This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Arthur Rivoire) A
Goodday Everybody, from Carol Rivoire at Beaver Dam Farm - I was glad to see Brian's statement on the Evaluation Committee's dealings with the BOD, as I had no idea what was happening. NFHR BOARD OPERATING IN A VACUUM - -- In my opinion, the most important thing Brian said was that the BOD should not be OPERATING IN A VACUUM. He's right! That's exactly what they've done, which is why the rest of us are confused. NFHR members have the right to know EVERYTHING the Board does. Complete minutes should be posted on the NFHR site IMMEDIATELY after each Conference Call. And these minutes should be complete enough so that members can understand and get a feeling of what transpired. For the life of me, I can't think of a single reason why this should not be so. TAPED RECORD OF NFHR CONFERENCE CALLS - Further, I think a tape recording should be made of each conference call, and should be available to every member requesting it. This would be much more complete, valuable, and timely than the bare bones minutes we now get in the Herald -- MONTHS AFTER THE FACT. If the American public got to see and hear each and every detail of the O.J. case and the Clinton hearings . . . shouldn't we have the right to know EVERYTHING THAT'S DISCUSSED on these conference calls? The answer is, of course we have the right, and we also have the need to know. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BOD AND COMMITTEES (EVALUATION & OTHERS) I really find this lack of communication incredible. I mean, you'd think each side was dealing with a foreign governement. HOW CAN THEY NOT COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER? Sorry, for the caps, but I can't shout or highlght on email. I really dont' get it. What kind of an organization is this? It's a horse registry. OUR REGISTRY! Compared to many other breed registries, we're miniscule. Most of us know each other. What's the problem? Why don't these people get on the phone or email, and talk to each other? What are members to think when we hear that the BOD has been waiting to hear from the Evaluation Committee, and the EC has been waiting to hear from the BOD, and both have been waiting for months and months and months? The only virtue I can see in this situation, is that both sides have an abundance of patience. IMPORTANCE OF PERFORMANCE TESTING IN EVALUATIONS - It's been stated that the reasons the EC decided against using European Evaluators, even to get us started on the road to routine Evaluations, is that they wished to maintain American standards for the performance tests in Dressage, Western, Draft & Driving. I may be wrong, but it came across to me that PERFORMANCE TESTING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of American Evaluations. If this is so, then I object. CONFORMATION COMES FIRST & EVALUATIONS SHOULD START WITH YOUNG HORSES! The purpose of Evaluations is to identify good breeding stock. It gives specific feedback in terms of strengths and weaknesses indicating how you can breed to improve your herd, or if you're a backyard breeder with only one foal, how you can get a better foal next time around. THE PERFORMANCE TESTS - I'm only familiar with the Dutch system, but in that, the horse is judged on - GAITS, SUPPLENESS, WILLINGNESS, ATTITUDE, SELF CARRIAGE. (If his 20 meter circle is 25 meters, and less than round, he will not lose points.) Within reason,the horse is judged, not the rider/driver. * MY POINT IS - That Evaluations are not the place to demonstrate great proficiency in the various disciplines. As I understand Evaluations, they are the place to determine if individual breeders, be they backyard or professional, are going in the right direction. -- Also, to determine on a national scale if the breed is maintaining quality, improving quality, or losing ground. THIS HAS MORE TO DO WITH CONFORMATION, MOVEMENT, BREED TYPE, AND TEMPERAMENT THAN IT DOES WITH HOW WELL THE HORSE IS TRAINED. Best Regards, Carol Rivoire Carol and Arthur Rivoire Beaver Dam Farm Fjords II R.R. 7 Pomquet Antigonish County Nova Scotia B2G 2L4 902 386 2304 http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/beaverdf
