Check out video tutorials,  AQHA’s latest digital customer service tool.

AQHA Transfer Report Video Tutorial

AQHA Customer Service gets asked for help filling out our forms a lot. We’re creating a series of video tutorials that will help you complete our forms anytime, anywhere! Watch the video for a step-by-step guide to completing an AQHA Transfer Report. Be sure to read the rest of this post for some extra pointers on doing your homework before you buy.

Before you purchase your American Quarter Horse, it’s always a good idea to ensure that the seller has the original registration certificate as well as a transfer report. You can call AQHA Customer Service to make sure that the person you’re purchasing the horse from is the owner on record or authorized to sign paperwork for the owner, or you can purchase an ownership record for the horse online.

If you’re not buying a horse from the owner on record, check with your seller to ensure they have a transfer report putting the horse into their name before you complete your purchase. AQHA does not knowingly allow skipped transfers, but you can send multiple transfers in at the same time and we’ll update the horse’s record and put the horse in your name.

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

Register today for the 2012 AQHA Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada!

Complete your AQHA convention registration today!

AQHA is an organization that works for our  members. Each spring, AQHA holds a convention to review AQHA rules and policies.

AQHA convention 2012 registration is currently open. Print the registration form or fill it out online to attend the 2012 AQHA Convention before January 31 to avoid late fees!

Send completed registration forms to:
AQHA
Attn: Crystal Latham
P.O. Box 200
Amarillo, TX 79168

You can also fax completed forms to: (806) 349-6403 (attn: Crystal Latham)

This year’s AQHA Convention is March 9-12  in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the South Point Hotel and Casino.

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

More about leveling, AQHA’s newest showing program.

Last week we talked about leveling and how AQHA has broken each division down into levels that are designed to take the stress out of showing. This week I will talk about a handy point range chart that has been created for the 2012 leveling test shows. If you’ve been wondering what exactly the leveling program is going to look like, be sure to check out the point ranges chart, which is non-comprehensive right now, but gives you some great insight to the new leveling system.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind:

• The rookie level is the only lifetime point-out level. All of the other levels are calculated by the points that you’ve earned in the last three years. If you’ve been out of the game for a few years, you can start back up in a lower level to get your feet wet.
• You may also show the level you are in as well as in level highers. The rule of thumb is that you can show up, but you can’t show down.
• AQHA will recalculate point ranges each year. New point ranges will be announced on January 1.
• Youth, amateur, Select amateur and open halter and open cattle class levels are based upon the rider’s record.
• All other class levels are based upon the horse’s record.
• Intermediate, Progressive and open levels can qualify for AQHA world championship show. However, to earn a world championship, you must be competing in the open level. Intermediate and Progressive competitors will vie for Intermediate and Progressive champion awards.

That’s a basic rundown of leveling. So that I don’t give you way too much to take in at once, I will go into more detail and break down each division in future posts. Stay tuned!

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

Everything you need to know about AQHA’s new showing program.

Whether it’s an AQHA Professional Horseman, AQHA world champion, year-end high-point winner, or a Novice amateur exhibitor, everyone has to start somewhere. Since getting into the show ring with a former AQHA world champion is a daunting  task for a beginner (to put it mildly!), AQHA has developed the leveling program.

Leveling is a method in which AQHA has broken up each class and division into different skill levels, based upon point accruals.

These new showing levels will further breakdown youth, amateur and open showing divisions. Below, I will break down the levels for each division, listing each in order from lowest skill level to highest.

For youth and amateur divisions (based on exhibitor points):

• Rookie
• Novice
• Intermediate
• Open/regular

For youth and amateur halter classes (based on exhibitor points):

• Intermediate
• Open

For open divisions (based on horse points):

• Green
• Progressive
• Open

For open halter classes (based on exhibitor points):

• Intermediate
• Open

For open cattle classes (based on exhibitor points):

• Novice
• Intermediate
• Open

At a glance, that all looks pretty complicated! Next week, we’ll go into more specifics and have a point range chart for you to see.

