New NRHA Website Design Debuts
The NRHA has a New Year’s gift for you, a new website design! The new look of NRHA.com debuted on January 1. The new NRHA.com is easier to navigate so you can find the information you’re looking for faster. That’s not all. We have many additions and upgrades in the works for the coming year, so check out our new look and keep your eye on NRHA.com!
2007 NRHA Convention Nears
Have you made your reservation to attend the 2007 NRHA Convention February 14 – 17, in St. Louis? The theme of this year’s Convention is The 2007 NRHA Evolution – Your Voice Matters. We want to hear your opinions about the NRHA and you can voice those opinions through an Affiliate Congress, Show Secretary Seminar, Professionals Forum, Non Pro, Youth, Judges and Open Forums. But the highlight of this year’s Convention will come when the Strategic Plan for the future of the NRHA is unveiled. You can read more about the Strategic Plan later in this newsletter.
The hotel reservation deadline for the Convention is January 15, 2007. Call the Hyatt Regency Union Station toll free at 1-800-233-1234 and ask for NRHA special rates. Also see the NRHA website for additional details.
Letter from NRHA President Mike Boyle concerning the new Strategic Plan
Dear NRHA Members,
I hope all of you are having a happy Holiday season, and that this letter finds you safe, and enjoying your time with family and friends. We all can use the rest from a very eventful 2006. But I am looking forward to 2007, as I begin my tenure as President of the NRHA.
As we begin the New Year, I am getting reports from the NRHA Strategic Planning Committee about some important and exciting progress. The committee has met twice, and each session has been productive. As you may know this committee is working on some pretty weighty issues. Among these are the governance, infrastructure, growth, and communications.
While their full report and recommendations will be presented at the NRHA Convention, I can tell you that this committee, chaired by NRHA Executive Board member Dave Wilkins, is dealing with issues and changes that will affect every member of the NRHA world wide.
It cannot be overstated that this Committee’s recommendations will affect Reiners for this and the next generation. This year’s Convention will be the most important one that the NRHA has had in many years. I would strongly encourage all NRHA members to attend the Convention in St. Louis in February. For details about the convention go to www.nrha.com.
Thank you all for your support of Reining.
Best Regards,
Mike Boyle
President NRHA
Letter from Strategic Planning Committee Chair Dave Wilkins
Best wishes to all for a great holiday season and a terrific New Year! I am happy to report that the Strategic Planning Committee has met again and more headway has been made.
This is a difficult process because so many interests have to be taken into account and so many things have been in effect for so long that they have become "sacred cows." We have been looking at all of the issues and have been working on an organization and structure which will enable us to move into the future with better communication, stronger affiliate/national /international programs, better service for our members, more elected representation and importantly, sound financing. While we know we won't be
able to totally please everyone, we believe that we have considered all of the requests, comments and solutions to issues that we could.
The NRHA Convention in St. Louis in February will be an exciting one. You will hear details as the plan is unveiled. You can begin to study the points and rule changes that we will all vote on this year, to take effect in 2008. The Strategic Planning Committee looks forward to seeing you there!
Best Regards,
Dave Wilkins
Chair
Strategic planning Committee
Debut of Wide World of Horses presents NRHA Inside Reining one week away!
Mark your calendar for January 8th. It’s the debut of Wide World of Horses presents NRHA Inside Reining on RFD-TV. In the first episode host Sam Houston takes us to Hendricks Reining Horses in Tioga, Texas. Million dollar rider Dell Hendricks explains why you should steer your horse with your hands and not your face. Also we talk to Dell and his dad Jim Hendricks about the Prime Time program at NRHA. It’s a show you don’t want to miss!
The new 30-minute program will offer viewers a unique look inside the sport of Reining; the men and women involved and the lifestyles they lead. You can also find tips on how to improve your Reining technique as well as what tack you need to pull off those spins and sliding stops.
Wide World of Horses presents NRHA Inside Reining will air every other Monday night at 9:30 pm CST, as well as two other times each week on RFD-TV on DISH Network Channel 9409 and DirecTV Channel 379. NRHA Inside Reining is produced by Sandbur Productions. Jenifer Reynolds and Sam have dedicated many hours to give viewers a wide variety of interesting topics all about Reining and the NRHA.
NRHA Judges Rules & Judges School
The NRHA Executive Board has decided not to make changes to the 2006 Judges Restriction Rule (Page 67 (10) in the 2006 Handbook). This rule will be enforced as it was in 2006.
