Memberships

[Boinky]

Yep photo's are definatly an issue here... frustrating. ohh well i guess i have to live with it.. I really can't afford to let my registrations go like i'd LIKE to do as i do show..but it really makes you rethink the wisdom of registered horses..LOL and the price increase for membership wasn't just a little one..it was a BIG one. I think of all the registration clubs i've been a member of (horse, dogs ect) very few go over $50 membership. it sucks that everything always seems to come due at the same times too for me! even my dog registration stuff is due now... my car broke and i had to spend $200 to fix that and this year we've had more snow than we have in YEARS and i spent $200 in december alone just for plowing.. it was the cheapest plow guy i could find and it was NESSISSARY plowing as it was like deep deep snow and couldn't function with out it..lol I'm just frustrated with life at this point i think.. sorry for venting!!

Honestly if it were me..i'd probalby opt to get the journal as long as i had the money at the time of paying for membership.. I love magazines even though i think the journal could use some sprucing up.especially for that price. if i didn't i'd go with the cheap membership. I love getting magazines but if i dont' have the money and the magazine takes the largest amount of the membership fee... it would be economically more feasible for me to go with the cheaper and it would get more people being a member i think as well.

I have never joined AMHA because of their membership price.. it was always like $75 or 80 before and i couldnt' justify that..all i wanted was the magazine anyhow! lol this year i have to bring one stallion permanent and a transfere which is going to cost over $100 just for that one stallion and he's the only one i have to do registry work for (but it's more economical at this rate to do the membership for these fee's this year)... I have seriously thought about letting the AMHA papers go on him as i do not show AMHA only AMHR but you never know..might need them down the road too...

 

[seahorse]

Because I am a youth, I had to pay the $65 AMHR membership fee to be allowed to do registration work.(in addition to becoming a youth member!)

I like that AMHA allows youth to do registry work, and starting this year AMHA youth memberships last until you age out!

I think it would be great if AMHR allowed youth to do registry work without having to pay for the adult membership.

 

[muffntuf]

MeadowRidgefarm,

The journal for AMHR / ASPC rotates between shetland and miniature stuff. Its a crazy schedule, but I finally got that hang of it. For me it was the other way around. I thought it had too much miniature stuff and not enough about ponys. But then I figured it out and am okay with their schedule now.

 

[Fred]

I love AMHR however, I am ALWAYS one of the last ones to get a journal [and they are always late] but I think I was one of the very first to get a letter stating the price increase. I have no problem with the increase but I do have a problem with how it was done. ZERO notice? Just the board meets and increases the dues? Like I said I have no problem with the increase but it could have been done in a better manner, and the Journal could be put out in a more timely manner.

 

[chandab]

I would love to get memberships without the magazines; I get them, so I read them, but I wouldn't really miss them.

I'm a member of APHA and AQHA, neither make you take their magazine and are about $30-35/year (can't remember); plus you can do like a three-year membership for about $65. I guess I didn't renew my APHA membership this year, as I just have one mare left and I don't plan to breed her; so just AQHA membership now.

I don't see why they couldn't allow for memberships at like $35-40/year without the mags, just you can get your paperwork done.

 

[muffntuf]

I hold both AQHA, APHA as well. BUt you have to remember AQHA is older, has a wider membership, and has a broader sponsorship base. They are approaching their 5 millionth horse registry!

 

[Erica]

Andrea I agree, the Journal is used as breed promotion, it has ads and listing of the upcoming shows, it has the breeders connect, it has what's winning in the show ring, it has the sales, it has who our officers are......it's our visual contact. It's something I look forward to every other month, but then again I am one who likes to see other peoples breeding programs, whats winning, whats hot, show results, upcoming shows, my area news, national and convention news. I love looking at it, looking at the websites, calling or emailing people that have horses that catch my eye on there as well. I want my breeding program to be the best it can be and I think looking at what else is out there can only help!

And I do think it would cut down on how many people/farms would advertise (thus income to the registry loosing money) if the Journal wasn't required with membership.

As far as more shetlands being in it........for "ads" it's basically whomever decides to pay and advertise their farm or horses, as long as it has AMHR or ASPC papers it can be in there, so if more "pony' people run ads yes it will see more "pony" based, if more "mini" people run ads, it will see more "mini" based. As our registry IS the ASPC/AMHR!

 

[Belinda]

As our registry IS the ASPC/AMHR!

Well said Erica ! As stated in several other post everything has gone up , electric bills, fuel, food, just the general cost of Living on this planet !! So all of that trickles down to effect everything , and the ASPC /AMHR does have to pay all those bills also.. The board did not take raising the fee lightly , there was alot of thought and discussion put into it.. This is the first raise since 1994 ..

 

[Reble]

I would like to see Lifetime membership come back to AMHA

AMHR should also give us that option?

What do you's think? Just wondering?

When I started in the AMHA / Lifetime membership was not available

Can you tell me why it is not available anymore?

 

[wantminimore]

I don't have a problem with the membership fee going up but I thought $20 was a bit much all at once. It cost me last year with having to renew my membership and get some horses transfered. That all came at the same time

So far i've had good luck with the photos for myself. I did pics for a friend but haven't heard yet how she made out.

Leslie

 

[Lewella]

I do think we should have our choice of receiving the Journal or the World, or not..with our memberships, but like I said..I dont show. I can see where the magazine would be great asset for those that do show.

The reason a member receives the Journal as part of their membership is because the Journal is the OFFICIAL PUBLICATION. All OFFICIAL news of the ASPC/AMHR is published in the Journal and ONLY in the Journal. Some other associations have little "newsletter" type mailings they use to get their Official information to their membership, the ASPC/AMHR has the Journal which is our associations "newsletter".

