Page 14 - December 2021

AQHA RACING UPDATE
As 2021 ends, the Race Department at AQHA turns much of its energy to preparing meeting materials for the Champions Selection Committee and the ensuing AQHA Racing Champions Awards Ceremony. Mark your calendar for this event on Jan. 12 and join us at Heritage Place at 6 pm to see who gets recognized for this year’s achievements. If you can’t be there in person, it will be available to view on the AQHA website, or on The Cowboy Channel.
On the surface, deciding who the recipients are is a straight-forward process. The Champions Selection Committee convenes
to discuss the contenders, they vote, and the horses and horsemen who prevail take home a coveted Lisa Perry bronze and other hardware that recognizes the prestigious honors that
are revealed during the ceremony. But there is more to it than that. A lot more.
Consider the fact that once an AQHA Racing Champion is named, that information is forever recorded in the pedigree and significantly impacts the value of the bloodline. As the breed registry, it is our responsibility to ensure that the title of Champion is protected, preserved, and backed with integrity. In safeguarding the documentation of a horse’s lineage, the
breed association needs to do what it can
to make sure that an accolade is given to outstanding athletes that were not impacted
by performance enhancing drugs. To quote
an AQHA Past President, when looking at a catalogue page, a buyer needs to rest assured the awards referenced are a result of “the genes, not the juice.”
And as the breed association, AQHA has
a vested interest in working to ensure that this is the case. From this premise, AQHA’s Awards and Media Policy was born. There is a staff member within the Racing Department who painstakingly reviews all regulatory bodies’ rulings and maintains the data for the Quarter Horse rulings that qualify the horse, the trainer, and the trainer’s associated horses to be added to the list. The people and horses referenced therein are ineligible for awards. Full details about the policy can be found at: Aqha.com/Racing/Horsemen info/Racing welfare and medication/Regulatory rulings/ AQHA Racing Disciplinary Actions.
Many people don’t understand the rationale behind such a policy. It is important to note: This is not AQHA playing the part of “Big Brother.” This is instead a breed registry
trying to protect the integrity of its pedigree. I firmly believe that second only to guarding the welfare of the animal itself, the integrity of the data represented in the pedigree is the cornerstone responsibility of the American Quarter Horse Association.
Is the AQHA Awards and Media Policy an answer to all the issues that concern us
in racing? No, it’s nowhere close. There
are indeed threats to our industry by those seeking an unfair advantage that are evading regulatory consequences – but know that work is being done on that front, too. In the meantime, the Awards and Media Policy
is one way your organization is striving
to do the right thing. The details of the document are dynamic and have had several amendments since first implemented in 2018. I already have received an agenda
item request on the topic that will be brought before the Racing Committee at
the 2022 AQHA Convention, suggesting
we streamline the policy’s parameters and focus on those that are really trying to cheat. If you are interested in hearing how that conversation goes, I encourage you to be
at the Southpoint Hotel Feb. 24-28 in Las Vegas and attend the Convention.
Speaking of the AQHA Convention, the 2022 installment is calendared a little earlier than most years. Don’t delay in making your travel plans, as the February dates will be
fast approaching. Our staff is already at work preparing for the festivities and the meetings, and we sure hope to see you there.
Mark your calendar for the AQHA Racing Champions Awards Ceremony at 6 p.m., on Jan. 12.
GUARDIAN OF THE BREED
December 2021
by Janet VanBebber, AQHA Chief Racing Officer
“I firmly believe that second only to guarding the welfare of the animal itself, the integrity of the data represented in the pedigree is the cornerstone responsibility of the American Quarter Horse Association.”
12 SPEEDHORSE December 2021