One of the first things that the GHC Board did after taking over the Georgia Horse Council (GHC) back in January of 2018, was to pay the $300 annual dues to be a member of the American Horse Council (AHC). They are a very important link to what’s going on in the horse world nationwide. They are also our voice in Washington. After joining, we immediately started receiving informative emails from them. The recipients of these emails are Horse Councils all over the United States and you can clearly see who they are in the distribution list. Different people from other horse councils often “reply to all” with their replies and comments, which encourages everybody to communicate back and forth on any given topic from feed programs to taxing livestock. It is a great opportunity to see what the other Horse Councils are doing and hopefully, get ideas for what we want to make a priority with the Georgia Horse Council. I was totally blown away when I received one with a topic about the “unwanted horse” problem and the work being done with The Unwanted Horse Coalition. I decided to take some time and check things out.
I have been very impressed with the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) and their mission ever since I learned about their Stallion to Gelding program over 8 years ago. In fact, one of the GERL Stallion to Gelding programs is modeled after their program. I recently wrote about this after reading an article in The Horse magazine that connected the dots with their affiliation with each other.
The UHC grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in April 2005. The summit was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the plight of the unwanted horse in America. Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address this issue. In June 2006, the Unwanted Horse Coalition was folded into the American Horse Council and now operates under its auspices.
In addition, the UHC also partners with “A Home for Every Horse” and “The Right Horse Initiative” to support a national movement reframing the conversation about equine adoption and help connect rescue horses in need of homes with people looking for horses. They seem to have the bases covered when it comes to adopting, castrating and educating!
The American Horse Council recently launched a survey directed at equine rescues, shelters, sanctuaries, and government organizations involved in helping at-risk equines. They hope to collect data nationally on intakes, outcomes, and population descriptions. When I clicked on the link to go to the survey, it took me to a page for the UHC.
To learn that the American Horse Council has such a large stake in the unwanted horse problem that has existed for years, gives me renewed hope. It appears that it will be very easy for the Georgia Horse Council to jump on the band wagon! Talking about a dream come true!
On a different topic, the Georgia Horse Council recently held a conference call with a group of volunteers to discuss ideas for a Horse Fair in 2020. Nancy Cox is the Lead on this and she has already drafted out some ideas. The committee will meet, again, after the first of the year and make some decisions on location, format and content. Stay tuned for more info on this topic.
If you or anybody that you know are interested in volunteering to help with this project, please contact Nancy Cox at 678-427-6742 or ncox4208@gmail.com.