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

Learn more about AQHA Ranching Heritage.

AQHA has recently formed the AQHA Ranching Council, tasked with the purpose of recognizing the efforts of American Quarter Horse ranch breeders and their heritage to AQHA. The AQHA Ranching Council oversees three initiatives:

• AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders
• AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge
• AQHA Young Horse Development Project

To become a Ranching Heritage Breeder, ranch owners have to mainly use American Quarter Horses to raise cattle and have an AQHA breeding program. Take a look at our list of current Ranching Heritage breeders. Ranching Heritage breeders will pay a fee of $10 per year. To become a Ranching Heritage Breeder, the ranch owner or manager must complete an application and return it to AQHA with the $10 fee.

Horses foaled at a Ranching Heritage Breeder’s ranch can be nominated to compete in a Ranching Heritage Challenge. In 2012, there are two challenge events. The first is January 13 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas, and the second will be in August at the South Dakota Reined Cow Horse Futurity in Rapid City, South Dakota. In the future, the Ranching Heritage Challenge will grow to consist of six or seven regional competitions with a $100,000 or more in purse money at each event.

Ranching Heritage Challenges will consist of three classes:

• Open sweepstakes for 4-year-old horses
• Limited open for 4-year-old horses
• Non-pro sweepstakes for horses 5 years old and older
• Amateur trail trials for horses 5 years old and older

Horses must be nominated by their breeders to compete. The nomination fee to enter the 2012 Ranching Heritage Challenge events is waived for 2012.

The Ranching Council has developed the Youth and Young Horse Development Project with the goal of getting more youth involved with horses. Ranching Heritage Breeders will make foals eligible for youth to apply to receive or purchase at a nominal fee. The youth will then, under the guidance of a Ranching Heritage Breeder, take the foal home and train it for an in-hand competition at a Ranching Heritage Challenge. The Youth and Young Horse Development Project will serve to preserve ranching with American Quarter Horses in the future.

Overall, Ranching Heritage will add value to American Quarter Horses, recognize Ranching Heritage Breeders’ efforts in preserving the heritage of AQHA and the integrity of the American Quarter Horse breed, and will help foster enthusiasm in youth for the American Quarter Horse.

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

How to get your AQHA questions answered on Facebook.

AQHA’s Facebook Page is home to more than 320,000 fans, and I am lucky enough to be one of the staff members here at AQHA who monitors the page. We are able to answer pretty much any AQHA-related question you might have right there on our Facebook page’s wall. We also monitor the page for those questions on weekends and holidays, so it’s a good way to get a quick question answered when AQHA offices aren’t open for you to call. In order to get your questions answered as quickly as possible, there are a few things you need to include.

If you are asking a question about paperwork you’ve submitted for a horse, include:

• The horse’s registered name and/or number.
• The nature of the paperwork you are or have submitted.

If you are asking for help identifying a horse include (this can be tricky since AQHA searches sire and dam records in order to find the horse. Because of that, we must have one or both of the parent’s registration information in order to even have a starting point. This is an instance where we will usually ask you to call customer service.):

• The registered name and/or number of the horse’s sire and/or dam.
• The color and approximate year the horse was born.
• Any identifying markings, scars or brands.

If you have a question about your AQHA Membership include:

• Your AQHA ID number.

If you have a question about your Journal subscription include:

• Your AQHA ID number

Those are just about the most popular questions we get asked on Facebook. If I didn’t cover a topic you have a question about, just remember – the more information you put in your initial question, the faster we’re able to answer it. We try to help everyone who asks a question without asking you to call customer service, but there are some problems that can be solved much more easily through a phone call. Check out our contact page to see a few other ways you can get in touch with AQHA.  I look forward to helping some of you out on Facebook soon!

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

A detailed description of what AQHA has to offer!

