LISTENING SESSIONS
July 19, 2005
What are the opportunities facing the equine industry in Kentucky or Shelby County?
There have been 200 horse farms developed in Shelby County since the last ag census (2002) - with the loss of tobacco there are opportunities to convert tobacco farms to equine/equestrian uses - this may be the only way for Shelby County to protect and preserve its agricultural land
If we developed a system of horse trails throughout the state, this could help us generate more national and international tourism around the horse. People want to be able to ride a horse when they visit the horse capital of the world
RFD is becoming a very popular cable station and we need to do more promotion of KY and the many opportunities for those interested in any aspect of the horse industry if they come to KY
There is some great horse property available in Shelby County - there are 62 saddlebred farms in Shelby County and only one of the commercial saddlebred farms is owned/operated by a native of this county. Everybody else choose to come here. That's the kind of opportunity for growth we have here
More and more people are "retiring" to a horse farm to live out their dream - and we have an opportunity to attract those people to this county - we have already shown that this is a great place for a horse farm
This also opens up opportunities for related economic growth because when we retire to our dream farms we buy lots of things to create our dream
And we need information on how to make it a reality - there were a lot of us at the "Green Acres" workshop that Extension here offered to help new farm owners learn about what was necessary to make a successful farm operation
What are the challenges facing the equine industry in Kentucky or Shelby County?
Educating the people of Kentucky and the county on the economic impact of the horse industry on all segments of the economy
Helping the local officials and residents of Shelby County to understand how many people come to this county for horse-related tourism and the economic impact of horse tourism on this county. Tourists literally come by the busload to visit our saddlebred farms - On our farm - we have to divide the tourists up into groups to handle all of them
There needs to be consistency between KY regulations regarding health certificates and Coggins tests and those of other states and we need to enforce these regulations all the time - because the risk of infectious disease seems to be growing
We just need to increase the public knowledge of every aspect of the equine industry. We won't be able to build the horse industry here if people don't understand the industry
If the new U of L stadium is built away from the fair grounds then we could use Freedom Hall more effectively for horse shows but this would work only if they become more user-friendly to horse shows
The high cost of liability insurance does affect the opportunities for riding instruction and trail riding/horse for hire businesses
What changes would you like to see to help build the equine industry in Kentucky or Shelby County?
There is no place for the backyard horseman or anyone else to ride except on your own land. We need to develop a state-wide horse trail that allows you to ride from one end of the state to another. There are a few state parks with trails but not enough and it takes a while to get these places
I served on the state fair board for several years. We would see the books and they would keep two sets - one for the fair/midway/concerts and one for the world championship saddlebred show. Every year, the saddlebred show would net $1 million or more while the rest of the state fair would lose money - once almost $700,000. Yet, when we asked for one more day for the horse show because it has grown so much that we needed the extra day for all the classes, the answer was no. Why? Because they wanted to have a concert that night. When I asked if they expected to make a profit on the show, they said they often didn't. What I am getting to is that they just need to be more hospitable to horse shows at the state fair grounds. You know they lost the Arabian Nationals that used to come to Louisville every other year - and everyone knows its because of the way they were treated. Even though the Arabian Nationals would bring in over $80 million to Louisville (and that's not my figures that comes from the Louisville Tourism commission), they just wouldn't try to get them to stay. If we really want to turn KY into the horse capital and to gain the economic benefits of this, then we have to be more welcoming and more willing to help the very big shows to come here, succeed and stay
The sales tax on feed and hay for horses but not other livestock is simply unfair and reflects the unwillingness to treat the horse industry just like the rest of agriculture. We aren't asking for any special consideration - we just want to be treated the same as cattle or hogs or poultry
We put a sales tax on horses sold in KY unless they are shipped out of state is telling people that we want them to buy a horse in KY but we don't want them to keep them here and so they leave and take all the economic benefits of horses away from KY
What recommendations would you make to UK to help the equine industry take advantage of its opportunities and meet its challenges?
Someone needs to look into the impact of the development of horse farms on land preservation. In Shelby County, we know that it's been the new horse farms being developed that has helped to preserve agricultural land. Is this a viable way to keep tobacco farms from becoming houses? Is it really working like this in Shelby County?
We need research on the prevalence of Cushins diseases and other diseases that seem to be indigenous to this area? It seems like Cushins is really a problem in this area - is this true? Is it more prevalent here than other places? If so, what is it about this place that makes horses susceptible to Cushins disease?
We need to document with research the impact of horse shows on both local and state economies. And then UK can help to develop informational materials that help local people and local government officials to understand the local economic impact of horses and horse farms and horse shows
The Saddlebred Association contracts with UK to do DNA based identification testing for registration of foals. In 1985, there were about 5,000 saddlebred foals registered nationally. In 2003 we registered 2,803 foals and in 2004 it was about 2,860. How can UK help us reduce the costs of DNA identification?
UK needs to make sure that its Extension pamphlets on pasture management, insect problems, use of chemicals, etc. provide explicit references for horses - nearly all of these pamphlets out here tell you about what to do with cattle - but they don't say anything about horses. Are we supposed to assume that if it applies to cattle it applies to horses? I don't think so
There is a need for more continuing education programs - trainings and workshops - about horses - horse care, horse farm management, the best farm equipment for small horse farms
Really, all counties should offer a Green Acres program like they do here in Shelby County. I learned so much that has helped me make the transition to being the owner of a small horse farm
Maybe UK could help develop programming for RFD and other cable stations about the horse industry in Kentucky or programs that highlight the research that's done at UK
It would be nice to have some economic or business models for what it would take to establish a successful trail riding or horse rental business.
Yeah, but not just those - what about all the other kinds of horse-related businesses that could be developed if people had more knowledge about what it takes to put one together
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