CQHA Launches National Task Force to Shape the Future of Engagement in Canada

The Canadian Quarter Horse Association (CQHA) is proud to announce the formation of the CQHA Provincial AQHA Affiliate Engagement & Transition Task Force. This national working group will bring together regional voices and sector stakeholders to co-create recommendations for a sustainable, future-facing affiliate engagement model that reflects the unique needs of the Canadian Quarter Horse industry.

This initiative reflects CQHA’s commitment to proactive leadership in a time of transition. While Canada’s unique affiliate classification within the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) remains unchanged, the upcoming launch of AQHA’s grant-based Business Plan Funding (BPF) model in October 2026 presents an opportunity. Rather than wait for external changes, CQHA is moving forward with a collaborative and future-focused process to ensure Canada—and each of the provincial AQHA affiliates—is aligned, engaged, and ready to maximize the potential of this new model.

The mandate of the task force is simple but significant: evaluate, engage, and evolve.
Over the next six months, this group will explore what a stronger, more aligned system of support and representation could look like across Canada, with a focus on readiness, communication, funding access, and shared opportunity.

Stakeholder Representation

This is not a top-down review. The task force is designed to include a wide range of perspectives from across the country, including:

• Representatives from each AQHA-recognized provincial affiliate
• Youth, Amateur, and Professional participants
• Canadian AQHA judges, show managers, and secretaries
• Canadian branches of AQHA’s Alliance partners (NRHA, NCHA, NRCHA, etc.)
• CQHA board members
• Optional legal or policy advisors

Four dedicated subgroups will focus on key strategic areas:

1. Show Managers, Judges & Secretaries Subgroup – Exploring the lived realities of delivering AQHA-sanctioned shows in Canada.
2. Canadian AQHA Directors Subgroup – Reflecting on the evolving role, challenges, and strengths of provincial AQHA directors.
3. Funding Innovation & Transition Subgroup – Identifying tools and solutions to help affiliates and individuals navigate AQHA’s new funding model with confidence.
4. Youth & Young Adult Subgroup – recognizes the unique perspectives of youth as both beneficiaries and builders of equine programming, and aims to surface what matters most to them through peer-led dialogue, digital storytelling, and creative collaboration.

Additional subgroups are also being formed to reflect areas of growing importance and ensure sector-specific voices are heard:

• Trainers & Breeders Subgroup – Focused on the needs, opportunities, and barriers experienced by those producing and developing Quarter Horses in Canada.
• Membership Subgroup (Youth & Amateur) – Exploring how national programming, communication, and value delivery can better support Canadian riders and members at various stages of involvement.
• Sport Organization & Alliance Partners Subgroup – Engaging representatives from Canadian provincial and territorial sport organizations as well as AQHA alliance partners to foster coordination, collaboration, and shared growth.

Each subgroup will play a key role in shaping practical recommendations and tools that reflect the diverse realities of the Canadian Quarter Horse landscape.

A Design Thinking Approach

The task force will be grounded in a design thinking model—prioritizing listening, collaborative problem-solving, and prototyping over pre-determined conclusions. The work will follow five key phases:

1. Empathize – Gather lived experience and diverse input
2. Define – Clarify core issues and patterns
3. Ideate – Co-create practical solutions
4. Prototype – Develop and test draft models
5. Implement – Deliver recommendations and toolkits

The process will be transparent and highly participatory, with member surveys, affiliate interviews, and public consultations planned between now and fall.

Why This Matters

This task force is not just about governance—it’s about creating a stronger foundation for Quarter Horse activity in Canada. From regional shows and educational programming to national alignment and access to funding, the outcomes of this process will shape how CQHA serves its members for years to come.

The task force is being coordinated by Laurie Haughton, a longtime CQHA volunteer with a deep background in systems design, stakeholder engagement, and equine sector advocacy. Laurie holds certifications in both Change Management (Prosci) and Design Thinking (MIT Sloan School of Management) and brings over two decades of experience leading complex projects across industry and nonprofit environments. Her role is to facilitate dialogue, not direct outcomes—ensuring the process remains grounded in lived experience, diverse perspectives, and practical solutions.