AQHA Shows Sensitivity to High Gas Prices

[Stephanie Land]

The American Quarter Horse Association announced it is lowering the amount of points necessary to qualify for the Bayer Select, Bank of America Amateur and FedEx Open World Championship Shows, the three biggest competitions for the association. The decision comes after a trying first half of the year. The price of hay, grain, and shavings (the three basic ingredients for caring for a horse) have skyrocketed. With the addition of gas prices looming at around $4 a gallon, getting a horse to a show is more expensive then ever. Getting a horse from point A to point B requires a gas guzzling truck or SUV to pull a horse trailer. Generally speaking, a truck that gets around 12 miles a gallon normally will only get 8-10 while hauling horses, which means a lot more trips to the gas station.
Horse owners are stuck between a rock and a hard place because you have to feed and shelter the horse first, but once you get done with that the amount of money left to pay for horse shows is significantly smaller than it used to be. So what do you do? Not feed them? Unlikely.

AQHA President Ken Mumy had this to say: “In these days of increased prices for nearly everything, we want to serve our members in the best ways possible. With today’s rising fuel costs, exhibitors are feeling the pinch, and by lowering the points, our hope is that members will be able to qualify more economically. We always look forward to seeing the best competitors at the World Show and want to help people who are World Show bound.”

The AQHA reports that qualifiers are already up compared to 2007, which was also a tough year in terms of prices.

I think this is such a smart move on the AQHA’s part. It is so simple and yet I believe it will have a huge impact on the association’s image. It makes them seem more human, and in touch with what is happening in the world. The PR department is doing a good job communicating with its members, through website announcements, newsletters, and articles AQHA trade magazines, to assure them that while there is this problem of rising prices, the AQHA is going to stand by them and try to help.

While, I would imagine competitors who have the means to pay the huge entry fees to the world shows, which can range from $500-$4000 per class, probably don’t worry too much about the cost of gas, it is still a nice gesture for the association to make.