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What Matters? Red Turns Green.

We’ve all sat at the intersection and thought that the red light would never turn to green. But it always does. Eventually. Red always turns Green. And then we Go.As we sit still in these uncertain times, wishing we were showing, what will we do when red turns green? We are all disappointed. There are new horses and new teams and the excitement of seeing our friends and competing and all the things that come with showing our beloved American Saddlebreds. But red will certainly turn green.We were swept up in a situation that was unforeseeable with the rapid onset of this silent, invisible virus. But we have time to plan for when red turns green. How will we use this time to reflect and plan for our industry?Could we use this time to Take Care of Each Other? In a world that is not short on opinions shared on social media, could we find a new civility? Could we come together in the ASHA to plan for a new organization going forward; one that unites to find common solutions to our common problems?Could we use this time for Imagination? There have been many new programs imagined and implemented in the recent weeks—the new Select Series and Monarch Series; the new Star Show designation; the professional development program with Elisabeth McMillian. What else can we get going? Claiming classes? New marketing and sponsorship programs? New ways to register our breed online? New breeding programs? New opportunities for Saddlebred Sport Horses? New partnerships with our sister affiliates? What else?Could we use this time for Realize We’re Dependent on Each Other? There are no show horses to train and own and love if there are no shows and there are no horses. So, let’s figure out how to keep our shows solvent and our breeding intact and growing. There are no trainers if people haven’t learned to ride in the first place. So, let’s figure out how to help our marketers and instructors and lesson programs to grow and thrive.Could we use this time to Understand our Accountability? We are all accountable. We are accountable to each other. If there is a lesson to learn from this trying time, it is that each of us individually is accountable to all of us collectively. And we are accountable to ourselves. In a world filled with, “You know what they ought to do”, we realize that “we” are “they”. We are the people who can make a change.Could we use this time to Plan for our Resilience? We are not so fragile that several weeks or several months will be anything more than a blip in time in the long run.So, this is a time to reflect and plan. Plan for Unity; Plan for Imagination; Plan for Continued Interdependence; Plan for Personal Accountability. And when we put these plans into action, we will grow and thrive.These are not the thoughts of the ASHA. These are the concepts of the great American philosopher, Matthew McConaughey. Enjoy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RdXUiodxqUWhat Matters? We All Matter. Red Turns Green.