January 16, 2012
Enough is Enough – Thoughts on the U.S. National Experience
We’ve been wading through your letters on the subject of the Tulsa facility as a site for our National show. Wow, you guys are fired up — as you should be about anything that affects your life and enjoyment of your Arabian horses.
It started with a letter from respected horseman Ray LaCroix that was posted on our Hot Topics page on our website and on Arabian Horse World’s Facebook page in mid-December 2011. A response from several members of the Board of Directors of the Arabian Professional and Amateur Horseman’s Association (APAHA) followed. A sampling of letters we received from our readers can be found on our Hot Topics page, with many more posted on our Facebook page.
All of us — whether we like Tulsa or not — can surely find common ground in a desire to see our breed flourish and grow. Further, we would hope that our champions are presented in a National showcase that not only reflects concern for their well-being, but is also befitting the majesty of the Arabian breed.
Back in 1987, then publisher Nat Gorham welcomed your thoughts on another hot topic, stating Arabian Horse World’s position perfectly as it related to speaking about the needs of the Arabian horse industry. His words deserve to be restated here because they’re as true now as they ever were: “The goal was to ‘set the table’ for discussion … which just might lay the groundwork for attention … which just might lay the groundwork for solution.
“Now the Thomas Paine of journalism this magazine ain’t. Never has been and never is going to be. Dedicated service to the Arabian horse’s peaceful existence and promotion is a plenty lofty goal for us. But we happen to believe that the pursuit of that goal is best served by presenting wide and divergent views on the status of the breed. Your well-informed opinions and your well-directed actions have weight no matter who you are. More important, the industry needs them.”
Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts and contribute to the conversation. Please know that our door at Arabian Horse World is always open, and we look forward to hearing from you.
— Denise Hearst, Publisher