05/07/2020 - Time to NOMINATE Reps for Regions 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10

Join the NAMHSA Board of Directors and give back to the hobby

Have you always wanted to know how the world’s largest model horse hobby organization works from the inside? Do you have ideas about how to make the model horse showing world bigger and better? Do you have what it takes to represent your Region on the NAMHSA Board of Directors? If you have answered yes to these questions, then NAMHSA Wants YOU!

Current NAMHSA Showholders and Individual Members, it is time to nominate candidates for Regional Representative for Regions 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. As a NAMHSA Showholder and Individual Member, it is your privilege and responsibility to nominate candidates for your region. You can nominate here.

The NAMHSA 2020-2022 Regional Representatives will take office at the public Annual Meeting in July 2020. Their term will be for two years, ending at NAN 2022. This year, only EVEN-numbered regions are up for election (odd-numbered regions will be up for election in 2021). Showholders and Individual Members may nominate anyone for the office (including themselves), however, you MUST be certain the person you are nominating has confirmed they are willing to run for office. Current office holders (whose terms are expiring at the July 2020 public Annual Meeting) may be nominated again, provided they are willing to run for re-election. The nominee must reside within the Region for which he or she is nominated.

Candidates need to be aware that the job requires a lot of communicating between the members in their region and the Board, and requires making the time and commitment to QUICKLY respond to Board work and issues. Board members assume ultimate responsibility for running NAMHSA and assuring a quality NAN. Daily Internet accessibility is required, as the NAMHSA Board is primarily an online forum and email entity. It requires the ability to read and respond to Board forum posts and emails from the public every day. Representatives are encouraged to participate in discussions with their constituents regarding NAMHSA issues on all social media platforms used by NAMHSA.

THE NOMINATION DEADLINE IS May 15, 2020. You can nominate here.

Voting Ballots for the election will be sent out in June.

05/07/2020 - NAMHSA Seeks a Vice President

Join the NAMHSA Board of Directors and give back to the hobby

Have you always wanted to know how the world's largest model horse hobby organization works from the inside? Have you ideas about how to make the model horse showing world bigger and better? Do you have what it takes to represent the nation on the NAMHSA Board of Directors? If you have answered yes to these questions, then NAMHSA Wants YOU!

Current NAMHSA Showholders and Individual Members, it is time to nominate candidates for Vice President. As a NAMHSA Showholder and Individual member, it is your privilege and responsibility to nominate candidates for the office.

The NAMHSA 2020-2021 Vice President will take office at the public Annual Meeting in July 2020. Their term will be for one year, at which time they will then assume the office of President. Showholders and Individual Members may nominate anyone for the office (including themselves), however, you MUST be certain the person you are nominating has confirmed they are willing to run for office. You can nominate here.

Candidates need to be aware that the job requires making the time and commitment to QUICKLY respond to Board work and issues. Board members assume ultimate responsibility for running NAMHSA and assuring a quality NAN. Daily Internet accessibility is required, as the NAMHSA Board is primarily an online forum with some non-Board email. It requires the ability to read and respond to Board forum posts and emails from the public every day.

Vice Presidential duties include:

• Act as the first officer to the President to carry out NAMHSA business;
• Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President; and
• Serve as the President's representative as directed.

The VP has voting power.

In addition, the VP will be a member of the Finance Committee, which includes the following duties:

• “The VP should have on-line access to review the accounts. The VP shall review the account balance on a random basis (no less than every other week), and shall view an image of every paid check. After each review, the VP shall post to the BOD the result of the review. The VP shall receive the paid checks and compare the reconciliations to the bank accounts and notify the finance committee that they have been approved. The VP shall NOT be a signer on the account.”
• The VP will also be responsible for reviewing and approving the monthly, quarterly, annual, and NAN financial reports.

The sitting VP may show at NAN.

After serving a one year term, the Vice President will assume the office of NAMHSA President for a one year term beginning at the membership meeting held in conjunction with NAN. Please review NAMHSA Bylaws Article V, Section 4 for information regarding the office of NAMHSA President.

