“We would be very fortunate to have the chairmen of both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees address us,” said AHC president Jay Hickey. “The $102 billion equine industry is an important sector of the agriculture community, not only when horses are in their breeding life, but also when they move into their racing, showing, work, or recreation careers. The equine world is still regulated by the US Department of Agriculture in terms of disease control, import/export, interstate movement, and research. The Congressional agriculture committees are important to the horse industry.”
The Issues Forum will also feature a special panel, which will include representatives of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and The Jockey Club, to update the industry on their plans to require the microchipping of horses beginning in 2017. Speaking will be Mary Babick, Vice President of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, Summer Stoffel, who serves on the USEF Horse Recording & ID Task Force Committee, and Matt Iuliano, Executive Vice President and Executive Director of The Jockey Club. Each has been intimately involved in their organizations move to requiring microchipping. “This should be a real opportunity for attending organizations to learn first-hand about their plans, how they will affect their members, and how they might want to prepare for the new requirements,” said Hickey.
This year’s National Issues Forum will be held on Tuesday, June 14, during the AHC’s annual convention. The convention will run from June 12 to 15 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC.
The AHC convention will also feature the inaugural meeting of executive directors of national equine organizations. Organized by Julie Broadway, the new president of the AHC, and David Foley, executive director of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, this meeting will allow the top staff of horse associations to join together to discuss internal, administrative-type issues that each may face in their day-to-day operations. Such issues might include membership retention, dealing with volunteers, and management. This meeting will feature two speakers from the American Society of Association Executives to talk about their peer group formation experience and benefits
The AHC annual meeting will also include the meetings of all the AHC’s committees. This year each committee will be asked to address how its members can get their organizations more involved in grassroots lobbying on legislation and regulations within their jurisdiction. In other words how AHC committees and horse organizations can “Put More Horsepower in Congress.”
Complete information on these Forums and the entire AHC annual meeting, including registration and hotel information, can be found on the AHC’s website, www.horsecouncil.org/ahc-events/ or by contacting the AHC.
