A Letter from MHC’s Presidents THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL
Happy New Year! Although 2022 was a banner year for the Maryland horse industry – a
MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory that was even more successful than the inaugural event; the long-awaited re- turn of the Washington International Horse Show to Maryland, and a Capitol Challenge Horse Show with a block-buster 1,800 competitors, to name just a few – January is nevertheless a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. To that end, you will see that this issue is something of a Survey Issue.
We discuss two of the surveys we conducted in 2022 – a government re- lations survey and a sport horse competition survey – and we also report out the results of our 2022 Membership Survey. T ese surveys both confi rm the relevance of our work to date and help us plan out our work going forward. In particular, the membership survey confi rms that our expanded work on trail stewardship issues this past year, in particular our monthly Trail Stewardship Town Halls and our monthly Trails Stewardship columns in T e Equiery, are welcome addi- tions. We have also added an Equine Assisted T erapy Town Hall and will have our inaugural Association Town Hall in February 2023, based on the feedback provided in theses surveys. Below is the Membership Committee’s report on its 2022 survey.
2022 Membership Survey Report by Jane T ery & the MHC Membership Committee
Introduction T e MHC Membership Committee conducted a Membership Survey in 2022 to solicit feedback from MHC members on their areas of inter- est and views on MHC activities. T e survey questions were drafted by then Membership Committee members Dawn Edgerton-Cameron and Jane T ery and discussed with- in the Membership Committee then chaired by Ashley Adams Aycock. T e questions were revised and approved by the MHC Executive Com- mittee, and the Survey was sent out in the Spring of 2022, with several reminders. T e results of the Survey were compiled, and a summary of the nu-
merical results are presented here. Highlights from the comments are also included. Next steps include a follow-up survey to our membership later this month to help us prioritize the topics on which MHC should focus in 2023. In view of the helpful information garnered from this Survey, the MHC
Membership Committee has recommended that an annual Membership Survey be conducted to assist MHC leadership in pursuing its goal of meeting the expectations of its members.
Survey Summary T e Survey asked the following questions:
1. What type of Membership do you have? 2. Why did you join the MHC? 3. What activities would you like to see in the next two years? 4. What is the MHC already doing that you value? 5. Has your MHC membership met your expectations?
A quarter of the MHC membership responded to the Survey. In gen-
eral, survey response rates in the 5% to 30% range are typical. T is re- sponse rate therefore demonstrates a motivated core of members who value MHC and are willing to take the time to provide their views to MHC leadership. T e MHC Membership Committee would like to thank those members who responded and provided this valuable input.
Question 1: What type of Membership do you have? • 60.4% were Individuals • 30.2% were Industry Professionals • 9.4% were Associations • 0% were Youths
Question 2: Why did you join the MHC (check all that apply)? • 79.4% Legislative representation •58.8% Horse industry networking • 56.7% Equine wellness advocacy • 56.7% Educational opportunities • 44.3% Farm stewardship advocacy • 35.1% Equiery home subscription • 16.5% Free events promotion • 15.5% Members-only events • 9.3% Discounts on horse products • 9.3% Discounts on Equiery advertising
Question 3: What activities would you like to see in the next two years? (open text response) T e responses to this question generally fell into the following groups, continued...
Thank You To Our Maryland Horse Council Sponsors!
join.mdhorsecouncil.org www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | JANUARY 2023 | 7
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