MEETING NOTES
03/02/2006
Louisiana Equine Council
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
March 2, 2006
A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Equine Council (LEC) was held on Thursday, March 2, 2006 at the downtown Holiday Inn in Alexandria, LA. President Bonnie Clark presiding; Grace Simcoe, Secretary.
Members Present (12): John Boudreaux, Jimmy Christmas, Bonnie Clark, Tom Foshee, Melinda Kennedy, Aleta Overby, Buddy Savage, Ginger Schouest., Grace Simcoe, Johnny Spears, Daniel Lyons, Ky Mortensen.
Members Absent (7): Dixie Bunton, Julie Calzone, Deborah Devitt, Ruby Halter, Steve McCain, Steve Meaux, Dianne Morrill.
Also Present: Ron Harrell, Clint DePew, Howard Cormier, LD Spears.
The meeting was called to order by Bonnie Clark at 10:15 AM
Minutes from the February 16, 2006 Meeting were read and were accepted by general acclimation.
Treasurer’s Report was not read due to the absence of the Treasurer.
The purpose of the meeting was to determine specific committee goals that should be worked on in the upcoming year. Clint DePew with LSU Ag Center served as facilitator for the meeting.
A motion was made by Ginger Schouest that Aleta Overby take the information voted upon from the days meeting and summarize it. Motion was seconded and passed.
Following is the information that was provided by Aleta Overby concerning the committee goals.
Louisiana Equine Council
Committee Goals
The following is a listing of the committee goals as voted on at the LEC Board Meeting on March 2, 2006. The goals are listed in order of priority based on the number of votes received from board members at the meeting. The “also” designation, however, is not necessarily in priority order, but received enough votes to keep in mind for future goals.
Membership & Promotion
1. Website – funding is sought to develop the existing LEC website as a promotional tool as well as a clearinghouse of information; a listing of instructors, facilities, goods and services relevant to horse owners and enthusiasts will be made; expert opinions in the form of “my favorite books/ videos/ etc.” will be made with contact information from the expert; links to relevant websites for educational topics such as health care, nutrition, conformation, etc. will be created and updated regularly.
2. Designated “Louisiana Equine” month – suggested months are April and May; promotional tool to increase awareness through advertising, seminars, etc.
3. Advertising (focus on tourism funding?) – in the form of billboards, print ads, press releases for print, television ads; focus on the impact of the horse industry on Louisiana’s economy
4. Tax Relief/ Insurance (two separate topics, tied in votes) – tax relief in the form of waived taxes on feed & relevant supplies for the horse owner; insurance offered at group discounts for members
Also: Louisiana Bred Sales & Futurities – to encourage home-bred horses &
increase their value
Horse Industry Recognition – have the LEC recognized as the official
voice of the horse industry regardless of breed or discipline
Recognition of the horse as livestock – will aid in tax relief, slaughter issues, and disaster relief
Establish relationship with state breed and discipline organizations – again, to establish the LEC as the official voice of the state equine industry
Involve universities in implementing educational seminars
promote equine studies programs at various universities in Louisiana, aids
in the implementation of educational seminars; may be in conjunction
with sponsors; new blood in recruitment and information dissemination
without further taxing the Extension services; good for community affairs;
also, a good source of student labor and grant-writers!
Trails
1. Trail development (to include more access to trails in state, improving facilities such as hook-ups and camping sites) – identify existing trails, monitor and report on access, facilities, etc.; improve existing trails by clearing, etc.; identify new trails on state and federal land; map identified trails; encourage economic development of supporting facilities by the private sector
2. Trail directory – catalog existing trails with maps and listing of amenities available; possibly distribute free of charge to members upon initial membership payment
Health
1. Microchip data-base – work to establish an efficient yet thorough database of horses, owners, contact numbers based on microchip numbers; educate owners of microchipped horses as to realistic expectations from this database
2. Horse slaughter issue
3. Health education/ Disaster Planning -- Health education – make health topics the focus of educational seminars; also, disseminate information about any current health issues/ crises; Disaster Planning – educate ourselves and horse owners on proper strategies in case of an emergency, such as a hurricane; have information readily available to all horsemen as to where they can evacuate their horses, etc.; create a task force to analyze past successes and failures and conduct strategic planning for future events
Facilities
1. Directory of existing facilities – catalog existing facilities, both publicly and privately owned; include amenities and other useful information; the website would be an excellent place to list these and their events according to date and / or type of event
2. Monitor & report on existing facilities – self explanatory; again, the website would be an excellent tool for quick reporting
Also: Determine areas of need based on data collected for the directory – LEC can support the addition of publicly funded facilities and even serve as advisors to maximize benefits of such a facility; would be based on geographical need
Education
1. Educational seminars – sponsor and host a variety of seminars to inform the general public of the variety aspects of horse ownership; can include nutrition, breeding, foaling, health issues, safety concerns, disaster preparedness, owning your first horse, etc.; can be held in conjunction with events such as the Horse Expo or can be a stand alone event; focus audience can change with events to include, but not be limited to 4-H, Pony Club, FFA, and the horse community at large. At large events such as the Horse Expo, host an “education alley” with hands-on learning with age appropriate guidelines (teach the 8 year old how to groom, teach the 14 year old how to apply certain bandages, teach the adult about equine tooth care or hoof care, etc.); will work closely with other committees such as Health and Welfare & Equine Assisted Programs
2. Scholarships – focus may be in the form of tuition/ fees paid for applicant to attend a seminar or clinic with the stipulation that the individual shares what they had learned; scholarships for college students in the equine sciences; way in the future, the possibility of providing college scholarship(s) to non-equine majors who are long standing members of the LEC.
3. Trophies and awards – support youth and adult competitors by hosting certain classes at regional shows; may provide ribbons, trophies, belt buckles or cash as prizes at said shows/ events
Equine Assisted Programs
1. Safety program for non-certified instructors of therapeutic riding – determine who is conducting lessons with and without certification from NARHA or CHA; provide safety training to all interested from this pool of instructors
2. Classes for students of therapeutic riding centers at horse shows – work with breed organizations (AQHA has been instrumental in informing the public about therapeutic riding) and event coordinators to conduct classes at shows exclusively for individuals who are in training at a therapeutic riding center; the individual needs to be sponsored by the facility so that unscrupulous ribbon-lusting individuals don’t try to compete against those who truly have overcome physical or mental obstacles to compete (above the “typical” person)
3. Soliciting horses for 2nd career as therapy horses (donations) – inform the public of the need for donated riding horses; may be done through press releases, requesting information be disseminated through breed and disciple organizations; this may also be a call for volunteers to help with the facility’s lesson program
Also: Public service announcement type material for promotion of therapeutic riding awareness; work with breed organizations to inform of donation needs and volunteer needs – as stated above
The meeting was not formally adjourned and no date was selected for the next Board of Directors meeting.
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