This past year I was fortunate enough to be chosen as a regional representative for the Leadership AQHA class of 2007/2008. Participating in this program has been a great opportunity and I have met some wonderful people from across North America who are involved in the Quarter Horse industry in many different ways.

The class has its own website where we have online meetings and can post thoughts on the topics we discuss. We had several different assignments to complete - all having to do with our involvement with AQHA and becoming better Leaders.

In July, I flew to the AQHA headquarters in Amarillo, Texas for an orientation session. The first night we gathered at the Hall of Fame and Museum for a night of introduction. This building is highly recommended as a place everyone involved in the Quarter Horse industry should visit. It has wonderful displays and the full-sized bronzes are amazing to see.

The next day we had a group tour of the AQHA headquarters. Going through all of the different departments was really informative and talking to people in each of those departments and getting some insight into what they deal with each day was especially enlightening. The other highlight of the tour for me, was getting the opportunity to see all of the pictures hanging on the walls. I had seen some of them in the Journal and read about them but seeing them in person was something else.

That afternoon AQHA held a couple of different workshops that covered a variety of topics. We had an overview of the Leadership program and what AQHA expected of us, with some group activities to help us get to know some of the different challenges the affiliates were facing. I found it really interesting to learn more about what other affiliates were doing and what roadblocks they were facing. We all seem to have the same goals; we just have different paths for getting to them.

After the trip in July, we were all asked to pick an industry event that AQHA runs, to attend. I chose the AQHA World show in Oklahoma City. So in November I had the opportunity to go to Oklahoma City for three days. Wow, what an experience! I have never been to the World show before so it was exciting to see what goes on there. We had a backstage tour of the facility and worked with some of the AQHA staff on some jobs. Our main focus was helping with the Intercollegiate Judging Contest. I really enjoyed the experience of working behind the scenes, meeting some AQHA judges and judging the classes for myself.

Through this program, I have met some wonderful people from all different backgrounds, all with a common interest, The American Quarter Horse. Being able to share ideas with them and learning how their affiliate has handled issues and is working to change things, has been a great benefit to me.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone, as it has given me a greater understanding of how AQHA runs and some of the challenges facing the industry today. If anyone has any questions about the program, please feel free to contact me by email at lennoxbrenda@hotmail.com