AQHA offers three types of memberships: general, amateur and youth. I’ve explained your membership discounts and how to get a new membership card if you’ve lost yours, but what about the type of membership that is right for you? This is definitely a frequently asked question, so read on for the answer!

AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall

When applying for your AQHA membership, keep a couple things in mind: Whether or not you are going to show in AQHA events and your age. Another nice little policy I’m going to share with you is that you have 60 days from the date AQHA receives your membership to change it or change your mind, unless horse-related work was completed within that 60-day time frame. So, don’t sweat it if you think you want to change. Just call AQHA Customer Service.

General Membership

A general membership is for horse-related work received into AQHA offices or exhibitors who are going to show in the AQHA open division If you are going to place your membership in a joint, farm, ranch, family or business name, the general membership is the way to go. If you place your membership in a farm, ranch, family or business name, be sure to fill out an AQHA authorization form. The authorization form lets AQHA know who can sign important paperwork, such as transfers and breeders certificates. It also helps AQHA verify who can maintain addresses and phone numbers.

A general membership is $40 for one year, $80 for three years or $500 for a life membership.

After the 60-day timeframe, or if horse-related work has been completed under your membership, AQHA cannot add, change, remove, transfer or cancel a membership.

Amateur Membership

An AQHA amateur membership is specifically for showing. An amateur membership card must be purchased solely in the name of the exhibitor.

An amateur is an exhibitor 19 years of age or older who has not shown, judged, trained or assisted in training a horse for remuneration. This rule is not limited to Quarter Horses, so if you have shown, judged or trained any other breed or even grade horses, you do not qualify to compete in the AQHA amateur division.

The other main stipulation for amateur exhibitors is that the horse exhibited by an amateur must be owned by the amateur exhibitor or someone directly related to the amateur as specified in Rule 403(a) in the AQHA Handbook of Rules and Regulations.

AQHA does not recognize common-law marriages for amateur exhibition purposes, as a common-law marriage is different in each of the United states and in other countries.

An AQHA amateur membership is $45 for one year and $90 for three years. Because amateur members must sign a statement verifying that they still qualify to be an amateur at least every three years, AQHA does not offer a life amateur membership. If you would like to have a life membership, but want to exhibit in the amateur division, you may obtain a general life membership and upgrade it to amateur status either every one or three years. Amateur upgrades are $5 for one year or $10 for three years. If you have purchased a general membership but need an amateur card, an upgrade will work for you as well. An upgrade can be submitted at a show (an extra $5 charge is applied to the upgrade cost) or can be mailed or faxed to AQHA. The amateur application, completed and signed, is required with the fee.

Youth Membership

A youth membership is designed for members under age 19. Like the amateur membership, a youth membership cannot be purchased in a joint, family, farm, ranch or business name. AQHA youth members are eligible for all AQHA corporate partner discounts, except the Member’s Plus. Youth memberships are not eligible for auto renewal.

A common misconception for many of my customers is that a youth member cannot have a horse transferred into his name. This is not true. AQHA does not have any stipulations for horse ownership that limit a member because of age. If the youth is too young to sign his name, parents and guardians can submit a statement to AQHA lising the youth’s name, birth date and information stating that they need to be able to sign for AQHA paperwork submitted under the youth’s name. AQHA does not charge a fee to list authorized persons.

A youth membership is $15 for one year, $35 for three years or $50 for a life youth membership. The life youth membership ends December 31 the year of or after the member turns 19. He or she can then graduate to an amateur or general membership. A $50 discount is given to life youth members who graduate to a general life membership.

Youth members who exhibit in the youth division also have ownership stipulations. The horse exhibited by a youth must be in the ownership of the exhibitor or someone directly related as specified in Rule 404(a) in the AQHA Handbook of Rules and Regulations.

Now that you have a detailed description of all the memberships AQHA offers, pick the one that fits your needs, and join today!

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service…

Kayla Randall
AQHA Customer Service

Check off your AQHA to-do list today!