The January Judges School is now full!!! There is still room in the March 27 – 29 school, pre-registration in required. Please contact Michelle Wrigley at mwrigley@nrha.com or 405-946-7400 for registration information.
New Rule Changes for 2007 Unrestricted Youth – The new Unrestricted Youth class allows youth members the opportunity to ride a number of different horses to gain experience and better prepare them for collegiate competition as well as entering the Non Pro ranks in later years. Unrestricted Youth riders may use a horse without the restrictions of ownership as defined under Youth Conditions. If they do show a horse not owned by them or immediate family in this class, they will not be eligible to show any horse in any Non Pro/Rookie class at the same show.
10 & Under Short Stirrup Reining – The new 10 & Under Short Stirrup Reining class is a new NRHA Approved Youth Class for children aged ten years of age and under. The Short Stirrup class would encourage participation by giving very young riders a venue to begin showing reining horses. The class will be conducted using a pattern created for simplicity and safety and for encouraging participation; the youth would not have to own the horse they ride. The Short Stirrup class will use pattern #11. The new pattern will be included in the 2007 Handbook and 2007 Pattern Book.
Prime Time Non Pro Class – The Prime Time Non Pro class now moves to a Category 1 division and riders are now eligible for year-end Top 10 standings and World Championship titles.
These are just a few highlights of the rule changes for 2007. You can read all of the changes on our website at NRHA.com. Download the 2007 Rule Changes PDF by clicking here.
2007 NRHA Derby
Plan now for the 2007 NRHA Derby held May 14 – 19, 2007, at the Oklahoma State Fair Park. The Derby is for 4, 5 and 6 year old horses competing for over $350,000 in purse money. The Derby hosts the Derby Spotlight Sale, Collegiate Reining National Championships and so much more. Mark the date now and watch NRHA.com for more information in the coming weeks.
USA Reining Team Second in Popularity to USA Baseball Olympic Team
The U.S. Olympic Committee recently recognized the U.S Reining team for their accomplishments during the month of September when they earned the gold medal at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. The U.S. Reining team came in second place with 22 votes for “team of the month” honors. The winning team for September, with 44 votes, was the USA Baseball Olympic qualifying team. The U.S. Reining team won its second straight team gold, and the four members finished in second, third, fourth and fifth places, respectively, in the individual competition. The team also won gold at the 2002 WEG, Reining’s inaugural performance at a WEG. This year’s team included veterans Tim McQuay, Dell Hendricks, Aaron Ralston and Matt Mills.
Dates Set for 2007 Mallorca Western Festival
The dates have been set for the 2nd Mallorca Western Festival, September 19-23, 2007. Next year, the event will last five days with an estimated 15,000 visitors. The Mallorca Western Festival will again feature a high-class mixture of Reining and spectacular equestrian shows. The official opening event will be a concert with an international superstar. From September 20-23, the world’s best reiners will battle it out inside the bullring for thousands in prize money. There will be a lot of exciting events added to this year’s show like presentations, public discussions and autograph hours with all the famous Reining stars and show artists.
Travel packages are now available to the 2nd Mallorca Western Festival. For more information, check out the Mallorca site here.
The NRHA thanks Smith Brothers for their support as a Corporate Partner. Smith Brothers, the “Premier Catalog for the Western Horseman”, offers a wide selection of Reining products through their mail order and Internet catalog service. Smith Brothers' provides quality products to reiners from the weekend competitor to the professionals through sponsorship awards at the Regional Affiliate level. To see their entire line of equine tack and supplies, plus home decor and western clothing, log on to their website at www.smithbrothers.com.
Renew Your NRHA Reiner Subscription
Don't miss a single issue of the NRHA Reiner! It's time to renew so you don’t miss anything happening in the Reining world. Remember, you get 12 issues of the only magazine solely dedicated to the sport of Reining and the NRHA's Official Publication. Print a PDF subscripton card by clicking here.
NRHA Reiner Advertising Deadline
For information about advertising in the NRHA Reiner contact Reiner Advertising Manager Sharon Barr or NRHA Sales Representative Kristin Hincke for information, pricing, and availability. Sharon may be reached by phone at 419-628-3711, faxed at 419-628-2518, or emailed at advertising@nrha.com. Kristin may be reached by phone at 405-476-5348 or by email at khincke.nrha@yahoo.com.
This newsletter is provided by the National Reining Horse Association as a service to its members and anyone interested in the sport of Reining. NRHA does not assume any liability for errors and/or omissions. To learn more about NRHA and Reining go to NRHA.com or call the NRHA office at 405.946.7400.
