ACQUISITION OF PERFORMANCE HORSE REGISTRY APPROVED IN PRINCIPLE

The American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) Executive Committee met today and approved in principle the AHSA receiving the assignment of the Performance Horse Registry (PHR) as a gift from Edward S. (Ned) Bonnie following his acquisition of the PHR from The Jockey Club. The transaction is subject to due diligence and is expected to be finalized at the next meeting of the AHSA Executive Committee within approximately 30 days. The Jockey Club founded and developed the PHR beginning in 1992. In the process it created a state-of-the-art software program for tracking performance records and pedigrees.

Alan F. Balch, President of AHSA, commented, “This is a giant step forward for the AHSA and the cause of sport horse breeding in the United States. Ned has been a visionary in this field, and for the first time the AHSA will have the essential building blocks in place to link authoritative performance records at all AHSA competitions to pedigree, particularly for Warmbloods. We anticipate that the PHR will develop into the American Horse Sports Registry (AHSR), which will in turn be part of the AHSA’s emerging American Horse Sports Database (AHSD).”

Balch pointed out that this transaction would not affect any existing AHSA awards programs or the current recording of horses which the AHSA now does and historically has done. He added that the AHSA Planning Committee had held intensive discussions from Friday, March 31 through the weekend of April 2-3 to evaluate the prospect of tracking the performance of every horse which competes in any AHSA competition, including horses which are not recorded for AHSA awards programs and which do not necessarily receive placings in those classes. The Planning Committee has been investigating the upgrading of AHSA information technology on a continual basis.

Edward S. Bonnie, former AHSA director, remarked, “I am delighted that the Performance Horse Registry has found an organization which is extremely pleased to acquire us and whose interests on behalf of horse sports is in perfect harmony with the vision of the PHR. The AHSA has the vision, the staff and the ability to grow the PHR into a database that will be equal to any in the world. With this database, which could eventually include or automatically access both performance records and pedigrees of all horses who compete in AHSA shows and competitions, the AHSA and all its affiliated organizations will be able to provide information which will allow the horse sports industry in the United States to compete with any organization or nation in the world.”

The PHR has existing relationships with the Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands - North American Department (NA/WPN), the Hungarian Horse Association of America, Inc. (HHA) and the Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association, North American District (BWP-NAD). These relationships and new relationships with other breed and discipline organizations are expected to grow and improve in the coming months and years.

For further information, please contact Chris Stafford, AHSA Director of Communications, on (859) 225 6923 or via email at cstafford@ahsa.org .

The American Horse Shows Association, as the National Equestrian Federation of the U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship sports of combined driving, dressage, endurance, eventing, show jumping, and vaulting, as well as 19 other breeds and disciplines of equestrian competition. As the country’s largest multi-breed organization, the AHSA has over 70,000 members and recognizes more than 2,600 competitions nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including educating and licensing all judges, stewards, and technical delegates who officiate at these shows.

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