Equine Welfare Council Discuss Options for Addressing Unwanted Horses

The Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Council (EHWC) met January 19 in Frankfort to discuss the future of the unwanted horse in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Rusty Ford, chairman of the council,, presided over the meeting that included members from different aspects of the equine industry and Kentucky government.

Rep. Tom McKee discussed new legislation, namely Kentucky's HB

Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

The Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Council (EHWC) met January 19 in Frankfort to discuss the future of the unwanted horse in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Rusty Ford, chairman of the council, presided over the meeting that included members from different aspects of the equine industry and Kentucky government.

Rep. Tom McKee discussed new legislation, namely Kentucky's HB 204, a bill that he said redefines the Board of Agriculture's role and assures that all facets of the agriculture community–including the equine industry–are properly represented. McKee noted that this bill is an important follow-up to HB 398, which established the EHWC as a voice ?for the horse industry? in the state government.

Essie Rogers from the Kentucky Horse Council then gave a presentation on the state of unwanted horses in Kentucky. Rogers noted that from 2005 to 2010, there was a 40% drop in sale prices at the Keeneland sales, and a 42% decline in sale prices at the Fasig-Tipton sales from 2008 to 2010. Rogers said she wasn't able to obtain data from local sale yards, although Ford said he has seen similar trends reported in local horse sales as well.

Rogers also discussed the 28 equine rescue facilities located in Kentucky. She explained that 11 of them had obtained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, seven of the 28 provide care for Thoroughbreds only, and five of the 28 provide lifetime care for horses

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!