NCHA News

To my NCHA family,

Well, it has been five weeks now and if you are like me, you are about to go stir crazy. My hair looks like a hybrid of Conway Twitty and Bob Marley. My dog is getting tired of my wife and I and is needing some “me” time, and frankly, the two things I miss most is being at a show and the ability to see and enjoy a meal with my friends. The good news is I think there is hope in the coming weeks of a somewhat return to life as we are used to. There is no question it will be different. How different remains to be seen. All indications in Texas looks like there will be a loosening of restrictions beginning early May. Other parts of the country will have different timelines of course as some may already be headed that way while others may remain under guidelines to stay at home.

So, that brings us to the question of when will we be able to show? Right now, the only answer I have is soon for some and possibly later for others. Our plan is to conduct both the NCHA Western Nationals presented by 6666 Ranch and the Metallic Cat Summer Spectacular. What these shows will look like will remain to be seen. There is a possibility there may be limitations we have to follow. For example, limiting the number of spectators, the number of people in the show pen and various other aspects that could happen. I am saying this in preparation that we may have to follow some guidelines in order to do what we love. Later this week we will have additional information covering some of the immediate guidelines regarding shows around the country. It is our intent to have everyone back showing as soon as possible, but we also need to respect the guidelines in your specific states. Our staff is prepared to expedite the approval process so producers can get up and running as soon as possible.

One thing that will remain on pause is the NCHA program standings. It is only fair to calculate those when the entire country, or a substantial majority, is able to compete towards those points. NCHA LTE, area and some regional standings will be counted. We will provide a more detailed view of this in the coming days.

One thing that has been consistent through all of this, is the admiration I have for our members. I have appreciated all of your patience and understanding as we all try and work through this. I know we all want a return to normal and hopefully, it is not far off. I know this downtime has been a relentless struggle for some. If there is one thing that helps, most of us are “tough” people. Cowboy life can be full of ups and downs and our western heritage has bred into us a sense of grit that allows us to cope with challenges better than others.  I was talking with a friend of mine the other day. He is a veteran and former Special Forces, operator. His statement to me was “either you’re going to be coming out of this quarantine weaker or stronger. The choice is yours. 1% improvement daily is all that is needed to see a remarkable gain.” I thought for a while on this, and it again harkens back to my previous comments of using this time is an opportunity for self-improvement.

I hope and pray that all of you and your families are safe and healthy. We will be here for you when the time comes to show again. Hopefully soon.

Take care of yourselves and each other!

Jay Winborn

NCHA Executive Director