# AHA and Arabian questions



## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

I know VERY little about the Arabian circuit and know very few people who know a lot about it. 

I most likely will show on the open circuit because nobody at my barn goes to arab shows and I don't own a truck and trailer. Can I still register my horse for points with AHA and show on the open circuit in dressage? What do those points really represent? I know essentially nothing about the arab world. And VERY little about arabian pedigrees. My horse's sire is by Allionce and out of a Bey Shah mare, I don't know what that means either. The only thing I know about his sire is that he has really nice movement, uses his hocks really well and looks pretty hot but in a nice way and looks very supple. I saw him and thought that horse could be a really cool dressage horse lol. 

My horse is registered half arabian and I'm also registered with AHA. I know there is a point system and a lot of opportunities and I'd like to be included in those opportunities. I'd like to earn points with AHA but I don't really know what the opportunities are lol I've never shown breed classes or registered for points. I saw his brother (who I've met) has a +++/ by his name and I don't know what that means.

I bought my horse from an arabian barn, I went not looking to buy. I didn't really want an arab, I didn't dislike them, I had good experiences riding full bred arabians and really enjoyed riding them. They just weren't my breed of choice and I didn't know about all the opportunities through AHA. 

I've been told arab people are really nice and the shows are fun but that's about it. I'm a dressage rider, the only breed stuff I've done have been Hanoverian and Oldenburg inspections, so I'm really clueless and new to all this and no one I know is really knowledgeable about the arabian stuff either.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

When you sign up for Achievement Awards(the +'s and/'s), you will fill out the form for every USDF open show, and send them in. AHA will send you a form to continue the program every year. You pay, you play!

In dressage, the points go by score. In a ring class, they go by placing and # of horses placed. 

You can also sign up for OEIP through AHA and get some awards that way. You can qualify for Regional and National shows at Open shows.


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## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

Awesome! Thank you! That makes me happy to know I can still register for AHA points at open USDF shows. 

Thank you for letting me know about OEIP, I'm reading up on it through the AHA website.

Is there anything else I should know about AHA and showing through them or just register, send them the papers and money and be on our way for this coming year?


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## Bedhead (Aug 4, 2013)

I don't know if you're really "showing through them", unless you mean actually attending AHA shows (which from what I'm reading, it sounds like you're not, you're continuing with the open breed dressage shows?). However signing up for the program enables you to qualify for Regionals + Nationals through those shows, rather than the more traditional route of competing at AHA shows. Regardless I'm sure you just enroll in the program, fill out the forms when you go to open breed shows and call it good. There shouldn't be too much (if any) extra steps.

GreenTree, can you earn achievement points through the OEIP, or just qualifying points? I'm always terribly confused about how those work, since I'm not sure if they mean qualifying points or points that count for achievements- the charts I've seen don't specify and I'm assuming they're for qualifying.

If you can earn achievement points then absolutely enroll in the program, it's 100% worth your while; However if it's only regionals/nationals points then I'm not sure if it'd be relevant to your interests? (However since Greentree brought it up I'm assuming you get achievement points from the OEIP?)

The achievement points denote a horse who's excelled in the ring, so your horse's brother has racked up a Legion of Supreme Honor and Supreme Merit; Both of these constitute the horse having earned 150 achievement points (120 if it's a half Arabian), with a Supreme Honor being any combination of (or consisting just of) breeding/in hand and performance, and Supreme Merit constitutes 60/60 minimum in both breeding/in hand and performance (50/50 if HA). Not certain if once a horse qualifies for a Supreme Merit they also immediately qualify for their supreme honor (ie only have 150 (PB)/120(HA)), or you earn each separately (ie 300(PB)/240(HA) points)

Since those points are only awarded through championship classes and Nationals/regionals, either he's been showing a LONG time, or probably has many Nationals/Regionals titles, top fives, top tens, etc. (basically he's kinda a big deal).


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## Bedhead (Aug 4, 2013)

**I apparently scanned the OEIP page too quick and missed that there is a separate awards program for horses in that program, however now I'm curious about the achievement points so my question still stands.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

You have to be enrolled in the Open Qualifying Program to get the AA points ($45 per year). OEIP has its own awards. 

The AA points accumulate slowly at local shows, but rack up at regionals and nationals. Reserve at nationals is 20 points, grand is 40. Regionals is 5 and 10, I think. Tootsie got her + after our first Sport Horse Nationals, and her / after the second Sport Horse, and Regionals.


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## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

Thank you both for all your information. It's really helpful! And thank you for the clarification. That explains a lot more to me and that's pretty cool. I was just curious. His brother is half arab and was kept a stallion. He has an awesome temperament and is a really nice horse, very nice mover. From what I understand he has done really well and has been to nationals. I don't know a whole lot about his career other than that. He's still pretty young as he's only 8 years old.

That told me a lot more about how the arabian circuit and how the point system works. I've never done anything breed specific. I had no idea about the point system or how that worked. Thank you for explaining.

I'm trying to get involved. And yes I'll be at open shows. I think it'd be too difficult to try to go to arab shows when no one else is doing them. And I'm kinda excited about earning some points. I haven't shown in years.

The other thing I was wonder is whether or not I have to show him under his registered AHA name at open shows or if I can use the name I'm registering him with through USDF/USEF.


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## Bedhead (Aug 4, 2013)

I would imagine there's a safety net in place in the event that a horse's name is taken in the AHA ring by a different horse in the USEF ring or vice versa. Not certain but if there's not a spot for it to be filled out, I imagine you'd tag a note that says "Horse is registered as Y through the AHA but shows under X at USEF shows". Don't know for sure though so I'm probably not much help and might be wrong.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

DDN, lots of riders do change names for open shows, HOWEVER, you will need to have the horse registered with USEF, and that is the name that is the name The show will go with. You CAN get his official name changed to whatever you prefer through AHA.


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## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

Thank you both for your answers. How would I change his name through AHA if I choose to do that? I don't want to show any disrespect towards the people I bought my horse from, it's actually a cute name. I just don't feel it suits this horse.

And thank you I'm registering with USEF/USDF in 2016, so this information is very helpful!


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

There should be a form at arabianhorses.org. Glad to attempt to help!


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## Bedhead (Aug 4, 2013)

You can only change it if he's never seen the inside of a show ring; if he was so much as in a halter class as a yearling his name cannot be changed through the AHA. It doesn't happen that often but I doubt anyone would be fussed if you did, assuming you can change it. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

Nope it definitely helps. And he's never been in a ring. Hasn't done halter or anything else. He was registered with AHA as a 4yr old. 

As a baby both him and his mother were sold to a Lady who had a farm and she sold him to the arabian trainer I bought him from as a 4yr old and he definitely hadn't shown. He basically broke when I bought him, so steering was pretty approximate and he wasn't super sure about cantering. I don't think they would have shown him that babyish to ride.

Thanks again! This has been extremely helpful!!


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