ATA Fundraising/Grantwriting?

Also reported on Eventing Nation.......... bolding mine

USA Equestrian Trust has awarded $95,000 in grants to help fund four more equine projects as part of a historic year of grant-giving for the foundation. The awards come on top of nearly $240,000 awarded in May to 11 equine non-profits. The grants were awarded to USA Reining Inc., to assist in start-up expenses for the newly recognized FEI sport affiliate, the Arabian Horse Association to promote the breed, to our very own Virginia Horse Center Foundation to assist in replacing the aging lighting system in the organization's Anderson Coliseum, and to establish a need-based travel grants program for riders in California and Nevada seeking training as part of the United States Hunter Jumper Association's Emerging Athletes Program.

Because Arabians really need promoting, don't they?

I'd like to see Trakehners get this grant next year and I suggest that it be used to pay for an amnesty on registrations for competing Trakehners or part-Trakehners and maybe a one time small registration fee for all others. Once again on dreamhorse this morning is a young event horse who is not registered Trakehner - we have to do something to reward our ambassadors!

Is there an official grantwriter for the ATA? Is this something the ATA foundation would/could do?

I'm not on board w/amnesty registrations for people who've never registered. Countless ATA members compete our horses and we don't get any amnesty and sorry, but IMO ATA members who have registered (and often branded) their horses are the ambassadors - not ppl who have no interest in supporting the ATA.

Do I believe we should create programs to attract more members? Absolutely. But if we're asking for grants, let's to something to reward members who continue to make this association hum. Perhaps a grant to purchase new dressage saddle for rider w/most USDF points and a new D, XC and jump saddle for rider w/most USEA points @ seasons' end. Let's face it, these grants are going to riders w/multiple TK mounts. It's time the Andrew Palmers of the world got some payback.

Here's another idea: rider w/most points @ end of season wins an $5,000 ATA/Exxon (whatever) fuel card. This directly impacts their cost of showing and as these folks are in the trenches, showing 3 or 4 TK's (like Sara Mittleider - or in Andrew's case, as many as at high-profile venues. A program of this sort will encourages BNR's to look to add TK's to their string if the ATA is creating these sort of programs. Trust me, riders are scrambling to find syndicates to buy more competitive horses, hire working students, keep training programs (at home) going, etc. Basically, they're running a business. If we can offer a program that directly impacts their expense line, the next time one of these riders has a student needing a new horse they'll make sure 1 or 2 TK's are in the group for consideration. IMO this is MUCH more beneficial to the breed than waiving membership for 1-horse owners who will never renew (or as in the Dreamhorse example - sell their TKs).

The Sunsprite people are doing tons of good work with their stadium and xc jump sponsorships (and construction on Stadium Jumps) and have asked me to nudge the ATA towards spending more ad $ sponsorinf the Trakehner xc fences. I think this is a great idea and an putting it in my budget (vs. more print ads - which are losing value each year as more readership shifts online - yet prices remain the same or increase). D

Bottom line is we need to get creative and OUT THERE with these ideas. My 2 cents.

I'd love to see a few different programs...I like the ideas you raised Kim, and I wish that we had a way to organize a syndicate that was endorsed by the ATA. A place like that offered by the Event Owners Task Force, but designed for Trakehner breeders/supporters to support the breeds up and coming stars and get them in the hands of riders.


I love the idea of big awards for the top riders/horses/breeders/owners. I'm sure some of our bigger name riders with great sponsors could help us get sponsors for saddles to be given away.

The Trakehner XC jumps at Ocala Horse Park and at Rocking Horse are sponsored by Tennant Sport Horses with mention of the Trakehner breed on their website and in their program. Also, this year we are sponsoring the FEI level Trakehners at Red Hills!

TennantSportHorses wrote:
The Trakehner XC jumps at Ocala Horse Park and at Rocking Horse are sponsored by Tennant Sport Horses with mention of the Trakehner breed on their website and in their program. Also, this year we are sponsoring the FEI level Trakehners at Red Hills!

NICE! See this is an out-of-the-box idea that gets TK's front and center. I'm definitely going to look @ the cost of sponsoring the FEI-level Trakehners @ Galway, Bromont and maybe one of the Ocala Horse Properties (FEI since Tennant Sport Horses has the National-level spons) for the ATA Ad Committee.

I do have all of the Ocala Trakehner jump sponsorships locked up, national and FEI level...but if the ATA wants to sponsor the big 2* event I can have Jon Holling move me to another jump for that one!

As long as the Trakehners are sponsored, I'm happy. What other events do you think I should consider when looking @ this as an expense item for the ATA ad budget? Bromont, Fair Hill? I definitely want one where we have majority of TK's competing plus, I like the on-site PA announcements and program (ad?) inclusion.

hello from California!

We've been sponsoring Trakehner obstacles all over USEA Area VI for a couple of years now. When I challenged fellow members regarding this unique opportunity to bring attention to your farms. The obstacles are actually called Trakehners...... no brainer, that's how I came up with it, I have no brain.

