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American
Shagya-
Arabian
Verband, Inc.
as of: 04/23/2012 |
 I just encountered something that was super cool. April 14th I rode my Shagya, Lily Creek Stetson in the 50 mile Foxcatcher endurance ride in Maryland. In a field of about 85 horses and riders we finished 4th. The super cool part was being a member of a fully functional and hardworking team. It consisted of one horse and four adults, and we all had fun working to make it happen, although I may not be qualified to speak for the horse, but based on the initiative and determination Stetson showed us, I think he had a blast.We have a team captain, she’s a very good leader. She has real leadership qualities. She’s far from overbearing. She rather guides the team gently in reasonable directions, often taking the time to explain the reasoning behind the action, and perhaps even providing a story that provides context. Being tactful is always important, but when you are working with volunteers, and you want to have help in the future, being tactful and respectful, is the only reasonable approach. Being a good listener is also very important. Pulling in and honestly considering the perspectives of others helps a team grow and adapt and respond to a changing environment. This is necessary for a healthy fully functional team. Within ASAV, I feel one of my key roles and president is to help our leaders learn how to manage others and insure that everyone is treated with the respect they deserve. It truly is wonderful and heartwarming to work with ASAV’s members and directors. I try to never forget they are not getting paid for their hard work. I have ridden a bunch of races where I had no crew at all. Knowing that you have a competent pit crew standing by ready to get my horse (and me) back into the condition the horse and rider need to be in at launch time is invaluable in competition. I must say, knowing I had a competent willing crew, really helped my attitude as I was racking up the miles and “dealing with it” during the riding. Also I feel that engaging in open brainstorming that has nothing to do with ownership of a particular idea or view, as we review our performance, is also key. Healthy teams are not a place for egos to dwell. For me, the Foxcatcher experience was something I will always remember with fondness. Working for ASAV, like any worthwhile endeavor, has had its share of challenges, but the way I look at it, that is life. The way I see it, working through problems with the ASAV team is how we grow and become a better organization. For me, ASAV is about helping build stronger teams. Like with competition endurance riding, ASAV becomes better the more we pull together as a team. We know this. This is what we do, and will continue to do. These are challenging times for any Shagya association. We need more team members and leaders willing to team think through problems. So if you are not actively involved in ASAV, please contact your regional director and consider asking about joining an ASAV team. Become a member of this team. Brian Coss ASAV President brian.coss@yahoo.com |
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Link to recent ASAV Announcements |
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Click to launch the full edition in a new window Digital Publishing with YUDU Download PDF-Version of April 2012 Newsletter here (8.14 MB) |
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Click to launch the full edition in a new window Publisher Software from YUDU Download PDF-Version of January 2012 Newsletter here (4.4 MB) |
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Download PDF-Version of the 2011 Fall Newsletter here (4.9 MB) |
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Download PDF-Version of the Guide here (13.4 MB)
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Shagya-Arabian VerbandSM All Rights Reserved.
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