AAHC offers individual and business memberships at $9/month. We will begin to offer discounts to AAHC events and the AAHC website has member restricted content.
Based on your level of activity within AAHC you could receive important discounts that may far exceed your cost of membership.
Not ready to commit but want to read more?
Bishop local Stan Michael finishes 8th in Mongol Derby.
If you live in or near Bishop, you likely waved to Stan this summer as he prepped for the race by riding along the road – spending “every spare minute in the saddle”. The Mongol Derby is one of the toughest horse races in the world – 1000km across the harsh terrain of the Mongolian Steppes.
Referrals – Help us, Help you
AAHC is dedicated to the growth of the local horse community so that future generations have green space for horses. Setting up community members with reputable providers is important as ensuring sure community members are connected with the best service providers possible means more growth for the local community.
Every farm that stays a farm – and doesn’t become a subdivision – is a win for the local horse community.
Selling horse properties to actual horse people (and not developers) is vital to the sustainability of horses in the Athens area. Not all agents that are horse people have a proven track record of being able to keep horses on horse properties.
Additionally – referrals are a key component for funding AAHC’s community initiatives. Using our referral network for real estate, barn and home builds, and more means you are supporting our current work at Heritage Park and (formerly) Steadfast Farms, and the Equine Impact Survey. Also – in the years to come – connected trails throughout the Athens area, a youth educational program, and other missions.
Getting referrals directly from the AAHC team means we can put more payroll toward the community initiatives that serve YOU and the rest of the local horse community. Contact us HERE or send us an email..
Oconee Residents – Help us with Heritage Park
This fall TSPLOST is on the ballot. Please vote YES. The “T” in TSPLOST stands for Transportation. Oconee Citizens voting yes on TSPLOST this fall means the Board of Commissioners can use SPLOST funds for more/updating parks because they will have dedicated transportation funds.
In Oconee, Heritage Park was created with SPLOST funding. AAHC team members and volunteers are asking Oconee County leaders to use SPLOST funds for safety and maintenance improvements. You can read more about the Heritage Park initiative here.
Additional Resources
- Oconee Gov’t site for 2023 TSPLOST – Tax for transportation and Traffic Relief
- Are you lost about SPLOST? Check out this helpful article! There are so many acronyms in government it can seem like a bowl of alphabet soup. The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax or SPLOST is a tax that helps your local government solve problems for your community.
Want to help?
- Do the 2023 TSPLOST Survey (and be sure to say that LAS trails are a priority – this is Oconee’s next BIG park and we want horse trails there!)
- VOTE YES ON TSPLOST THIS NOVEMBER!
HorseWise – New Column!
AAHC hopes HorseWise is a longstanding column helping local horse owners better understand their horses. It is for horse people who want to be better partners for their equines. In this installment, Meg and Amanda chat about HORSES HIDING PAIN.
Planting Native Grasses for Horses
Native grasses are better food for the whole ecosystem than a single grass species (ex fescue) pasture – feeding your horses a wider variety of micronutrients. They have a deeper root system -improving soil health and it’s ability to hold water and carbon.
Watch pastures and roadsides near your home – notice that during drought, the native species will stay green significantly longer than your single species pastures like bermuda and fescue.
If you are curious about native grasses and want to learn more – click HERE. We have compiled a bunch of resources and information for you. Also stay tuned – as we learn more, we will continue to post about Athens Area native grasses for horses.
These newsletters contains so much information that we have decided to split them into smaller packages. Look for these to appear in your inbox more often.
Next month, there will only be 2 ways to access the newsletters! Your inbox is one way – SIGN UP HERE and the other is to access them on this website as an AAHC member – GET YOUR LOGIN HERE.