If the ATA is looking for opportunities to fund some grants, We're in agreement with Kim. Fund riders whom have supported the breed for a year or more and are obviously committed to their ATA registered competition horses. Amnesty just helps the interlopers. If the ATA wants to bring itself into the forefront of supporting the breed and thereby the breeders and riders brand every bloody Trakehner at every USEA/FEI sanctioned 3-Day event in North America with an enlarged ATA brand. The ATA brand burned into the Trakehner obstacle is an opportunity no other breed registry has unless a major change occurs in XC and someone invents an Oldenburg obstacle.

As far as show jumps, every venue could display the brand on standards, a ground line or specialized custom built jumps that bring more focus to the ATA. When looking for ways to spend money, spend it where the horsemen and women are actually competing. We're planning on sponsoring a Sunsprite built show jump featuring the ATA brand this season at our larger shows on the West Coast and at the upcoming American Eventing Championships in Texas later in the season. Kim and Sean are on to something here and we're in total support of their ideas.

Sunsprite wishes all our fellow members a prosperous and satisfying 2013!

Whilst I absolutely support your ideas (especially the fuel card!!!) I have to put my reasoning for an amnesty forward.

A subtle membership drive - maybe only 10% stay as ATA members - better than none

Raising the Trakehner profile - if the number of competing Trakehners across the country goes up from 10% to 20% - that's a huge publicity coup

Generally speaking, the people who have Trakehners are not those who bred them and then didn't register them. I have a huge problem with breeders who fly the I Breed Trakehners flag and then don't register their foals - especially ones using their OWN stallions - how counter productive can you get? I don't see why riders should be penalised for not doing what should be a basic requirement for breeders using the Trakehner name

For the good of the breed - breeding horses with inadequate data is as much good as breeding horses with no data. We have NO idea who our best sires are, because we don't have enough data. Suppose an amnesty effort showed that Huno Ps had sired half the dressage Trakehners competing in this country and not only that, fully half of them were from mares sired by Domritter. That kind of knowledge, which possibly the owners of Huno and Domritter might know, is the kind of soft knowledge that we lack in the US due to size. We are doing the BREED a huge disservice by not pushing for expanding our registration of competing Trakehners.



And as an aside, here's a simple thing I did - I painted my jump standards at home with the Trakehner logo. Every sales picture or video I take on the flat or over jumps shows them. My trailer has the logo on the back and on the side.

But again I ask - does the ATA have a grantwriter? Do they pursue grants?

Clearly I'm a thread killer

What about the dressage and hunter competitors? Are there any programs that support them? Maybe a line of dressage arena letters with the letter inside the ATA logo - which would work for HT too

Anissa sits on the ATF; can answer the Q about grant writers.

The dressage arena letters is a nice idea but doesn't fit the same way a TRAKEHNER jump does. Many breeds compete in Dressage and theoretically have the same claim to appropriateness of letter sponsoring but only 1 breed has an eventing fence named after them. That's why it's such a good fit and why we should look for opportunities to sponsor these jumps @ high profile events.

I have to agree with JRR that dressage competitions could be better represented. Yes, the Trakehner is a proven event horse, but they are also awesome dressage horses. I may get flamed here, but I feel that a lot of the ATA looks down to “just dressage.”

Or that is the feeling I am getting.

Maybe eventually there should be three committees for the dressage, eventing and H/J with each region to represent the breed? Just a thought.

Im new to the ATA so I stay quiet and keep my opinions mostly to myself.

LaNet wrote:I have to agree with JRR that dressage competitions could be better represented. Yes, the Trakehner is a proven event horse, but they are also awesome dressage horses. I may get flamed here, but I feel that a lot of the ATA looks down to “just dressage.”

Or that is the feeling I am getting.

Maybe eventually there should be three committees for the dressage, eventing and H/J with each region to represent the breed? Just a thought.

Im new to the ATA so I stay quiet and keep my opinions mostly to myself.

I honestly don't think the ATA looks down on "just dressage". I think that what you are seeing here is a board peopled by those who are more event horse inclined - I would be sad if dressage people felt excluded. It's easy to track event results, there are relatively few compared to dressage shows. It would be lovely if one person from each dressage region could do a results post

In the same vein though, the ATA newsletter surprised me with the year end results - who *are* these horses?! I found myself saying - why don't we hear more about them? Quite how to hear more about them I don't know.

And as for staying quiet.... there are pros and cons

New blood and new ideas are always welcome. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts and ideas with the ATA members and the ATA board. They may not always agree with you, but discussion is always good.

Forgot to add--Welcome to the ATA!! Get involved at what ever level you can. You will be amazed at the people who are passionate about the Trakehner horse. You can learn so much from some of these people.

anglotrak wrote:Forgot to add--Welcome to the ATA!! Get involved at what ever level you can. You will be amazed at the people who are passionate about the Trakehner horse. You can learn so much from some of these people.

GREAT point!

So far 99% of the ATA people have been wonderful to deal with and very helpful.
I hope my post above did not come off as rude or nasty, that was not my intent at all.

Cheers,
LJH

I've done grantwriting and have a certificate from UC Extension in the field.

Volunteer!! We never turn away good volunteers!

I agree with Kim about the reduced/free registrations. We don't have bottomless pockets but all of our foals are registered before their first birthday and also get lifetime USEF and USEF numbers. We also pay the first transfer of ownership if necessary to help keep track of our babies and at least get the new owners that first year of ATA membership for free.