Hot Topics at the 2019 Maryland Horse Forum On August 8 the Maryland horse community
will come together once again for the Maryland Horse Forum. Held every fi ve years and hosted by the Maryland Horse Industry Board and various industry partners, the Horse Forum is a day-long conference open to the public to dis- cuss various issues related to Maryland’s horse community. Past forums have helped the state assess the current status of the industry as well as develop strategic plans for future projects. T e Horse Forum is structured in one-hour
sessions to focus discussions on various top- ics. Participants are encouraged to share their concerns, thoughts and ideas. All are welcome to attend! Pre-registration is at: https://www.
tickettailor.com/events/mda/267187 T is year’s Horse Forum will cover three main issues: perception, promotion and education, horse-keeping and welfare, and land use, legis- lature and liability.
Perception, Promotion & Education
T is Horse Forum track will discuss topics re- lated to general perception of the industry, how to promote the industry and how to educate those new to horses. Questions such as “What is the current per-
ception of our industry?” and “How does that perception diff er from what we know to be true?” will be asked so that those attending will be able to brain storm and share their thoughts. T e goal is to bridge the gap between percep- tion and truth.
Also under this topic track is a discussion on
how to get more people invested in the horse industry. What might be the barriers some face that are keeping them from participating and how can those already established in the indus- try help them overcome those barriers? Recreational riding spaces always seem to
be a moving target, with some areas protected from development while others are at risk. One session of this year’s Horse Forum will focus on the importance of maintaining horse trails as well as other public riding facilities. Education is a key topic at this year’s Horse Forum with a group discussion planned to ad-
Land Use, Legislature & Liability Maryland statistically has more horses per
square mile than any other state in the country. How do we as a horse community preserve the space to keep our horse farms as horse farms? Land use and availability is one subtopic under the Land Use, Legislature & Liability section of the Horse Forum. Discussions will include what land preservation options are available in Maryland and how to keep these lands available for future generations. Another session will focus on existing regula- tions aff ecting horse owners. MHIB wants to
dress what educational activities are currently available as well as what types of educational activities current horse people are looking for. Do these activities serve the needs of the horse community or do new educational opportuni- ties need to be formed?
Horse-keeping & Welfare
From topics related to unwanted horses to keeping our personal horses healthy and happy, this Horse Forum track will address many of the issues surrounding horse health. One session will specifi cally be focused on the
“unwanted horse” and what programs are cur- rently in place to help transition these horses to new homes. MHIB wants to hear from the horse community in terms of what it feels is working and what more needs to be accomplished. In addition, MHIB would like to hear from
the horse community on where eff orts should be concentrated in regards to horse welfare concerns. Are horses being transitioned well? Should eff orts be focused more on education or legislation to protect our horses? Safeguarding our horses against infectious dis- eases is another topic at this year’s Horse Forum. Communication about outbreaks is key in stop- ping the spread of infectious diseases. What is the best method of communicating these out- breaks and what else do horse owners need to know about infectious disease spread in general? A separate session will focus specifi cally on the welfare and safety of racehorses.
Thursday, August 8, 2019 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Goucher College
1021 Dulaney Valley Rd. Baltimore, MD 21204
More information at:
marylandhorseforum.com
know what the regulation issues are in various counties. Also this session covers the best ways to address zoning and environmental challeng- es to horse farms. Legislation related to horse farms will be the topic of another session, as the industry looks forward to what might be coming up in the next legislative session that aff ects horse owners. T e session will also examine how in- dividual horse owners can be involved in the legislative process. Finally, a session will revolve around what the
biggest issues horse owners and businesses are facing related to insurance and liability. What are the economic challenges with operating a horse business? What help do horse owners and busi- nesses need from the Maryland horse industry?
Since 2004, the Maryland Horse Industry Board and various partners have held a day-long conference of the
state’s horse community every fi ve years (2004, 2009, 2014, 2019) to discuss various issues, assess the current status of the industry and help develop a plan to go forward. Ideas that have been discussed and pursued have included development of a Maryland Horse Park, a marketing
strategy for MHIB, how to deal with the unwanted horse population, land use and much more. T e Forum has also produced leaders. From the MHIB point of view, Ellie Trueman formed a marketing group in 2009 to develop a plan for MHIB. T e result? Many of our marketing eff orts to date such as our catch phrase “Find A Horse. Find a Friend,” the Touch of Class Awards and the Horse Discovery Center program emanated from that Forum. In 2014 we “discovered” Hope Birsh in a marketing session and she became chair of the Horse- land exhibition at the Maryland State Fair, which drew 55,000 visitors last year and will be reprised in August for the fourth straight year. So it is an extremely benefi cial day for all Maryland horse folks. T is year we hope new leaders emerge, espe-
cially from younger generations, and new programs, ideas and calls to action. Please attend and bring a lot of good energy and thoughts! - Ross Peddicord, Maryland Horse Industry Board Executive Director
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 JULY 2019 | THE EQUIERY | 13
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