Lexington, KY - The second biennial Kentucky International Equine Summit was held in Lexington in April. A joint effort of the University of Kentucky's Equine Initiative and the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program (EIP), the summit's focus was on issues that face the entire industry.
The goal of the conference is "to bring experts from industry and academia together to discuss the most critical non-political issues facing the horse industry in hopes that leaders of the industry - the officers, directors and committee members of national and state horse organizations - can use the dialogue to meet those challenges," said Rich Wilcke, Summit chair and the director of the University of Loiusville's EIP.
Sessions over the two-day conference fell within six tracks. They included "New Ideas in Equine Media and Technology," "Equine Industrial Structures and Strategies," "Increasing Globalization of Equine Activities," "Equine Association Leadership/Management," "Equine Regulatory and Jurisdictional Issues," and "Postsecondary Equine Education Programs."
Among the 70 presenters were David O'Connor, president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation; Dan Silver, director of communications and media relations for the New York Racing Association; David Llewellyn, president of Wyvern International/Australian Racing; and Randy Moss, ESPN horse racing analyst.
Central Kentucky presenters included Case Clay, president of Three Chimneys Farm; Chauncey Morris, sales and marketing associate for Keeneland; Becky Jordan, reining's representative on the World Equestrian Games board; Laurie Lawrence, professor of animal science at UK; and Dan Rosenberg, international Thoroughbred consultant.
The summit "offers a great opportunity to network with key industry leaders," said Ginny Grulke, director of the Kentucky Horse Council.
Deb Balliet, CEO of Equestrian Land Conservation Resources, said that "coming together to collaborate our resources in an efficient way to help the industry and connecting with the industry is relevant."
Balliet was impressed that presenters involved in equine career programs are aware of the issue of keeping land available for riding.
"We're losing, by U.S.D.A. figures, 6,000 acres a day to development. The next generation (in the equine industry) will really have this battle, for adequate land relates to all riders, all breeds of horses," Balliet said.
In the racing regulation session, Edward S. Bonnie, a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said that "the state regulators have to have the courage to do the right thing. If they don't the whole industry is going down."
The equine attorney said that the state regulatory structure for racing is flawed and racing stewards have too many other duties to be hearing the evidence and deciding cases involving drugs and other violations.
Bonnie advocated for a National Racing Rule.
"We're getting close to it. Ninety percent of the rules we have are generally uniform," he said. Bonnie praised the United States Equestrian Foundation's procedure for dealing with rules violations.
Attorneys Rick Goodell of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board and Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, also advocated reform by the industry, just as the health care and education industries use self-regulation.
"Fans want to see action and reform now," Waldrop said.
Luncheon speaker Nick Nicholson, Keeneland Association's president, agreed. "We should have a set of national rules and they should be simple to understand."
Nicholson mentioned two areas in which racing must succeed.
"We have to protect our athletes, the two-legged and the four-legged," he said. His second threshold issue is integrity.
"The integrity of our wagering system has to hold up," he stated.
The other luncheon speaker was John Long, chair of WEG and CEO of the U.S. Equestrian Foundation. Mentioning a French friend who asked if Kentucky produced wine, a Pacific Rim friend who wondered if one could fly fish in Kentucky, and a friend in Britain who wanted to know about the Bourbon Trail, Long said that WEG offers "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase all that we do in Kentucky."
In the weeks past WEG, Long predicted "this tremendous sense of accomplishment from everyone who had the opportunity to be involved. And then we'll say 'We can do this again.' One of our legacies with WEG is that bridges will be built that don't exist today."
Globalization of both the sport horse and racing drew strong interest, particularly considering the vast market of China. Dan Pride, executive vice president and COO of Fasig-Tipton, described how his company staged a mock horse auction for eight Chinese visitors the week before.
Dave Avery, director of international programs, American Quarter Horse Association, called China "one of the most intriguing markets I think we'll have to opportunity to explore in the near future."
Acknowledging the slowed economy and other problems that the equine industry is coping with, Nicholson said, "My mentor John Bell (founder of Jonabell Farm) told me it was the only business he knew of where every single person was in it because he wanted to be."
Nicholson reminded his audience that "we're very lucky to be in this industry. During Derby Week, let's not forget to stop and smell the roses."