Presidents News Letter July

Dear Fellow FHANA Members,

I hope all of you are staying well and keeping cool during this intense summer heat wave. Due to the extreme temperatures, we have made the decision to postpone the stallion under saddle viewing here in North America to ensure the safety of both our horses and their handlers.  The first under saddle test is currently scheduled for July 22 at 7:00 and the second test is pending scheduling by the KFPS.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of our volunteers for their incredible dedication and strong work ethic. This organization simply cannot function without your support. On a related note, the Ride and Drive program is ongoing and turning out to be a wonderful success. It continues to be financially self-supporting, and it is fantastic to see so many participants engaging with the program and enjoying time with their Friesian horses. The success and response to this program has been so good, that we’ve decided to extend it thru September 2026.  Good luck everyone and keep it up.

Overall, FHANA is in a very strong position. Financially, we are at our historic best, with membership up and steady revenue coming in from inspections and other programming. For a more detailed look at our financial health and progress, please visit the FHANA dashboard at https://fhana.com/about/fhana-milestones/

As previously mentioned, EQUIS is being retired. Beginning September 1, 2026, the new database for all records in the Netherlands will be managed by Streamlined. In conjunction with this update, we will be launching a new website that maintains our current information while fully integrating with Streamlined. This will provide you with a personalized portal for your horses and offer new data features, including detailed statistics and inspection results. A dedicated team within the Board is meeting regularly with the KFPS to ensure a smooth transition, and we appreciate your patience as we work through any temporary hurdles.

Our committees continue to work hard across all areas. We are currently compiling our annual awards information for publication and look forward to presenting these awards at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) this November. Please also make sure your calendars are marked for the upcoming 5th Circuit events in both the East and West. The 5th Circuit committee has carefully reviewed feedback from previous years to ensure these are our best events yet.  The inspection schedule can be found at this link:  https://fhana.com/app/uploads/2026/06/inspection.pdf. It includes the dates for the 5th Circuit.

We are in need of sponsors for both of these events.  Please support us.

Planning for the upcoming inspection season is moving along smoothly regarding travel and logistics.  However, we are monitoring registration numbers closely, as entries across North America are currently lower than anticipated.  Advertising for the inspection booklets is on-going as well.  If you’d like to advertise in the booklet, please let us know and we’ll put you in touch with Linda at Dahl Graphics.  The schedule is on the FHANA website and here’s a link to sign your horse up for an inspection.  https://www.cognitoforms.com/TheFriesianHorseAssociationOfNorthAmerica/InspectionRegistrationForm

The Health Committee initiated actively evaluating data across North America and collaborating with global resources to investigate health issues within the Friesian breed. You may have seen recent requests from leadership regarding the reporting of foal deaths; we have assembled a global team that meets regularly to address this, and we encourage you to utilize the Fenway Foundation as an additional resource.

Additionally, the Research Grant Subcommittee has finalized the 2026 research grant application packet and is now accepting applications from academic researchers and veterinarians. This $10,000 grant supports projects addressing critical Friesian health concerns, such as megaesophagus, connective tissue disorders, chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL), and gastroparesis. The recipient will be notified in November, with projects slated to begin in January 2027. Full application details are available at https://fhana.com/research/, and any questions can be directed to research@fhana.com.

During the transition of Jason Tice and Khari Ryder, Khari accidentally removed himself from being the administrator on the FHANA Facebook page.  We’ve made multiple attempts to rectify the situation through Facebook’s management to no avail.  We are forced to recreate our Facebook page which is in the process of being transitioned now.  I’m sorry that we will loose so many followers until people get the word that we’ve had to make the move.  This should be happening within the next 60 days as it takes time to get it approved from Facebook and the critical changes of information has to be reviewed by and approved by Facebook administration before it goes live.  Thanks for your understanding.

During our last Board meeting the Board has created a policy on the “Branding of FHANA”.   It will be available shortly publicly for all to see, but basically it makes reference to how the FHANA logo is published, the approved (and only approved colors) are applied and the logo shall not be modified in any way.  Especially with Artificial Intelligence (AI).  Photographs submitted to for Facebook, the magazine and the website will not be modified by AI.

Finally, the FHANA audit is complete, and our CPA firm has reported that our financial records are in excellent standing. The FHANA Form 990 is also nearing completion and will be shared and posted publicly soon. The auditors commended the organization on the quality of our bookkeeping, noting that only minor adjustments were required.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your continued membership. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this community and to serve as your leader.

Respectfully,

Marquis L. Laude
Presidente