Editorial

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Generally I only go to scientific meetings of my interests which include equine reproduction. However, recently I attended the 2^nd annual Kentucky International Equine Summit sponsored by University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.

I found this meeting to be truly fascinating as there were 70 speakers that represented a wide array of areas from education to the racing industry and beyond. The speakers were from across the country who spoke at one of the six tracks: increasing globalization of equine activities, equine industrial structure and strategies, equine association management/leadership, equine regulatory and jurisdictional issues, new ideas in equine media and technology and post-secondary equine education programs.

These presentations were broadcast live via the Summits website and will soon be posted on the Kentucky International Equine Summit website.

You might ask, “What interest does an equine scientist have in equine business?” The answer is if the horse business is depressed, this results in fewer clients and less money invested in equine research.

One of the take-home messages from this conference was that there is an increase in globalization of equine activities including racing and showing. An example would be that the Asian racing community bets approximately $100 million per day on races. The racing industry is Australia, Korea and Hong Kong is much stronger than it is in the United States. There is also evidence China might soon start its own racing industry, which could offer tremendous opportunities for the equine industry.

One section I found interesting is the new ideas in equine media and technology. Even though most of the speakers indicated print journals are in trouble in the futures, others indicated there will always be a certain niche for trade journals and magazines. However, it became extremely obvious that websites with blogs, videos and social media are important marketing tools.

In the post-secondary equine education sessions, it was mentioned there are 185 equine programs in the U.S. Most of these programs have only been in existence since the 1970s and 1980s. It is obviously a challenge to keep these programs of interest to potential students and keep them well funded. It was mentioned that equine programs need to develop a certain niche that would attract students interested in their program. One of the speakers made the comment that faculty cannot continue to teach the way they have in the past and must incorporate new ways of engaging students, including internships, class projects and up-to-date speakers.

The bottom line of this conference for me is it is sometimes helpful to stretch yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and learning about other things that may not be as familiar.