Our Strategy for Success
- Slow, consistent growth in membership and horses. Pressure to grow seriously compromises the quality standards of the horses entered into the breeding books. Stallions and mares will be carefully selected based only on the registry's quality standards.
- A one-on-one, comprehensive relationship with each member to ensure that the goals of the NAS and the goals of their members are in-line. The NAS will be a registry of collaboration.
- A single payment fee structure that understands the average North American breeders' budget. No longer will mare and stallion owners be required to pay yearly activation fees.
- Inspection sites and judging panels that are carefully chosen in order to fully understand and support each breeders' goals and programs. The overriding goal of each inspection will be breeder education. Judges will arrive at each site with a bio of each horse they will inspect. Each horse will be thoroughly evaluated with judges' comments being respectful and insightful to help each breeder better understand: 1) the strengths and weaknesses of their horse, 2) the traits which should be focused on for improvement when breeding, 3) the traits passed onto the offspring by the stallion and mare of an inspected foal, etc.
We will employ a flexible approach and schedule to the Keuring process to accommodate breeders' needs.
- A stallion inspection and lifetime licensing process that evaluates performance and progeny. The NAS recognizes the need for North American-based stallions to perform at the upper levels of sport in order to remain competitive with the influx of European stallions available with frozen semen. The process we have developed allows the stallion owner and trainers to develop the stallion for the show ring based on physical and mental development, rather than an artificially-set timeline.
The approval process also requires an evaluation of each stallion's progeny before being granted lifetime approval.
- The use of EU-based stallions (via frozen semen) will be a simple process of pre-approval with the NAS office.
- A mare approval process that recognizes the value of the mare in the breeding equation and the many ways in which she can distinguish herself. Mares that have already been keured by other registries (and have achieved sufficient scores) will be seamlessly integrated into the NAS mare book with little effort on the part of the mare owner.
- A very straightforward registration process for foals including, in many cases, no need for inspection attendance unless the owner wishes for the foal to be evaluated.
- The development of events and marketing programs to bring together breeders, trainers and riders.
Our bylaws will be a guideline to achieve highest quality standards and results but will welcome challenges, questions and improvement by all NAS members so it can be refined through the years.
We welcome all questions comments and will do our best to respond as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
The directors of NAS.
Donna Harrington - Lisa Lourie - Jens Richter - Jessica Rosch - Jean-Yves and Saret Tola - Lauren Welsh