From the Desk of Marty Schaffel: Navigating the Eddy

In my younger days, I used to love whitewater rafting. There was always the thrill of navigating the swift current, small drop-offs, and large boulders. Most fascinating was the eddy just after a huge boulder. An eddy is a circular movement of water, counter to the main current, causing a whirlpool. I once watched a fellow in a kayak paddle into one. Here he was swiftly going downriver, and then suddenly, he was caught spinning round and round in this whirlpool. He looked frightened and frustrated but fought hard against these forces of nature. He paddled vigorously and finally got clear and went back to his normal kayaking on down the river.

What is our fight through these rough waters, how can we pick a strategy to navigate and come out on the other side of the whirlpool clear and ready to paddle vigorously on swift waters to a brighter future?

We cannot dwell on what we cannot control. But we can all work together to take-on the factors within our control. We are all in the same boat with having to follow federal, state, and local authorities as it pertains to our personal, business, and equine activities. As an organization and leaders in the trotting breed community, we have come together to create several JLC Suggested Re-Opening Resources and templates. Regionally members are coming together to develop guidelines and scenarios to re-open barns, and reschedule horse shows safely.

I am very grateful for the tremendous efforts made by the Joint Leadership Council and several volunteers for drafting guidelines to open barns and horse shows safely. Hopefully, they will influence those state and local officials who make these decisions about all of this. That will allow us to officially open barns and have shows again.

We must strategize for the future. How can this pandemic and time of change turn into a positive opportunity? Could we have the foresight and ingenuity to reorganize our businesses, product, and customer experience to turn this difficult situation into a trampoline to gain a larger share of the leisure business and recreational sports market? The adaptability of barn based activities to be safe, inclusive, and, most importantly, social distancing compliant has great promise to allow us to be a place for the displaced athletes and enthusiasts from other team-based activities. We have seen this pandemic already force quick, creative thinking and adaptations in communication, promotion, and client relations. ASHA is actively engaging our volunteers, leaders, and staff to build on this and create tools and resources to give our community an advantage in pushing forward in planning, promoting, and marketing to capture this new audience.

I know we all can’t wait to paddle our way out of this eddy. We are getting closer every day. And it is happening due to the hard work of so many dedicated people who have come together to forge our way out. The thing I remember most about white water rafting was how critical it was, when in a dangerous area or eddy, for everyone to paddle hard together. Only when we all paddled together did we free ourselves from the eddy. 

So today, I remind everyone we are in this raft together and stuck in an eddy. Now is the time to all paddle hard together.  If we do, we all will be able to continue downriver together.

Marty Schaffel, ASHA President