The amount of your membership fee that goes toward the Journal's costs is pretty small as the Journal is almost entirely advertising supported. It is because it is advertising supported that there aren't as many articles as some people would like to see. The Journal follows a 60/40 ratio - 60% advertising to 40% editorial content (editorial content includes industry news, official information, columns, articles, show results, all star results, etc.). So the more advertising that is done, the more editorial content (such as articles) can be published.

So having a "no Journal" option on your membership probably wouldn't save you much if any money.

 

[Buckskin gal]

I would really like the choice with AMHR to just get membership and not the Journal. There just isn't enough interesting stuff in it for me. The World has always been my choice for a Miniature Horse magazine because it has so much more of interest for me. Like everything else there seems to be an increase in price but I thought the hike was too much for one time. It is always nice to have a CHOICE IN MATTERS but we didn't get one in this case and I doubt that AMHR was hurting for money. So it is in life.

 

[xxs]

Seahorse, when did R start making jr. members pay for a regular membership too? My daughter is a jr. member and has several horses reg. in her name, and they have never charged her for a reg. membership.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Because I am a youth, I had to pay the $65 AMHR membership fee to be allowed to do registration work.(in addition to becoming a youth member!)

I like that AMHA allows youth to do registry work, and starting this year AMHA youth memberships last until you age out!

I think it would be great if AMHR allowed youth to do registry work without having to pay for the adult membership.

Seahorse when I was a youth member only in AMHR I was able to do all kinds of paperwork with them. Not once did AMHR told me I couldn't do this because I'm just a youth member.

You know at first I was totally against this price hike in membership fees, but now my understanding all that money is going towards the office and that new crappy studbook. Sorry I hate it lol.

I think the membership price hike would have taken in a lil bit better for members if they handled the way they did it, not just saying one day ok the membership has risen to $65 and this had to happen once everybody started sending in their membership. If they had some type of warning it would have responed better IMO.

It's just the way they did it peeved me off.

 

[Belinda]

Seahorse when I was a youth member only in AMHR I was able to do all kinds of paperwork with them. Not once did AMHR told me I couldn't do this because I'm just a youth member.

You know at first I was totally against this price hike in membership fees, but now my understanding all that money is going towards the office and that new crappy studbook. Sorry I hate it lol.

I

Hi

First let me ad it has always been that Youth could NOT do Registration work on a youth membership.. Can I ask for those that say they did were your parents members , ?? And if not then you just slipped thru the cracks,



Next In defense of the Soft ware program we have purchased I don't know how many times I can say , It is MORE THAN JUST STUDBOOK !! It a Accounting program, Registraion program, membership program, show program, awards program, and so on.. NOT JUST A STUDBOOK FOR US LOOK UP INFORMATION.. OH!

And all the information that is being put into this program those girls in the office are having to load into it.. This is a work in progres and is NOT A FINISHED Product...

Ok, off my soapbox , did not mean to get off on a another subject..

 

[Erica]

I did paperwork as a youth, but I also had a "regular membership" as I got the Journal every publication as well

When I first saw this I was like maybe I just "slipped" by as well, but I know I didn't as with a youth membership I wouldn't be getting the Journal and I did from like 96-02 as a youth and doing paperwork, but I was also a paying member.

 

[sfmini]

Belinda, good luck trying to get that message across, I have been trying for over a year with no success.

I am also trying to talk Mark into giving the software a more descriptive name as people are hung up over the name studbook.

I am off that soapbox, no point in wasting my time and energy on it. People will hear what they want to hear and will just ignore what you have to say.

This sounds b**chy, but for God's sake!! The membership fees are what they are, nobody is forcing you to join.

 

[muffntuf]

For those that haven't ventured over to the horsestudbook.com website, they do not understand because there has been no communication on its full potential. I have been out there and it is sorely lacking for what $$ has been put into it. But I understand its potential and am willing to wait.

But there has been other increases in prices behind the scenes we do not understand or know about either I am sure.

If people weren't paying attention to notices, to me it appears that is was justified and they did inform members of the increase in a timely manner. It was just unusual for R to raise their prices.

Unfortunately, everything has gone up and our membership dues, etc. are due at a inconvenient time of the year. But then again, when is a convenient time in this day and age?

 

[Jean_B]

Next In defense of the Soft ware program we have purchased I don't know how many times I can say , It is MORE THAN JUST STUDBOOK !! It a Accounting program, Registraion program, membership program, show program, awards program, and so on.. NOT JUST A STUDBOOK FOR US LOOK UP INFORMATION.. OH!

And all the information that is being put into this program those girls in the office are having to load into it.. This is a work in progres and is NOT A FINISHED Product...

Having worked for well over 20 years in a financial and systems audit office, and since this is an "all inclusive" program that will have control of the finances as well as the registrations, etc., I can say with great certainty that BOTH organizations better have some good auditors WELL-versed in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act!!!! Don't know what it is - Google it. The future of both organizations could depend on that!

 

[ruffian]

I don't think the fees for either club are excessive. Not to be preachey - but the people getting late fees are those who aren't getting their paperwork around in a timely manner. I check 2-3 times each year to see who's coming up permanent, who needs updates, etc, and send in foal registrations within the 3 months allowed. We take photos all the time, so whats the problem with getting photos for registration? They don't have to be pro shots or even pretty, just showing the horse. They don't care if it's a shaggy photo, as long as the markings are clear. I've been registering in both AMHA & AMHR for about 20 years, and have had 1 late fee that I can remember because I bought a mare in foal, and didn't get the papers from the owner in time.

Organization is key!!

OK - off my soap box.