THE NOMINATION DEADLINE IS May 15, 2020. You can nominate here.

Voting Ballots for the election will be sent out in June.

05/05/2020 - NAMHSA Merit Award Winners for April 2020

Merit Awards for April 2020

NAMHSA congratulates the following Merit Award winners for the month of April 2020:

Register of Merit

• Blackstone*, owned by Christie Partee (Western Pleasure)
• My Purdy Chic*, owned by Christie Partee (Paint Workmanship)
• Purdy Copper Penny*, owned by Christie Partee (Hunter)
• Sensible Shoes, owned by Christie Partee (English/Huntseat Pleasure) - pictured above

Legion of Merit

• Purdy Copper Penny*, owned by Christie Partee

Superior Event Horse

• Gallant, owned by Sue Hallwas (China Light Foal [Morgan] Breed)
• Tasiwu Wanahau, owned by Sue Hallwas (Native American Costume)

Superior Halter Horse

• Pepper, owned by Sue Hallwas
• Hifalutin’, owned by Sue Hallwas

Performance Versatility Award

• Blackstone, owned by Christie Partee
• Del Rio Rojo, owned by Christie Partee
• Purdy Copper Penny, owned by Christie Partee

We invite and encourage you to submit photos of your Merit Award winners for inclusion in the Merit Award galleries on NAMHSA’s website and the Merit Award albums on NAMHSA’s Facebook page. Send your submissions to merit-awards@namhsa.org with “Merit Award Gallery Addition” as the subject line, and include your name, the model’s name, and the title/year of the award won. You may include more than one pic in each email: just be sure to indicate model’s name and title for each one included.

*indicates multiple award wins

05/04/2020 - Deadline Extended! Join In & Design for NAMHSA!

Are you feeling creative?

Do you like doing art and design? Would you like to see your work on various promotional materials for NAMSHA? Then we want YOU!

DEADLINE EXTENDED: May 15th, 2020

NAMSHA is looking for artwork and designs from our talented hobbyists to be used for a variety of things from Anniversary merchandise to general promotional items and materials. Due to COVID-19 and the extension of many state's Shelter-In-Place orders, we are extending the contest deadline until May 15th! All qualified artwork and designs will be shown to the hobby and winners will be declared by a hobby-wide vote to be held at the end of May 2020.

More information, including contest rules and guidelines can be seen here.

04/21/2020 - Qualifying Show Waiver Period Extended

Important news for show holders needing to cancel or postpone NAN qualifying shows The Board of Directors has recently decided to extend the waiver period for show-holders needing to cancel or postpone upcoming NAN qualifying shows. Originally set until April 30, 2020, the new waiver period has been extended through June 30, 2020. All original guidelines set forth in previous Mail Chimp communications here will still need to be adhered to. Please address all questions regarding postponement and cancellation of NAN qualifying shows to Lindsay Diamond, Show Member Secretary at show-secretary@namhsa.org. The Board will continue to monitor the situation closely and consider further extensions of the waiver period when necessary.

04/20/2020 - An Important NAN 2020 Update

A Note From the NAMHSA Board of Directors

The NAMHSA Board of Directors has come to the hard but important decision to postpone the North American Nationals 25th Anniversary Event at this time.

This may not come as surprise to many of you after Breyer announced the cancellation of Breyerfest in favor of a virtual event in July. Between this important format change and other issues surrounding COVID-19; various state stay-at-home orders, school/event closures, and concern for both shower's health and financial well being for the remainder of this year, the Board has voted to postpone the 25th Anniversary NAN as the wisest course of action at this time.

The 25th Anniversary NAN celebration will instead be held on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before Breyerfest 2021. All NAN cards with an expiration date of 2020 will be extended for use at NAN 2021 as outlined in our policy IV, section D, item 4. All other details - location, specific dates - will be announced at a later date as they are finalized. We are still working and continuing on our preparations for MSOTY voting and announcement, the annual members meeting, Region Representative elections and more.

