American horse council convention in Lexington is a great success

American horse council convention in Lexington is a great success

AMERICAN HORSE COUNCIL CONVENTION IN LEXINGTON IS A GREAT SUCCESS The 1993 American Horse Council Convention, held from June 20-23 in Lexington, Kentu...

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AMERICAN HORSE COUNCIL CONVENTION IN LEXINGTON IS A GREAT SUCCESS The 1993 American Horse Council Convention, held from June 20-23 in Lexington, Kentucky, was a tremendous success, drawing over 300 individuals from diverse segments of the horse industry. Kentucky Governor Brereton C. Jones addressed a capacity crowd on Monday morning. In his remarks, the Governor proclaimed "it is impossible to overemphasize the importance of the American Horse Council. The AHC is a wonderful organization that has done fabulous things for all of us." Jones, a renowned horse owner and breeder as well as politician, acknowledged that the 1986 Tax Act had a debilitating effect on the horse industry as well as on many other industries. He said we have to continually work to change the tax regulations to make things more favorable for our industry. Jones stated that the horse industry, which he proclaimed as "the most exciting industry in America today," provides 79,820 jobs to individuals in the state of Kentucky. He said the industry needs to market itself better in an ever-changing and increasingly more competitive environment. The industry must constantly keep politicians aware of its viability and its importance to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The Governor said he stands ready to help the AHC in any way possible.

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on Monday morning. The American Horse Shows Association's Ellie Trueman stated that equestrian sports appeal to people of all ages and noted that there is a wonderful window of opportunity over the next four years to market the sport. The AHSA has a marketing campaign which it will implement in the next few years. It is currently marketing the sport and the association to the media, having recently sent out information on AHSA to over 2,000 major media sources. Phil Jursek, the United States Trotting Association's Director of Marketing, presented television advertisements that the USTA has created as part of its

ing to implement a national promotion in the near future. Todd Martin, an Atlanta-based advertising executive presenting the Thoroughbred industry's marketing plan, stated that it is imperative that the industry improve the consistency of the racing experience. He expressed that for the Thoroughbred industry to be a sustainable growth-oriented industry, it must choose for racing to have broader appeal, a higher level of acceptability and greater accessibility. He cited professional basketball as an industry which has translated these principles into remarkable Success.

Other convention sessions included a disaster preparedness workshop, a racing conference, an equestrian/trails workshop, an owner/breeder seminar and a tax workshop. Attendees also enjoyed several special events including an evening at the Kentucky Horse Park where individuals were whisked around in horsedrawn carriages and several breeds of horses were displayed to everyone's enjoyment. On Tuesday, New York State Horse Council President Bobbi Lipka was presented with the Van Ness Award, given annually to the individual or state horse council whl~ch has performed outstanding work for a state's horse industry. John Gaines was presented with the Galbreath Award, an annual honor given by the University of Louisville to an individual who has made outstanding business and entrepreneurial contributions to the industry. The luncheon concluded with a remembrance of the AHC's late president, Rich Rolapp, to whom the convention was dedicated. A location and time for next year's convention has yet to be determined but will be announced soon.

JOURNAL OF EQUINE VETERINARY SCIENCE