-The annual IBHA Convention was held on March 12-14 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - in these times of uncertainty it was great to be able to see our "Buckskin Family" and work together toward a common goal of making the IBHA the best it can be.  Committees workshops took place on Thursday and met again on Friday in meetings that were open to all attendees. 

-Some exciting highlights from the Convention include approval to hold Equestrians With Disabilities (EWD) classes at the 2020 World Show - which IBHA will be seeking NSBA approval for.  Also returning to the World Show are Added Money Green Hunter Under Saddle and Added Money Green Western Pleasure, which will also be open to horses registered in the Buckskin-Bred program!

-Other exciting World Show news is that IBHA has contracted with Puhl Photography for a live feed of the Warm-Up to the World Circuit and IBHA World Championship Show!  The live feed will be free to all viewers, and a link will be provided on the IBHA website once the feed is live.  Exhibitors will also be able to purchase videos of their classes at the show.

-The theme for the 2020 World Show was voted upon and the winner was "Party Like a Rock Star! Buckskins Rock!".  Youth Teams will use this theme for the stall decorating contest - we can't wait to see what they come up with!

-Walk-Trot Trail was approved by the IBHA delegates as an approved class for the 2021 season.  

-IBHA Judges Butch Watson, Dan Grunewald, and Todd Foltz led a presentation that reviewed scoring changes for Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Western Pleasure, which will now be based on a 0-100 scoring system.  They also reviewed videos of pattern performances and explained how they would score them and why.  We thank them for their time and wealth of knowledge!

​-Jan Thompson of Iowa was named as the Executive Vice President of IBHA, and Michael Stadler of Colorado will serve a second three-year term as President.  The Executive Committee also added two more members: Pat Osenga from Wisconsin and Shelene "Sam" Mitchell of Utah.  They join fellow Executive Committee members Ed Anderson (Wisconsin), Ben Grandstaff (Ohio), Laurie Kristoff (Illinois), Denise Kurtz (Indiana), Dolores Kurzeja (Indiana), Deanna O'Keefe (Indiana), and Mike Stadler (Colorado).

-The Hall of Fame inducted its' newest members: the late Fred Thompson from Iowa and the late Eugene Zimmermann from Minnesota.  Fred did not have a background with horses, but was introduced to them and to the Heartland Buckskin Association by his wife, Jan. He became more and more involved and would eventually become a member of the IBHA Executive Committee and would serve as Executive Vice President.  Fred passed away in 2016 and will be remembered for his unwavering support of IBHA and for always being a friendly face to all.  Eugene Zimmermann, according to his wife, had being inducted into the IBHA Hall of Fame on his bucket list.  Although he passed away in 2018, that last item can finally be checked off.  Eugene has been a familiar face to exhibitors at the IBHA World Show as the Equipment Judge for over 20 years and was often the last person they would see before entering the show pen, and the first person they would see when they came out. Gene was a huge source of support for the youth and queen programs, and was instrumental in getting the miniature division up and running.  Along with serving on those committees, Gene was serving a term as Executive Vice President at the time of his passing.  You can read more about both of these amazing gentlemen on the Hall of Fame page.

-Some exciting news from the eastern states: the East Coast Buckskin Association is being formed in the Pennsylvania area, and the North East Buckskin Horse Association is being formed in Maine and surrounding New England states!  The East Coast charter is currently finalizing paperwork to obtain non-profit status, and the North East charter is in the process of pursuing adding IBHA-approved classes to two shows that are hosted by other breed organizations.  The Mid-America Buckskin Association (Indiana) is the oldest IBHA charter, but has been dormant in recent years.  It has been revitalized and is planning a show for September 2020 in Rochester, Indiana.

-The IBHA office offered some incentives for first-time World Show sponsors at the $150 Class Sponsor level or more - those that solicited those sponorships were entered into a drawing for some great prizes!  Winning a full-page ad in the World Show Program Book was Barb Robinson / Mid-America Buckskin Association; winning a free stall at the World Show was Ben Grandstaff, and winning a $100 gift card to State Line Tack was Brandon Kurtz!  Thank you to everyone who was able to bring in new sponsorships!  The sponsorship form was given to all Convention attendees and is currently available on the World Show page on the IBHA website.