While we may not see each other this year, we hope to "see" you at Breyer's "Virtual Breyerfest" and we're already looking forward to next year at our belated 25th Anniversary NAN 2021.

Stay at home, stay safe, be healthy.

04/15/2020 - Have you turned in a Merit Award lately?

Now is a fantastic time to do so!

Merit Award Coordinator Mary Ann Synder and her friend Chewy (shown above) have not gotten ANY Merit Award submissions for the month of April yet! Chewy thinks that applying for Merit Awards is the perfect social distancing activity. This will be the very first month since he started helping that there have been NO applications. Won't you please help him out?

Everything you need to know about the Merit Award program - how it works, what is needed, costs, and more can be accessed here. Still have questions? You can contact Mary Ann and Chewy at merit-awards@namhsa.org.

04/08/2020 - Seeking Judges for NAN 2020

Judges needed across all divisions and classes

2020 NAN Chairs Robin Roberts and Sara Parr, are looking for more than a few good judges. This year, to fulfill all judging assignments, a new hybrid system will be on trial at NAN 2020. The number of judges will be cascading depending on the division with a goal of two qualified judges per class at the minimum.

• All halter classes will have a target of 3 judges per class.
• All other classes (Workmanship, performance, and collectibility) will have 1 judge, unless additional expert judges volunteer.

How this is going to work:

If there are not three qualified volunteer judges for each class, the number of judges per class will be reduced to the number available. As an example: if only two qualified judges can be found for Performance: Other English, it will be judged by two judges. Or, if only one qualified judge can be found for Performance: Other English, then the class will be judged by that one person.

There will be no last-minute judge assignment changes on show day. If a judge becomes unavailable for any reason, the number of judges for the affected classes will be reduced by one. There is one exception to this rule: we will have one floater or backup judge who is multi-qualified. This judge may be able to fill in for most classes in the event a judge is unable to judge. This judge will be used only in the event that the previously assigned judge is unavailable to judge the class due to unforeseen circumstances.

All judges will receive the following for volunteering:

• $100 stipend per day judging
• 1 NAN 2020 volunteer shirt
• 1 NAN 2020 volunteer medallion
• 1 copy of the NAN 2020 program
• Lunch on day(s) judging

If you are interested in judging, you must fill out the 2020 NAN Judge Survey here. Anyone may volunteer to judge, but you must provide references who can speak to your judging ability in the division(s) you are volunteering for. Not being able to provide references will disqualify your application to judge.

All NAN judges are expected to be experts in their chosen judging area(s) and should have judged at a minimum of three NAN qualifying shows. Everyone who volunteers, including those who are not chosen, will receive a response from one of the NAN Chairs notifying them regarding their volunteer status for NAN 2020.

Judges are the backbone of NAN and we need and treasure each and every one who volunteers. Please go the survey link above and volunteer to judge at NAN 2020 today.

NAN 2018 Photo credit: Susan Bensema-Young.

04/07/2020 - March 2020 Merit Award Winners

Merit Awards for March 2020

NAMHSA congratulates the following Merit Award winners for the month of March 2020:

Register of Merit

• Charm Schooled, owned by Melissa Meader (OF China Draft)
• Riverside, owned by Melissa Meader (OF China Draft) - pictured

Superior Halter Horse

• Peanut Butter Pixie, owned by Melissa Meader

We invite and encourage you to submit photos of your Merit Award winners for inclusion in the Merit Award galleries on NAMHSA’s website and the Merit Award albums on NAMHSA’s Facebook page. Send your submissions to merit-awards@namhsa.org with “Merit Award Gallery Addition” as the subject line, and include your name, the model’s name, and the title/year of the award won. You may include more than one pic in each email: just be sure to indicate model’s name and title for each one included.

* indicates multiple award wins

04/06/2020 - Time to Renew Your NAMSHA Membership

Vote in the upcoming elections and more!

