ASHA and ASR hosted a Virtual Town Hall via Zoom on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 to present information and address questions about the proposed merger between ASHA and ASR and the upcoming membership vote. The resulting organization of the merger, the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association, Inc., will streamline the resources of the finances, operations, staff, and volunteers in the advancement of what always has been a single mission – the promotion and protection of our beloved breed. We are grateful to all the members that were able to attend and engage our panelists to address their concerns.

The Town Hall panel included Sandy Currier, ASR President, Marty Schaffel, ASHA President, Anna Marie Knipp, Co-Chair Joint Merger Task Force, Chris Schubert, Co-Chair Joint Merger Task Force, Allen Bosworth, Joint Merger Task Force Member, Missy Hughes, Joint Merger Task Force Member, Rachel Seifert, Attorney, and Joint Task Force Member, Katriona Adams, Interim ASR Registrar, Ed Glasscock, ASR Attorney, Rachel Chamberlin, ASR Attorney, and Stephen Sherman, ASHA Attorney. The Town Hall was moderated by David Mount, ASHA Executive Director.

The panel addressed the history behind the merger, the focus areas of the Joint Merger Task Force: vision and mission, policy and procedure, financials, and bylaws, and the legal perspective and ramifications.

Follow the links below to view the full video of the Town Hall, panelists' presentation slides, and a FAQ on the merger.  We hope these materials along with the event have addressed the questions and concerns of our members around this proposed merger.

Links to ASHA/ASR Town Hall Recap Resources: 
Town Hall Video
ASHA/ASR Virtual Town Hall Presentation

FAQ: Town Hall Meeting on the Proposed Merger Between ASHA and ASR

ASHA/ASR Merger Documents

ASHA members can follow the link above to review the approved merger documents that include the Merger Agreement, Plan of Merger, Articles of Merger, Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Registry Trust. Also, we have provided a video from Rachel Seifert, Honorary ASHA Board Member and Merger Task Force member, that will walk you through the purpose and intent for each document. If you have not done so already, please sign up for the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 5:00 p.m. ET and remember that you must be an ASHA member by Monday, Feb. 15 to be eligible to vote.

Not a current member? Become an 2021 ASHA Member today! 

Why Merge? 

The "Why Merge?" series of videos allows you to hear from leaders at the ASHA, ASR and the Saddlebred industry on why they believe in the merger of the ASHA and ASR in 2021.