Lexington, KY - The Kentucky Equine Networking Association (KENA) is off and running. At its inaugural meeting last week, the new organization attracted more than twice as many attendees as expected.
"We thought we would be lucky if 75 people showed up, but about 150 people came," said Ginny Grulke, Director of the Kentucky Horse Council and one of the cofounders of KENA, along with Robin DeGraff and Dr. Ed Squires.
DeGraff breeds American Quarter Horses and owns DeGraff Stables in Midway. Squires is Professor of Veterinary Science, Director of Advancement and Industry Relations, and Director of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation at the University of Kentucky.
KENA is modeled on the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Mangers Club (termed a "phenomenal group" by Squires.) Its purpose is to offer both equine professionals and horse enthusiasts from all disciplines networking opportunities and the opportunity to learn from speakers within the equine industry.
"This is the other horse industry, the one that has not had the attention," said Dr. Mats Troedsson, Chair of the Veterinary Science Department and Director of the Gluck Equine Research Center at UK. "This [meeting] is a significant day."
At this first meeting of KENA, Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear addressed the group and introduced the speaker, US Army Col. (Ret.) Walter Herd. Beshear drew laughter from the audience when she said that horses had saved both her relationship with her parents when she was a teenager and her marriage.
"Everyone in this room has the same passion: the horse," she said. "It's the language we all talk, a bond that ties Kentucky together."
Noting that other states, particularly those close to Kentucky "would love to lure our industry to their state," Beshear reminded the audience that "our industry is at risk" and urged them "to support all parts of the industry, to network, to communicate."
She predicted that the World Equestrian Games "will make us more determined to hold title to the 'Horse Capital of the World.' From the backyard pony to the four million dollar horse that sold last week, that's what makes us unique."
Herd, who lives with his family and horses on a farm in Shelbyville, spoke of "Threats to American Equestrianism." Using the analogy of a military tactic-the threat analysis-Herd identified several factors which threaten the future of riding and owning horses.
These threats include the assumption that what happens in one facet of the horse industry doesn't affect other sections; urbanization which has rapidly decreased the amount of open land for riding, farming, and operating riding stables; animal rights groups, more activities available for leisure time, a litigious society which increases the risk of operating a riding stable, the growing cost of the sport, and the image that only wealthy people can ride or own horses.
Among Herd's listeners at the September 16 meeting were Becky Jordan, Quarter Horse owner and reining's representative on the World Equestrian Games board of directors; Donna Garner, manager of Chinook Arch Farm which specializes in Warmbloods; Joe Police, Sr., of the Kentucky Horseshoeing School; Dr. Jamie MacLeod, Director of the Equine Initiative and Professor of Veterinary Science at UK; and Jessica Bollinger of CW Eventing.
Despite being one of the busiest people in Lexington on the eve of WEG, John Nicholson, Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, attended. Members of the KHP staff present included Lisa Jackson and Cindy Rullman of the Marketing Department.
A number of people representing national equine associations that are located at KHP were there. They included Deb Balliet of the Equine Land Conservation Resource, Linda Hall of the Morgan Horse Association, Jason Tice of the Friesian Association of North America, and Peggy Entrekin of the Rocky Mountain Horse Association.
Several people in the racing sector of the equine industry noted the opportunity KENA provides to network with non-racing segments of the horse industry. They included Ted and Betsy Kuster who raise Thoroughbreds at Shawhan Place Farm; Dan Rosenberg, former manager of Three Chimneys Farm and now an international Thoroughbred industry consultant; and Sandra White, Director of Women in Racing and owner of Kentucky Derby Scarves.
Squires said that KENA meetings, open to any interested person, will be held every two months. The next meeting (location to be determined later) will be November 16 at 6PM. Rich Wilcke, Director of the Equine Program at the University of Louisville, will be the speaker.
For more information see http://www.kentuckyhorse.org/kena or call the Kentucky Horse Council at 859 367-0509.