It's getting to be that time of year again! If you joined NAMHSA at any time in 2019, your NAMHSA Membership started on January 1, 2019, and expires on December 31, 2020. If you joined at the beginning of 2020, your membership is valid through December 31, 2021. If you joined NAMHSA earlier than 2019, your membership has expired and is in need of being renewed!

Wondering why NOW is a good time to renew your membership? Here's some great reasons!

1. Make sure you are able to vote in the upcoming Regional Representative and Vice President election. This year, the even numbered Regional Reps are up for election so if you live in Regions 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10, this is especially important for you.
2. Upcoming Bylaws changes are also only able to be voted upon by the current NAMHSA membership.
3. Want to nominate someone to run for the Board of Directors as Vice President or even numbered Regional Representative? Nominations are required to come from the members.
4. Renew now so you can take easier advantage of the member discount for NAN 2020 entry! Entry costs enough, save yourself the time and trouble now. Plus, if you have questions or issues with your renewal, don't let it potentially harm your NAN 2020 entry.
5. Reduce your upcoming model horse show stress and put your application in now for a NAN Qualifying show - which includes membership to NAMHSA!

You can renew your membership for 2020-2021 by visiting the Membership page here. There, you can renew your membership two different ways - either by using the form online or downloading the form to mail-in. Individual Memberships are $30 for two years and entitle you to voting privileges and discounted entry fees to NAN. All memberships are one vote per person. The number of shows any one person holds has no bearing on the number of votes one receives. Payment can be made either via PayPal or a personal check/money order.

Membership renewal MUST be completed by April 31, 2020 to be able to vote in the 2020 elections. Any membership renewal requests after that date will not be receiving a 2020 election ballot. No renewal will be considered final until payment and proper paperwork has been turned in and verified by NAMHSA.

Have any additional questions regarding your membership? Please contact Lindsay Diamond, Membership Secretary at show-secretary@namhsa.org directly.

04/05/2020 - An Important Announcement Regarding NAN and COVID-19

A Note From the NAMHSA Board of Directors

The NAMHSA Board of Directors would like to assure the hobby we are taking the current health crisis seriously. Like you, many of the Board are directly affected by it - either by being classified as an essential employee, being a member of the most vulnerable group, or having family and friends in either group. We are completely aware that this world-wide health crisis has the potential to disrupt life beyond the spring and well into the summer, including NAN.

As you have noticed, this virus has the ability to cause a change of plans virtually overnight. As of this email, the Board of Directors has still made no decision regarding cancelling or postponing NAN. That decision cannot be assessed properly at this time, most likely not at all until we are closer to May. We will not be making any decisions without proper research and discussion of all options and information.

If circumstances change and require postponement of NAN, we will not be keeping the decision private. All information will be immediately channelled through this mailing list, on Facebook and more.

Until then, we have been conducting "business as usual" with a few new items. Those include an action plan is being created for Board members in case of key members falling ill to the virus and keeping in contact with those at Breyer regarding Breyerfest. We are continuing on our preparations for NAN, MSOTY voting and announcement, the annual meeting and more. We're dedicated to making the 25th Anniversary of NAN the best one yet and hope to see you there.

Keep up the social distancing and stay safe!

03/24/2020 - Buy NAN 2020 and NAMHSA Gear Today!

Shop at Zazzle and Red Bubble!

NAMHSA has partnered up with Zazzle and Red Bubble for exclusive NAN 2020 and NAMHSA branded items! You can order shirts, stickers, sweatshirts, and other fun items from both retailers, with all items available now! These items will be a fundraiser for the organization with NAMHSA receiving a percentage of each sale.

You can visit the Zazzle store here.

You can visit the Red Bubble store here.

Have fun shopping!

03/19/2020 - Did you miss it? NAN 2020 schedule announcement!

Finalized NAN 2020 Schedule

The NAN Committee has finalized the division schedule for NAN 2020. The change to a two-day affair and the addition of a medallion division, some revising of the previous schedule became necessary. Please note, the divisions have been split around the two days as equitably as possible, taking into account for time constraints. All showers, judges and volunteers should be prepared for two full and fast-paced days!

