Fair Representation for Horse Owners on the Equine Species Working Group for NAIS
The membership of the Equine Species Working Group for NAIS changed as of June 2006 and is as follows:
37 total members
8 represent Agriculture officials & vet colleges/associations and 3 American Horse Council representatives, leaving 26 who actually represent the horse owning public.
Of those 26,
11 (42%) directly represent the racing industry (54% if we include those indirectly involved with racing),
9 (35%) breed associations are represented (3 of those indirectly involved with racing) and one breed association that is indirectly involved with racing having TWO representatives,
5 (19%) represent show organizations with 4 of those directly tied to one or more of the breed associations represented. This technically leaves ONE (4%) who represents ALL OTHER show people, and
ONE (4%) member who represents recreational owners.
The "Economic Impact of the Equine Industry" study published in 2005 by the American Horse Council documented that
9% of horses in the United States were used for racing,
29% for showing,
42% for recreation and
19% were classified as "other" activities (farm and ranch work, rodeo, carriage horses, polo, police work, informal competitions, etc.)
This unfair representation CANNOT be explained by economics
as their study concludes that:
racing directly contributes $10.6 billion (27%) to the Gross Domestic Product whereas
showing contributes $10.8 billion (28%),
recreation contributes $11.8 billion (30%) and
the "other" category contributes $5.5 billion (14%).
In terms of total jobs supported by the Equine Industry,
racing contributes to 383,826 (27%),
showing contributes to 380,416 (27%),
recreation contributes to 435,082 (31%) and
the "other" category contributes to 212,010 (15%).
Contrast this to the representation on the Board of Trustees of the American Horse Council: 57% were from the racing industry when the ESWG was created.
As of April 3, 2006; both the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the board are from the racing industy: http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=32885This petition will also be delivered to USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Committe on Agriculture
We, the undersigned, request that the membership of the Equine Species Working Group for the NAIS be reconfigured to decrease the number of racing interests and increase the number of recreational horsemen/women and add at least one representative from the "working horse" group in order to meet it's stated purpose of representing the needs of stakeholders in the Equine Industry.
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