I'm writing part of this while still at the convention and the rest after returning home but it's not going to reach you until April though. As usual, our office staff handled the convention very well -- from the small details to the large ones. The weather was great this year so there was no difficulty getting over the mountains to the convention.

The seminars were well attended with many good speakers. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, gave two seminars which were from the view of an equine nutritionist, a rider, and an endurance vet. The Hot Topics sessions hosted by John Parke sparked useful discussion on the continuing topic of what we can do to improve the safety of horses in our sport. There were hands-on labs with Olin Balch, DVM, PhD; seminars on how to take better care of your horse at competitions; how to move up from shorter rides to longer and how to go from single-day rides to multi-day rides, and "Ask the Experts" panels. There was a well-attended veterinary continuing education class.

For some, the convention is an opportunity to learn new things. For others, it's an opportunity to see friends from around the country and to meet face to face with members who they have known a long time by email but never met.

The trade show is also another opportunity to see all things endurance and stock up on what you need for the coming season. The star of the vendor area was Karen Chaton's horse Chief, who was being used to demonstrate the EasyCare product line. He was so calm and quiet that some watching the demonstration thought he was just a model. He made friends with most of the vendors before the convention was over.

There was an Australian contingent headed by Jay Randle. They were visiting the U.S., competing in some of our rides, visiting members, and attending the convention. They seemed to really enjoy the convention and had a lot of discussion with AERC members about the differences between endurance in Australia and the U.S. They brought sample log books to show how horse welfare issues are handled in Australia.

The awards banquet was handled very well by MCs Patti Stedman and Bruce Weary. With good pacing, the awards were completed before 10:00 p.m. Hall of Fame inductees were Earle Baxter's CH Catch Me If You Can (Catch Me also received a Perfect 10 Award) and longtime member Bill Wilson of the Midwest Region. The Pard'ners Award went to Mike Tracy and Aron Moon+// of the West Region. Jerry Fruth was presented the Volunteer Service Award for leading the effort on trails for many years.

One highlight of the evening was the recognition of Julie Suhr for the many things she has accomplished and done for AERC over the years. Julie and Bob were unable to make it to the convention so a surprise call was made to Julie when the award was presented; using a cell speakerphone, Julie's response was audible to all using the hotel speaker system. Her response: "I want you to know that I will treasure that phone call for as long as I live. And I will remember the good friends who made it possible."

Our Sunday morning board meeting changed the qualifications of the National Championship slightly and called for designating an overall winner in addition to the present division winners. A three-year membership plan was passed in response to member request, which included a change in the family membership (more on this in a later issue).

Our next convention will be in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 20 and 21, 2009. I hope to see you all there.