Tuesday, July 7

Day 1:
OFP Halter
AR/OS Workmanship
CM Workmanship
CM/AR/OS Performance
Medallion Workmanship

Wednesday, July 8

Day 2:
OFP Collectability
OF Performance
AR/OS Halter
CM Halter
CM Glaze China Halter
CM Glaze China Workmanship
OF China/Resin Halter
OF China/Resin Collectability

Due to the constraints of having the show running now on two days instead of three, means that entries that are entered in more than one division may be showing in both divisions on the same day. Please be aware that classes (i.e. halter, collectibility, workmanship) will not be held for entries competing in another division and no refunds given for class conflicts. Every attempt will be made to not deliberately schedule conflicting classes at the same time but no guarantees can be made that, even on show day, they aren't called at the same time. Performance classes will continue to run as done historically with classes in the same division (English, Western and Miscellaneous) being held until the previous class has been finished and the timer for the next class has sounded.

Stay tuned here for more NAN 2020 information to come. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the NAN Chairs Robin Roberts and Sara Parr at NANChair@namhsa.org.

03/17/2020 - Important Covid19 Message From the NAMHSA Board of Directors

Official communications regarding NAN and qualifying shows

A number of upcoming NAN qualifying shows have been hit hard by directives from local governments concerning the current world-wide health crisis, COVID19. The NAMHSA Board of Directors takes this issue very seriously and commends show-holders for upholding these directives regarding large gatherings of people.

At this time, the Board is issuing these guidelines for show-holders wishing to either postpone or cancel their events occurring between now and April 30, 2020.

1. No show will be considered officially cancelled or postponed without communication sent directly to Lindsay Diamond, Show Member Secretary at show-secretary@namhsa.org. This email must contain the show name, date affected, and details about the show's future; be it a cancellation or postponement date. Facebook messages or posts - either sent directly to Lindsay or posted in various groups, are not accepted as official communication. All shows officially cancelled or postponed will be marked as such on the website. Please direct all questions regarding entrant refunds and the like to the show holder directly.
2. Any show holder wishing to postpone their show with no changes to the show format/classlist will be assessed no additional fees other than postage for stickers for their NAN cards reflecting the new date. This postage of $7.95 USD will be due prior to stickers being sent out. Show holder's will be contacted by Lindsay Diamond once these are ready for shipping.
3. Any show holder wishing to postpone their show, with changes to the showing format/classlist, and has NAN cards already in hand will be assessed the $10 change fee and the $7.95 shipping postage for stickers. Payment is required before stickers and additional cards (if necessary) will be sent out. Show holders will be contacted by Lindsay Diamond once these are ready for shipping.
4. Any show holder wishing to cancel their show during this time will be eligible for a refund of show fees. Refunds will be contingent on the return of the NAN cards to Lindsay Diamond.

Please note, all payment for stickers and/or change fee or postage will be sent to Treasurer Janice Cox at treasurer@namhsa.org. Information about the show in the PayPal transaction itself (show name, show holder name, and what the payment is for - sticker postage or change fees or both) is REQUIRED for prompt action.

At this time, the NAMHSA Board of Directors will NOT extend the showing year past the traditional end date of April 30. Neither is the Board considering cancelling the 2020 North American National Show at this time. For anyone concerned about the shows occurring in May and beyond, the Board will be monitoring the situation closely, and will consider extending this non-penalty period further as things progress.

We thank you for your understanding at this time and hope everyone can stay safe and well during this time.

