Letter to the Editor from the American
Horse Council
It was disappointing to see Judith McGeary’s article in
the November Horse Gazette on the American Horse Council’s (AHC) information
session. Particularly offensive was the title of the article, “Highly
Publicized Austin Meeting on Animal I.D. System a Bust.” We can assure
you that the AHC did not consider it a “bust.”
Several sessions were offered to attendees at the 2006 AHC Issues Forum in
Austin, Texas. These meetings brought national experts together to discuss
issues like equine diseases, taxes, trail access and the National Animal Identification
System (NAIS). Approximately 65 people attended the all-day session, nearly
twice the number Ms. McGeary reported.
Since the mission of the AHC is “to unify the equine industry by informing
industry members of regulations and pending legislation, and by serving as
a forum for all member organizations and individual,” the AHC sees any
opportunity to pass on important information to industry members as a success.
The “general horse-owning public” Ms. McGeary referred to is exactly
who the AHC aims to inform. While not every horse owner will attend such functions,
they are certainly encouraged to do so and equestrian organizations that represent
them often attend.
The $100 registration fee for the forum that Ms. McGeary believes kept more
people from attending could have easily been discounted to anyone interested
in joining the AHC at any membership level, beginning at just $25. AHC membership
provides the opportunity to attend all the seminars at the forum for a discounted
price and the chance to take advantage of other member benefits, including
quarterly newsletters from the AHC on many issues facing the industry.
The goal of the afternoon session was to allow experts on NAIS to provide
information directly to the horse industry on what exactly the NAIS is, what
the status of the system implementation is and how it will affect the industry
as a whole. The speakers achieved that goal and answered many of the attendees’
concerns.
Clearly, there are a lot of misconceptions about the NAIS. But it is important
to remember that the AHC, like the dozens of other industry organizations
who have joined the Equine Species Working Group, are involved so the interests
of horse owners and breeders are kept in mind and to ensure as little disruption
to the industry as possible should any system become mandatory one day.
The AHC, like many other equestrian organizations, realized early on that
they could best protect the interests of the horse industry by working through
the ESWG rather than simply opposing the proposed system from the outside.
The USDA’s constant encouragement for industry input made it possible
for the ESWG to make important recommendations on behalf of the horse industry.
The AHC is proud to do its part in keeping its constituents knowledgeable
about all issues of importance to horse owners and breeders and we will continue
to educate and inform through venues such as the Issues Forum. – American
Horse Council