The end of yet another year is closing in, and everyone is in a mad rush to meet deadlines and complete paperwork. In the midst of holiday travels, those deadlines can be hard to keep track of! Read below to see a few of the most-common year-end deadlines and a few others that are coming up.

Horseback Riding Hours
2011 hours are due on December 31. Horseback Riding Hours can be submitted online, by fax or mail. If you are mailing your hours to AQHA, a post mark is acceptable to meet the deadline. You’ll need your PIN to submit hours online.

Incentive Fund
The deadline to nominate your stallion for the AQHA Incentive Fund is November 30. A late fee of one and a half times the original nomination fee will be attached to nominations received from December 1 to January 31. After January 31, the fee is double.

Stallion Breeding Reports
Like Incentive Fund nominations, stallion breeding reports are also due November 30. Your stallion breeding report can be submitted by mail, fax, e-mail or online. AQHA will accept a post mark for stallion breeding reports. We will also accept a fax, e-mail or online submission that is completed before midnight. For more information, read my post about stallion breeding reports.

Foal Registration
If you have a spring foal, it’s probably time to get the paperwork ready to submit to AQHA to receive the cheapest fee schedule for the foal. The first age deadline for foals is at 7 months from the day of birth. If you had a foal born in May, the fee will go up on the 7-month birth day in December. June foals are due in January. You can mail or fax your registration applications to AQHA even if you are missing information. AQHA locks in the registration fee from the time the application is received, and the fee won’t change no matter how long it takes to complete the process. The fee goes from $25 for a birth- to 7-month-old up to $50 until the foal is 1 year of age. The fee increases each year thereafter.

Don’t forget to renew your membership! AQHA members receive awesome Corporate Partner discounts and special pricing on AQHA events! Join or renew today.

AQHA Mailing Address
P. O. Box 200
Amarillo, TX 79168

AQHA Customer Service Phone Number
806-376-4811

AQHA Customer Service Fax Number
806-349-6411

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

Apply for a Foundation scholarship by December 1, 2011.

The Foundation provides financial assistance to members of the American Quarter Horse Association and or the American Quarter Horse Youth Association through general, racing, career path and state or regional scholarships.

Eligibility of applicants is based on the individual criteria and requirements provided for each scholarship offered. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, financial need and American Quarter Horse involvement, as well as applicant’s outstanding leadership and communication skills. The deadline to apply is December 1.

Recipients are chosen by a selection subcommittee or taskforce as determined by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. All recipient recommendations made by the subcommittee are ultimately approved by the Board of Trustees.

• General Scholarships
  Various scholarships are offered through the general program, which currently include scholarship opportunities for students to complete either their undergraduate or graduate level degree. Whether students are involved through their AQHA state affiliate, 4-H, FFA or local play-days, we provide scholarship opportunities for the student’s educational development. Students may enroll in a college degree plan of their choice and achieve the personal advancement needed to enter their desired professional employment field.
• Racing Scholarships
  To promote growth within racing, these scholarships offer financial support to students seeking a career in the racing industry. Students may specialize in racetrack management, veterinary medicine or another related field. Undergraduate, graduate or doctoral level degrees can be completed by students through this scholarship opportunity.
• Career Path Scholarships
  Many fields of employment are tied either directly or indirectly to the horse industry. Career path scholarships allow students to obtain a degree in areas such as animal science, journalism, therapeutic riding and veterinary medicine. Support for students within these fields is imperative to the sustainability and advancement of our industry.
• State & Regional Scholarships
  State and local support of the horse industry is vital. That’s why the Foundation offers scholarships to reinforce the importance of our youth affiliate ambassadors. Youth leaders who are actively involved through their state affiliate may be eligible for scholarships supported by Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Questions? Leave a comment!

As Always, At Your Service,

Kayla Randall
AQHA Assistant Internet Production Manager

When to pick up the pieces and when to start from scratch.

AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall

AQHA has certain policies regarding lost or damaged Registration Certificates. And there’s a big difference between duplicating and replacing! The main difference is money. And we’re all looking for ways to save money these days! A replacement certificate requires the old certificate and a $10 fee. A duplicate certificate requires a form, pictures, current membership and a $25 fee. So when can you replace rather than duplicate?

I had a member call me a few months ago with this question. Her dog had eaten her horse’s certificate- or most of it anyways! (Yes, it’s true!) This customer needed to submit a replacement request. The steps to correct/replace a registration certificate are listed below:

• Don’t throw away what’s left of the certificate!
• Make sure you can see either the horse’s registered name or number. (if not, You’ll need to file for a duplicate)
• Mail what’s left of your old certificate-to AQHA with a $10 replacement fee. It’s also a good idea to include a note telling AQHA what needs to be done with the certificate.

It’s that easy! Now, sometimes there’s no way around it. If your pooch swallowed all but the upper right-hand corner (we heartily request that you do not follow him around with a bucket afterwards…), you just cannot find that certificate or your brother-in-law came to visit and really NEEDED kindling for the fireplace, then you need to file for a duplicate.

• Fill out an AQHA Affidavit for Duplicate Certificate
• Snap five photos of your horse
• Make sure your AQHA membership is current and mail it in with a $25 fee.

Both are just about as easy as they can be to accomplish, and help you and AQHA keep records current! Have questions or a funny story about one of your horse’s papers? Send me a comment!

As always, at your service…

Kayla Randall
AQHA Customer Service

AQHA’s Incentive Fund program is the way to go!

AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall

For all of you who breed show horses, buy show horses or just plain get out there and show horses, AQHA’s Incentive Fund program is probably something you’ve been buzzing about in the barn. To someone in customer service, there’s nothing more gratifying than having the answer to the question or solution to the problem that just made someone’s day. And telling a member that their Incentive Fund check is in the mail would classify as one of those days!

Investment is a word that is so commonly used these days. Invest in stock. A car. A house. A darn good pair of boots. The possibilities are endless. And now, during tough economic times, we are all choosing our investments very wisely. AQHA’s Incentive Fund program works the same way. It’s an investment in your horse. Each year, a point payout is decided upon via a formula, and that amount is multiplied by the number of points your horse received that year. You, as owner, will get a check for 70 percent, the nominator will get 15 percent, and the horse’s sire nominator will get 15 percent. But what is all of this nominator and sire business? Read below for a quick and easy guide to AQHA’s Incentive Fund that anyone can understand!

The process starts with the stallion owner. This is where it can get a little tricky. Here are the rules:

• The stallion owner must nominate the stallion within 90 days of his first-ever breeding. (E.g. stallion breeds the first mare in April, then he must be nominated by July).
• The same stallion must then be nominated again by November 30 of that breeding season. This is because stallion nominations are due a year in advance. (E.g. nominate in 2008 for the 2009 breeding season that produces foals born in 2010).
• The price to nominate a stallion is $300 (flat) for the first breeding season, and then based on the number of mares bred thereafter. Click here for a price chart.
• After you’ve mailed your stallion nomination in the first time, you can call it in each year thereafter. AQHA even makes it easy by calling everyone eligible to nominate by phone each year!

Phew! We’ve got stallions covered. Now, how about those foals?

• Mare owners, breed your mares to AQHA Incentive Fund nominated stallions. It’s the only way to get your baby nominated! You can check the list online or call AQHA Customer Service with a stallion’s name and we’ll tell you the information.
• Once you have the stallion picked, the breeding done and waited about the longest year you’ve ever thought for that Incentive Fund foal, simply check a box on the foal application and be sure to sign, and AQHA will nominate your foal for the Incentive Fund.

Beginning January 2012, there are a few changes to the program. Everything listed above still stands, but the following changes have been made.

