot of money. I know it's time away from babies, time away from mares that you're breeding, all of the things. I totally understand it, and it's just not feasible for some people. But I would tell you that if there is any way you can, you need to make the trip and go. Whether you've been in Quarter Horses for 50 years, 20 years, or two months, you need to go to this because it's such a massive and important learning experience for anybody. My experience with getting involved in AQHA started whenever the convention was in Fort Worth.

Butch Wise told me, you really need to get involved in this. These are the decisions that are made in this are going to have a huge impact on your breeding program and your business and, you know, everything. So I went to my first AQHA convention I was very confused so just know that if you go for the first time this year or next year or you went this year and you left being confused that's part of it it's just a learning process there's a lot of great people there that will answer any questions the AQHA staff is wonderful there they will answer any questions that you have make sure that you're in the right place make sure you understand what the different committee meetings are and which ones you can be a part of.

And so the AQHA staff are there to help you. So call them, get in touch with them, email them. They've been very responsive on anything that I've asked about convention always. So I would definitely encourage you if you go, do not be afraid to ask the questions because it is overwhelming. The first year I went, I just had no idea. I went to some committee meetings and I was just like, this is a lot. I did not understand this is how it was governed. There was not a lot of information out there that was really digestible about how the convention worked. And it was a very eye-opening experience for me. And Butch kept saying, hey, you need to go to Vegas and you need to continue getting involved.

And he was really the one that was really pushing me to try to be involved in it. And so I did make the trip to Vegas and I have been trying to get this two-year rule that was in place for. Deleted for a couple of years, but it's a slow process, guys. If you have something that you really believe in, that you really want to get done, don't think it's going to happen the first year. And that's not how it's designed to happen in AQHA. These are very impactful decisions that we make that impact generations of horses. Whether you're talking about stud book committee, the racing committee, marketing committee, what we decide in these committee meetings is very important. And just know that as a member, if you're trying to change something or change a policy or change rule or whatever, change how AQHA does something that you understand that you're not going to go year one and get it done probably.

You're going to meet a lot of people. You're going to learn a lot. You're going to go back year two more prepared. And year three and four, you probably have a better chance of doing it if it's something that the membership overwhelmingly wants. But I don't want people to think that they're just going to show up and have instant gratification because it does take a while and it's by design. And so I would tell you guys, sign up for convention and go and just sit in. Float around to the different committee meetings. That's one thing I haven't really gotten to do that I wish I would have is haven't really gotten to listen to all the different committee meetings because I've been so intertwined in what StudBook has been doing.

And so I would tell you to go and see all of those and talk to people and just go with an open mind. Make sure you go to, it's really important that you go to the general membership meeting that's on Friday and the general membership and board of directors meeting on Monday. So those are two really important ones. And everything else in between is parties and dinners and a lot of social events and the committee meetings. And those are all important, but you can hop around a little more in those. But you really do need to go to the general membership meetings on Friday and Monday in the board of directors meeting. And once again, you don't have to be a director to go to the board of directors meeting.

So I think that. Is a recap of AQHA, how it's governed. Once again, I am not an AQHA staff member. Do not take every single thing I say by the book. That is my best description of how it all works. Ultimately, the rulebook dictates everything, right? If you need to look at something, that's what I would recommend you do or reach out to AQHA staff and say, hey, I want to clarify how this works. But hopefully that kind of helps you guys understand how AQHA is governed and how you can be involved in it at different levels. Don't think you have to apply to be on a committee or to be a director to go to the convention. You don't. And I wouldn't recommend that you do year one. Year one, you just need to go and bounce around and listen. And then you'll say, oh, I'm really interested in the ranching committee.

They do cool things over there. They do really great things for the ranching community. And you'll find your niche in there. And then the executive committee will probably pull you off those committees if you stay hooked in and put you somewhere else. And that's also by design because they want these members to be well-rounded. And it is really eye-opening to learn about different parts of AQHA. And so hopefully you guys will show up and participate next year. I just wanted to do a quick recap of everything. If anybody has any questions about that, I would highly recommend reaching out to AQHA. Robin Brooks is great about all things convention, directors, committees, things like that. But all of their staff is really good to explain it. And I hope that we will see you guys there next year.