From the NWHA President
From the desk of Amy Spinelli
Welcome to the May issue of the National News.
It is hard to believe how quickly the year is progressing – and many of our regions are underway with
shows, trail rides and other exciting events.
Over the last several years, NWHA has experienced a great deal of success across our programs and
events – and our success – is due to each of you. Our members drive this organization, and we have a
number of member-run committees busy at work on a number of critical and important tasks.
The National Show Committee is well underway on plans for the 2017 National. This team works
tirelessly on the class list and schedule with consistent offerings across our divisions as well as rail and
versatility offerings. They analyze the fee structure to ensure the most fair and affordable experience for
our exhibitors. They work to select amazing awards and ribbons for our winners and planning events for
our attendees and exhibitors throughout the week. And as in other years, NWHA is proud to support a
very worthy charity at the 2017 National Show – Wounded Warriors. The National Show Committee will
reveal this year’s annual Wounded Warriors t-shirt design soon – so make sure you keep an eye out! The
Versatility Committee also works closely with the National Show Committee, with a keen focus on the
versatility offerings at The National.
Our Judges Committee is well-underway with discussions surrounding The National 2017 Judges Slate.
Their goal is to provide a recommended slate to the Board of Directors that includes (4) candidates that
they believe will provide the highest quality judging, consistency in judging and compliance to our
judging rules and regulations. They work to choose candidates who they believe will act professional in
all situations, and display the highest integrity, honesty and good moral character. Ideally, their
selections will represent a regionally diverse group, with demonstrated knowledge and experience. This
team is scheduled to present the recommended slate to the Board of Directors in May.
Our organization is fortunate to have members leading and participating in these particular committees,
and across all of our committees. We value each team member – and thank each of you for your time
and commitment to the National Walking Horse Association.
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In other news, you may have seen recently that NWHA will no longer require members to nominate and
pay a fee for High Point participation. You simply need to be a paid NWHA member. Our financial
success and stability allows us to give additional benefits like this back to our members. In addition, the
high point program has gone through modifications to be more inclusive across divisions, allowing
points from more classes to count to the year-end program.
New in 2017:
2 Gait and 3 Gait Optional Tack categories in all divisions.
Spotted Saddle Horse now has an Open Shod category (replaced the LS/TP combination)
Pleasure Racking added to the Racking Horse Division
Versatility division updated categories now have untimed events and speed events. This change
allows previously excluded game classes to now be included in the points while also providing
an over-all category for barrels, poles and other timed speed classes that have grown in
popularity.
For more details on the updated NWHA High Point program, visit the High Point tab on the nwha
website. Owner's must join no later than the 2017 National Championship horse show.
And to better support and promote our NWHA events, each NWHA affiliated or sanctioned event will
now receive free advertising in the digital NWHA News. Simply send the formatted information to our
Editor In Chief, Lauren Dawson Fleischer at [email protected].
As a reminder, NWHA added the Pleasure Racking Division, providing a new venue for a broader
spectrum of racking horses to participate in our NWHA Racking Divisions. This new division will
accommodate the increased demands for the pleasure racking horse in the show ring, align NWHA with
current racking industry norms and encourage new membership and more entries. For further
description and outlined rules, please see the updated rule book available on nwha.com.
I want to thank each of you for your continued support and dedication. Personally, I’m proud to be a
member of the National Walking Horse Association. And I’m firmly committed to its steadfast success
and growth. I’m confident each of you as members will propel us forward even faster. I look forward to
working with each of you throughout the coming year. Please share your thoughts and ideas as we move
forward. Let’s make it a great year for NWHA together!
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