We’re trying to get more money into your pockets when you get your yearly Incentive Fund check, but that money has to come from somewhere. There will now be a $50 per year, per division licensing fee for each nominated horse. This may seem like quite an increase, but if you think about it, it won’t take that many points to earn that money back and then some, even with the payout money around $20 a point. With enough horses enrolled for that year, the payout money can easily get up to our goal of $50 per point. When that happens, one point gets your enrollment money back. The licensing fee requirement begins January 1, 2012.

There is also a licensing fee assessed to the person that buys your Incentive Fund nominated horse from you. This helps us out by keeping any payout money you earned while you owned that horse in your pocket, as well as keeping you from paying licensing fees for someone else to benefit.

The nomination fee for foals 7 months old and younger is increasing to $125. This will also help that point payout total get up to that $50 goal. Even with that increase, registering your foal by that 7 month deadline is still going to cost you less than $200 – and that’s counting a parentage verification test. With a higher point payout, that foal will earn you a whole lot more than that in its career. The nomination fee increase starts with foals born in 2013.

We’ve also changed the payout percentages and increased the amount breeders and stallion owners receive from 10 to 15 percent.

There are several more changes, including a point payout cap and a new nomination offer to second-career race horses. Read more about all the changes to the Incentive fund program here.

More helpful information: AQHA will need your Social Security Number or Tax ID number on file for you to be eligible to nominate your horse to the Incentive Fund. Don’t have a Tax ID number, but plan on joining this multi-million-dollar program? Click here for access to the United States Internal Revenue Service website and get one.

Congrats on a great investment!

As always, at your service…
Kayla Randall
AQHA Customer Service

Get insider information on one of AQHA’s most frequently asked questions!

AQHA has developed a section of its Web site specifically for members called Member Services. It is every AQHA member’s place to conduct business with AQHA, look up the most up-to-date records on any American Quarter Horse, view show leaders lists and more.

But there’s a catch! You have to have your AQHA ID and PIN to log in. This week, I want to share with you the procedure for sending PINs to our members.

AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall

The way you sign up for your AQHA membership – by phone, mail, fax or online – determines whether or not you need to request your PIN from AQHA.

If you:

• Sign up online, a letter will be automatically mailed to you.

• Sign up by phone, mail or fax, then you need to request a letter from AQHA. You can do this  yourself by clicking on the “Get a PIN” link on the AQHA home page. You can also contact AQHA Customer Service.

The PIN letter you receive will contain an alpha-numeric PIN and the last three digits of your AQHA ID number. Don’t let this fool you! You need to use your entire, seven-digit ID number when you sign on!

But you wonder, “Do I have to wait for a letter every single time I lose my PIN?” Not at all. Once you log in with your ID and PIN, you will be immediately stopped and prompted to set up a secret question and answer so that you may receive your PIN by e-mail if it ever changes or is lost in the future. If you have a secret question set up and need to have your PIN e-mailed to you, click on the “Forgot Your PIN” link on the AQHA home page. This is a huge reason why we are always pestering you for your e-mail address whenever you call! If we don’t have the correct e-mail on file, you can’t get your PIN!

That is the basic AQHA PIN procedure. I know in these technologically advanced days, there is a password or PIN, ID number or secret handshake to get into everything, but it’s worth it to get what you need fast!

A few other fun facts about your AQHA PIN:

• It cannot be given to you over the phone.

• It can be customized (click on ‘member action’ at the top of the screen after logging in).

• If you have a secret question set up, but forget the answer, call us and we’ll send it to you by mail.

• You can try to answer your secret question/log in unlimited times. There is no feature in place that will lock you out of the system.

• You must answer your secret question in the same format each time (ex: if your answer is a date, and you put in the format mm/dd/yyyy the first time you answered, you must do this each time).

• At a show/event with AQHA OnSite Services? Stop by in person, and an AQHA staff member will give you your PIN on the spot!

Remember, this is all for your security! You can do so much business online, and AQHA wants your information to stay secure! If you’re having trouble with your PIN, send me a comment and I’ll be glad to help you out!