03/16/2020 - February 2020 Merit Award Winners

Merit Awards for February 2020

NAMHSA congratulates the following Merit Award winners for the month of February 2020:

Register of Merit

• Broadway Hit, owned by Betsy Andrews (Pony Breed)
• Champagne Supernova, owned by Betsy Andrews (Gaited Breeds)
• Ebonys Ramblin Rose, owned by Betsy Andrews (OF Plastic Gaited Breeds)
• Aurora, owned by Jan J. Jordan (Fantasy Collectibility), pictured above
• Galaxy Quest*, owned by Heather Mays (CM Paint)
• Gunnar, owned by Heather Mays (Other Breed - Fjord)
• Ice Princess, owned by Heather Mays (Gaited/Spanish Foal)
• Jack Sparrow, owned by Heather Mays (Pony Foal)

Superior Event Horse

• Dreaming in Color, owned by Betsy Andrews (Stock Foal)
• Flash O’Matic, owned by Heather Mays (Paint)
• Galaxy Quest*, owned by Heather Mays (CM Paint)

Superior Halter Horse

• Tottenham Hotspur, owned by Sue Becker
• Galaxy Quest*, owned by Heather Mays
• Heaven Can Wait, owned by Heather Mays
• RR Dancing On My Own, owned by Meghan Namaste

Halter Legacy Award

• Going Solo, owned by Heather Mays

Performance Legacy Award

• Forever Blue, owned by Heather Mays

We invite and encourage you to submit photos of your Merit Award winners for inclusion in the Merit Award galleries on NAMHSA’s website and the Merit Award albums on NAMHSA’s Facebook page. Send your submissions to merit-awards@namhsa.org with “Merit Award Gallery Addition” as the subject line, and include your name, the model’s name, and the title/year of the award won. You may include more than one pic in each email: just be sure to indicate model’s name and title for each one included.

* indicates multiple award wins

03/15/2020 - Have you turned in a MSOTY submission lately?

MSOTY deliberations will be starting soon!

Member Show of the Year Committee Chair Chris Wallbruch wants to know what shows you have gone to this show year that are outstanding and need to be nominated for consideration for NAMHSA Member Show of the Year! To ensure your favorite show is considered for this award, please go to our online nomination form today! All NAN qualifying shows from May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2020 are eligible for nomination.

A list of all nominated shows and the MSOTY Committee members will be announced sometime in May with the winning show (plus two runner-ups) will be announced at the NAMHSA Annual Meeting held during NAN in July. If you have any questions regarding the MSOTY program, please contact Chris Wallbruch directly at MSOTY@namhsa.org.

Photo of Sandy Sanderson, champion overall performance shower taken at 2017-2018 MSOTY The Jennifer Show. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Buxton.

03/11/2020 - Design Stuff for NAMHSA!

See Your Design on T-shirts, Stickers and More

Do you like doing art and design? Would you like to see your work on various promotional materials for NAMSHA? Then we want YOU!

NAMSHA is looking for artwork and designs from our talented hobbyists to be used for a variety of things from Anniversary merchandise to general promotional items and materials.

We are looking for items to fit these four categories:

1. 25th Anniversary Design contest, to be used for the 25th Anniversary of NAN advertising and promotion.
2. 25th Anniversary Motto contest, to be used on shirts and other merchandise, either in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary design or with the official NAMHSA logo.
3. Best Funny NAMHSA or model horse related design.
4. Best General NAMHSA or model horse related design.

Hobbyists of all ages are encouraged to enter. You need not be a member of NAMHSA to participate in either the contest or the voting. The winner in each category will receive their choice of a free t-shirt or similarly priced Zazzle or RedBubble item with the winning design on it.  Also, each winner will receive an individual NAMHSA membership, or extension of their current membership (if applicable), a $30 value. NAMHSA will retain the rights to use all winning designs exclusively across multiple advertising platforms/means for an indefinite amount of time. Compensation is solely the winning prizes as mentioned previously and nothing else.

