Registration Commission Committed to Customer Service

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Registration Commission met in March in Denver, Colorado, to discuss streamlining processes and reinforce a commitment to quality, integrity, customer service and response time.

Although several members of the Commission met during the Scottsdale show to get acquainted, this was the first official meeting of the entire group. Commission members tackled a variety of issues and developed several policies that will enhance the affordability of doing registration business with AHA. For instance, they consolidated seven existing transfer fees down to four and set one, three and five-year goals.

Specific changes that will occur as a result of this meeting include:

Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses submitted within six months of the date of sale may be transferred for $15 by AHA members and $35 by non-members (a 50 percent savings over some previous fees)
Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses submitted six months or more after the date of sale may be transferred for $40 by members and $60 by non-members
Rush fee (formerly $65) eliminated
A non-member owner who registers a horse will receive a complimentary AHA Associate membership good for one year from the date on which the horse's ownership was transferred
Name change will be a uniform $100 (a $100 savings for Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian horses over the previous fee)
The fee changes will go into effect pending approval by the Board of Directors. Their next meeting is May 16 and 17. Commission members appointed Debbie Fuentes, AHA Director of Registry Services, as the Registrar for both the Purebred Arabian and Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian Registries.

The Commission comprises members appointed by the Purebred Arabian Trust or elected by the AHA Board. These six elect three more for a total of nine members. The Commission oversees practices, policies and procedures related to the registration of purebred Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. They are charged with the responsibility to both preserve the blood purity of purebred Arabians and maintain comprehensive databases of purebred Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses.

Registration Commission members include Chair Willis Foley, Vice Chair Lollie Ames, Janice Birk, Bruce Clark, Pat Hendershot, Bruce Johnson, Sherry Layne, Cynthia Richardson and Jan Senneker. Bob Fauls is the Board liaison to the Commission.

In an effort to meet breeders from across the country and engage their input, the Commission plans to hold meetings in a variety of locales near major airport hubs to make themselves accessible to members. Besides Denver, the Commission is looking at holding subsequent meetings in Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago. At each site, there will be an official business meeting with extra time built in that allows a club or region to sponsor a get-together that allows feedback about registration issues. The Commission will post meetings well in advance through AHA broadcast e-mails, news briefs, etc. so members who wish to plan a function will have ample time to do so.

AHA is a 40,000 member equine association that registers and maintains a database of more then one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. It administers more than $4 million in annual prize money, produces national events, maintains official event records, recognizes more than 400 Arabian horse shows and distance rides and provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership. For information about Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, call 303-696-4500, e-mail info@ArabianHorses.org or visit www.ArabianHorses.org.

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