HORSE INDUSTRY COMES TOGETHER

TO EXPLORE ISSUES, BEGIN DIALOGUE

            OCEANPORT, NJ (September 20, 2006) – A coalition of individuals and organizations involved in the New Jersey horse industry today gathered at Monmouth Park Racetrack for an educational symposium with key legislators on equine issues.

            Participants included equine professionals and horse enthusiasts, legislators and staff and officials from several New Jersey executive departments who came together to begin a dialogue focusing on the scope of the horse industry and its impact on New Jersey’s economy, on traditional agriculture and on the preservation of open space.

            The meeting was organized by a core group of volunteers representing the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association of New Jersey and Rutgers Equine Science Center. The group calls itself the New Jersey Horse Industry Alliance, and it is planning to apply for recognition as a not-for-profit educational organization. The horse industry symposium is the coalition’s inaugural event.

            Others from the executive branch and the business sector included New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus, New Jersey Secretary of Commerce Virginia Bauer, New Jersey Tourism Director Nancy Byrne, as well as Dennis Dowd of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, Phil Kirschner of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, and Jerry Zaro, representing the Breeders Cup, a premier national event that New Jersey will host in 2007.

            Several state senators, including Senator Barbara Buono, chair of the Senate Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee, and members of the General Assembly, along with legislative staff, also were scheduled to take part in the dialogue. In fact, the seeds for the formation of the Alliance were formed when several of the participants testified before Senator Buono’s committee last spring on the need to sustain horse-racing in New Jersey. Senator Buono challenged the industry representatives to come together to find solutions for the future of the horse industry. This symposium is seen as a critical first step.