Newsletter – February 2025 – Arabian Horse Society of Australia

Dear Members,

The AHSA Board met for the second time in 2025, with once again, a very full agenda.

Awards for Inter-School and Pony Club for Purebreds and Derivatives.
Shannon McCormick, from Coolinda Park addressed the Board regarding the initiative she had undertaken as a means of recognising Arabian and Arabian Derivatives competing in Pony Club and at Inter-Schools.
After Shannon’s presentation, the Board discussed the best ways in which these awards could be supported, and it was decided that the AHSA would endorse the Awards and give free memberships to the first three Junior riders/owners of the horses in each category.
For any members (or non-members) who wish to nominate their horses, you can join the Facebook Group AP/ARP of the Year & Pony Club/Interschool Mount Awards 2025.

Staff Recognition.
The Board has recognised the dedication and hard work put in by our Registrar and staff. Teresa Edwards, our Registrar, has been with us for 30 years, and Juliet Burnett has been with the Society for 20 years. In recognition of their years of service, our Senior Vice-Chair has taken them out for lunch, and they will receive tokens of the Society’s appreciation at a dinner at the Aussies and be presented with their Awards when members are present.
This year, our office staff will be at SIEC for the Aussies, so it will be an opportunity for members to finally ‘put a face’ to the names.

Promotions
There was much discussion as to how best utilise social media to promote our horses, and Vanessa Crosland and Carolyn Potts will work together to co-ordinate content creation.
To this end, members are invited to send in appropriate, short video’s that are suitable for use on TikTok, for both the AHSA and Youth TikTok pages – we need to create a content library, and our Youth Ambassadors are encouraged to contribute to this as well as encouraging both younger and older members to submit suitable content.
Members are also invited to email our Promotions Chair, Carolyn Potts, at ahsapromotions2025@gmail.com with photos suitable for inclusion in stories and social media. Please send photos in high resolution, rather than just posting to Facebook page and ensure you include your written copyright permission.
Members are also encouraged to submit suitable stories/anecdotes about their horses and achievements for inclusion in social media.

AANC
As I write this, time is drawing near for entries closing for the Australian Arabian National Championships.
Already we have entries from Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia as well as New South Wales, and the show is shaping up to be an exciting event.
We are mindful that stabling and SIEC costs can be a challenge, so the committee has decided that if a member needs time to pay for stabling and camping, then as long as the entry fees have been paid, we can arrange a late payment for stables etc. You will need to contact Events@ahsa.asn.au to organise if you need to do this after the close of entries. Please note however, that final payment is required prior to the event.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available and we have a range of different options. You can sponsor a class from as little as $150. Our major sponsorship package has been taken up by Oso Arabians, however, others are still available, so check the website for more information.
Remember, this show is our ‘Members’ show and the committee has worked very hard to provide classes to cater for all levels and it is hoped that members will reciprocate by supporting the show in entries and sponsorships.

Enter the Championships at:

Finance
Discussions have been held with the RPSB regarding the contract we hold with them, and we expect them to come back to us following a very productive meeting focusing on the contract renewal.
The Audit plans are well under way with 2025 budget being finalised together with the Risk Register which should be completed this week.
At this stage, we are looking to hold the AGM in May, date to be announced.As always, if members wish to contact me, my email and phone numbers are below.