The International Livestock Congress (ILC) will introduce a new and effective change to its line-up of topics during its annual meeting in February 2002 when it modifies its traditional equine forum to focus on issues affecting ranchers and beef producers who own horses.

Ranch Horse 101 will focus on such topics as alternative income markets through the horse industry, feedlot horse safety, developing effective ranch breeding programs and will include demonstrations from top trainers who specialize in ranch-type horses.

“The ILC has produced a number of programs that focused specifically on issues affecting Thoroughbred racing to marketing to women in the horse industry,” said Dan Gattis, chairman of the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation that manages the event. “The board agreed that in order to provide a horse segment to the Congress that would be of interest to all of its participants, a program needed to be developed that would help the rancher better manage his beef operation through the horses he might use.”
Included among the topics will be a look at ranch horse competitions, prevention and recovery of stolen horses and marketing and promoting the ranch horse.

According to Beef magazine, ranchers in the United States own more than 300,000 horses. While the horse has been replaced somewhat as a tool for managing beef cattle herds in the U.S., it is still a viable tool for many ranches in South America, Mexico and Australia, he explained