Contest Rules:

1. Images must be at least 150ppi in resolution and at least approximately 2000 pixels x 3000 pixels in size.
2. Images must be in *.PNG format with a transparent background.
3. All designs must be "family friendly", PG. No obscene words or images.
4. All designs must be 100% original to the artist and contain no copyrighted elements, unless including the entire NAMHSA logo. The logo may not be stretched or distorted. The heads can be used by themselves only. Removing the heads from the logo and using the words as is is not allowed. (You can use the words "NAMSHA" and "NAN" as you chose otherwise.) You can request the entire logo or the horse heads only from Vice-President Robin Roberts via email.
5. All designs must be legible at all sizes and viable for a variety of uses - i.e. must work on a Tshirt and a pin, or a sticker and mug.
6. No design may emphasize a single region; they must be inclusive of all NAMSHA regions and countries.
7. All designs must be positive in nature.
8. Multiple winners may be chosen out of the "Best Funny" and "Best General" categories if enough votes are received for more than one entry. 
9. Each design may enter only one category.
10. Artists may enter as many designs and categories as they like.
11. Artists may win in more than one category.
12. Any submission that does not abide by all contest rules will be disqualified immediately.

All submissions for the contest should be sent to: vice-president@namhsa.org. Submissions must be made no later than midnight EST on April 15, 2020. All qualified artwork and designs will be shown to the hobby and winners will be declared by a hobby-wide vote to be held the beginning of May 2020.

03/10/2020 - NAN 2020 Schedule Announcement

Division Schedule Finalized for NAN 2020

Tuesday, July 7

Day 1:
OFP Halter
AR/OS Workmanship
CM Workmanship
CM/AR/OS Performance
Medallion Workmanship

Wednesday, July 8

Day 2:
OFP Collectability
OF Performance
AR/OS Halter
CM Halter
CM Glaze China Halter
CM Glaze China Workmanship
OF China/Resin Halter
OF China/Resin Collectability

Due to the constraints of having the show running now on two days instead of three, means that entries that are entered in more than one division may be showing in both divisions on the same day. Please be aware that classes (i.e. halter, collectibility, workmanship) will not be held for entries competing in another division and no refunds given for class conflicts. Every attempt will be made to not deliberately schedule conflicting classes at the same time but no guarantees can be made that, even on show day, they aren't called at the same time. Performance classes will continue to run as done historically with classes in the same division (English, Western and Miscellaneous) being held until the previous class has been finished and the timer for the next class has sounded.

Stay tuned here for more NAN 2020 information to come. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the NAN Chairs Robin Roberts and Sara Parr at NANChair@namhsa.org.

02/22/2020 - January 2020 Merit Award Winners

Merit Award Winners for January 2020

NAMHSA congratulates the following Merit Award winners for the month of January 2020:

Register of Merit

• Boonshill Blue, owned by Ryan Jaeger (Gemstones)
• He Comes A Wassailling, owned by Ryan Jaeger (UK Drafts - Vanner)
• Short Stack, owned by Ryan Jaeger (Donkeys - Mini)
• Costanza, owned by Robin Kent (Stone Gaited)
• Ernst, owned by Robin Kent (OF Collectibility - Draft)
• Beam’s Eight Star, owned by Betsy Andrews (Breyer Mini Repaint)
• Copper Hill Cresendo, owned by Betsy Andrews (Light/Gaited Workmanship)
• Docs Delta Blaze, owned by Betsy Andrews (Stock Foal)
• Drummer Boy, owned by Betsy Andrews (OF Pinto Pattern Color)
• Ensign, owned by Betsy Andrews (Stone Thoroughbred/Standardbred)

Legion of Merit

• Soul Sista, owned by Mary Vinyard

Superior Event Horse

• Shez All That, owned by Mary Vinyard (Saddleseat)
• Sultan Slamma, owned by Mary Vinyard (Artist Resin Saddlebred)
• Tango, owned by Mary Vinyard (Harness)
• Galactic Endeavor, owned by Robin Kent (OF Collectibility – SR/LE 1985 or later)
• Sissy Spacek, owned by Robin Kent (Stone OOAK/Test)
• Fleeting Dawn, owned by Mary Butler (Mini Artist Resin Thoroughbred)
• Matro, owned by Mary Butler (Custom Mini Paint)

Superior Division Horse

• Double Dipped, owned by Mary Vinyard (English Performance)
• Ds Penny Pusher, owned by Mary Vinyard (English Performance)
• Incognito, owned by Mary Vinyard (English Performance)

