Letter To The Editor
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
February 7, 2006
To the Editor:
In response to the many phone calls and emails we have all received, the Executive Board of the United Professional Horsemen’s Association wishes to use this forum to update our membership and others on the recent, proposed addition of a Two-Year-Old Natural (unset) Tail Class to the 2006 World’s Championship Horse Show.
At the UPHA’s October Board of Directors’ Meeting, the President of the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) brought this class to our attention. After considerable discussion, the UPHA Board voted overwhelmingly against supporting the addition of this class. At the UPHA Annual Convention held in early January, this issue was presented, discussed and soundly defeated after a vote from our attending membership.
The membership of the UPHA felt:
A. A two-year-old unset tail class is probably not the answer to increasing the numbers of horses we register each year.
B. The World’s Championship Horse Show is not the best place to add an “experimental” class, considering the many other valid classes that should be there.
C. A very special part of the identity of our breed, as the ASHA’s Handbook on the breed standard states, includes the elevated and flowing tail.
D. The “rush” to place this class is without merit, as it does not qualify under any conditions as necessary or extraordinary.
E. As we suggested at our convention, any change such as this should go through the proper channels, with a time period long enough so all concerned parties might have the chance to be heard.
As you know, the UPHA is an organization of more than 2,000 members, most of whom are members of the ASHA. While we do not see how this particular class in any way speaks to the major task at hand, concerning the promotion of our breed, we welcome and applaud any efforts by the ASHA to address this, and to change what has been the status quo for years in the promotion of the American Saddlebred Horse.
Respectfully,
The UPHA Executive Board
|