From The Publisher
From The Publisher
Without You… There is, as always, a lot of discussion in our industry about the issues that affect our sport. The current hot topics range from the cloning lawsuit to horse slaughter to judging and showing, etc. Sometimes there is so much talk that it all becomes white noise; the important issues of the day are all but ignored by those affected most. Those affected most are occasionally a silent majority. They are sometimes silent by choice and other times their opinions are ignored. Either way, as the old adage goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Sometimes that is one wheel out of hundreds of thousands, but it gets the grease nonetheless.
I think many of us are guilty of looking at our industry as a whole, rather than viewing it as many individuals with shared goals but sometimes differing opinions. We see segments of our industry in monolithic blocks, each with its own subset of goals. However, there is nothing monolithic about it. Whether a breeder or an exhibitor, a cutter, jumper, or pleasure rider, or just a lover of horses, we all have certain shared interests that are much broader than those narrow interests we might have as exhibitors or breeders. We all want horses to be healthy and safe. We all want people to have the freedom to own and breed horses. We all have common interests that happen to involve our passion for equine pursuits.
The one element that is lost in the discussion about the topics of the day is “you”. You, the individual horse lover, are the most important part of our industry yet “you” are many times forgotten by those involved in the politics of our sport. Without you, we’re nothing. Together, we’re everything. It’s the individuals in our sport that make a difference. Some will say, “Who cares about cloning or horse slaughter?” Others will say what they have to say doesn’t matter because no one cares about their opinion. The politicians will say many of their constituents suffer from apathy; that they just don’t care. I do think there is apathy in our ranks but that apathy is sometimes fueled by a feeling that no matter how loud one yells, they are unheard.
Personally, I know just how much The Equine Chronicle relies on the individuals in our sport to make things happen. Here’s just one example. The Equine Chronicle gives over $200,000 per year in sponsorships of shows across the country. That’s aside from the other charitable giving we do in the form of scholarships, horseman’s funds, etc. We couldn’t do that without you, our loyal advertisers and readers. Your support allows us to give back to the sport in a big way.
The same goes for our associations. They don’t exist without the individuals in their membership. Nothing can be done without the hundreds of thousands of horse lovers who make up the membership.
So you see, without you, we can never succeed. Without you, we are sure to fail. We can’t do anything, nothing at all, without you.