Superior Halter Horse

• Painted Desert, owned by Jamie D. Dulin (picutred above)
• Montego Bay, owned by Robin Kent
• Confetti, owned by Mary Butler
• Evita, owned by Mary Butler
• Sugar Boy, owned by Mary Butler
• Aldonza, owned by Susan Becker
• Champlain Challenger, owned by Susan Becker
• Champlain Rival, owned by Susan Becker
• Rainier, owned by Susan Becker
• Tearlag, owned by Susan Becker

Versatility Award

• ZAS Playdate, owned by Mary Butler

We invite and encourage you to submit photos of your Merit Award winners for inclusion in the Merit Award galleries on NAMHSA’s website and the Merit Award albums on NAMHSA’s Facebook page. Send your submissions to merit-awards@namhsa.org with “Merit Award Gallery Addition” as the subject line, and include your name, the model’s name, and the title/year of the award won. You may include more than one pic in each email: just be sure to indicate model’s name and title for each one included.

02/01/2020 - Looking forward to NAN 2020!

Here's What You Need to Know About NAN 2020!

NAN 2020 is back once again in Lexington, Kentucky to celebrate our North American Model Horse Shows Association 25th Anniversary event.

NAN 2020 will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, a two day event July 7-8, 2020 during the week of Breyerfest at the Hyatt Regency Lexington located at: 401 W High St, Lexington, KY 40507 in the spacious Bluegrass Ballroom.

The NAMHSA Board of Directors is very excited for the change in show length and in this optimal venue. No more conflicts with other Breyerfest events occurring on Thursday!

Key elements to the NAN Committee have been voted in by the Board and we are excited to announce the volunteers to you:

• NAN Chairperson Team: The dynamic duo of Robin Roberts and Sara Parr will be ably sharing all Chair duties and responsibilities. You can reach them at NANChair@namhsa.org or at their Vice President and Presidential emails.
• NAN Registrar: Lindsay Diamond has graciously agreed to come back as Registrar after her previously successful work on NAN 2018. You can reach her at NANRegistrar@namhsa.org.
• NAN Head Steward: Another repeat volunteer, Vicky Kitzman is back once again as the Head Steward. Thank you very much Vicky! NAN lives by the volunteers and Head Steward is a super important part of a great show.
• NAN Sponsorship Chair: a new volunteer to the Org, Julia Platt has graciously volunteered to do sponsor wrangling for NAN 2020. We will be announcing sponsorship opportunities at a later date via Mail Chimp and through the Facebook Region groups. Until then, you can contact Julia at NANSponsorship@namhsa.org. (Please note, new email address!)

Currently the NAN Committee is on track to meet our goal of having the NAN Show Packet up and available to NAN attendees for downloading and to begin pre-NAN planning sometime in March. The hope is to be able to announce most, if not all, judges hired for the show by April. Registration for NAN will be open for an approximate two week time period in May. (Exact dates will be announced closer to April.)

NAN 2020 will feature NEW 25th Anniversary Champion and Reserve Champion medallions, designed by premier hobby artist Sommer Prosser (The Art of Sommer Prosser) with lettering designs by artist Christina Riley (Art by C. Riley).

NAN Co-Chair Robin Roberts has begun the search for a knowledgeable and capable judging team for NAN 2020.

If you would like to nominate yourself as a judge, please click HERE and fill out our survey completely. Please note, references will be checked and everyone who applies to judge will receive an answer on if they have been accepted or not.

We will be bringing a little something special to the show for the 25th Anniversary - benefit auctions! Online auctions will be held throughout 2020 as well as potential event specials as we approach the NAN 2020 show days. These auctions will be a fantastic opportunity to bring a little community awareness to any hobby based business or a simple way to give back to the hobby for Collector's offering donation. More information regarding how to donate will be released later this spring.

The Board of Directors and NAN Committee hope to see YOU in Kentucky in July!