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by Jennifer K. Hancock
by Jennifer Hancock
In March, F.E. “Butch” Wise of El Reno, Oklahoma, became the president of the world’s largest equine breed registry, but in the
midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he did so without the usual ceremony associated with taking the office. That didn’t stop Wise from rolling up his sleeves and jumping right into the work at hand – his usual modus operandi.
On March 9, AQHA made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Convention, but it ended up being a judicious choice as the host hotel, the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, closed for 30 days beginning on what would have been the final day of convention.
In the days after the announcement, AQHA leadership grappled with the fallout of not conducting the Association’s annual business meeting and what that meant for AQHA and its members.
“The decision concerning the convention left no one happy, obviously, because we annually like to get together and conduct the
business of AQHA,” Wise said. “But due to the COVID-19, it was decided that the proper course of action was not to travel to Las Vegas. It proved to be a very good decision.”
Being an international organization, Wise noted AQHA decision makers weighed the fact that people come from all over the world to attend the Convention, and they wanted to attempt to stop as many people as possible before they began to travel and avoid AQHA members being stuck in Las Vegas trying to get home.
While some AQHA business that would have been conducted at the 2020 Convention
is moving forward, AQHA bylaws require
some items to wait until the 2021 AQHA Convention, which is scheduled for February 25 to March 1 in San Antonio.
AQHA bylaws mandate that only
the AQHA Board of Directors can pass registration and bylaw rules in person at an AQHA convention. Therefore, agenda items
for the AQHA Studbook and Registration, and the Nominations and Credentials committees will wait until the 2021 AQHA Convention for review.
Wise, who currently serves as the Executive Committee representative on the AQHA Racing Council, is quite familiar with the governance
of the organization. He has previously served on the studbook and registration; nominations and credentials; and racing committees; as well as the racing council and graded stakes subcommittee. His AQHA leadership resume also lists him being chairman of the Hall of Fame selection committee from 2013 to 2015 and serving as chairman of the Racing Council and graded stakes subcommittee. In 2014, he was a member of the AQHA Governance Task Force.
In 2004, Wise received the Oklahoma State University Animal Science School Graduate of Distinction Award, and in 2007, he received the AQHA Racing Council Special Recognition Award. He is also a past president of the
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