Longtime AQHA Member, Beau Baird, Running For Office in 2018!
It’s official! Beau Baird declares his candidacy for the Indiana State Representative District 44 seat.
By: Brittany Bevis
Longtime AQHA member, AQHA National Director, horse breeder, and amateur competitor, Beau Baird, recently announced his candidacy for the Indiana State Representative seat for District 44. Beau is hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps, four-term representative Jim Baird, who announced his own candidacy for Indiana’s fourth Congressional District in 2018. If both are elected, father and son would be representing the state of Indiana on the federal and state level, respectively.
The Equine Chronicle is happy to be Beau’s first official interview since declaring his candidacy. “Only appropriate it would be with my horse show family!” Beau says.
“To be honest, I’ve always enjoyed the process of the campaign, but I’d never thought about being one of the people in the position,” Beau says. “However, a lot of county chairmen reached out to me and encouraged me to do this. Then, at church, a quote came up that said, ‘God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well, (Voltaire).’ In that style of thinking, we not only have to give ourselves the gift of living well, but we also have to give it to others who can’t.”
“I’ve always had a servant-leader’s heart, just not in the political spectrum. Over the past eight years, Indiana has consistently ranked in the top 5 as being business friendly, and our unemployment is down to 3%, which is lower than the national average. But, one thing we are suffering from is a lack of quality of life. Even though we enjoy almost full employment, there aren’t high paying jobs. So, we hope to continue on this track so we can bring in bigger businesses and more skilled and high paying jobs.”
Although this will be his first foray into the political sphere, Beau has considerable experience in leadership positions on various local and state committees and within his favorite breed association. He is an AQHA National Director and is on the Show Committee. As a Republican, he is the Chairman of Putnam County GOP. He was also appointed by former governor-turned current Vice President Mike Pence to the West Central Economic Development Board of Directors.
With a BS in Financial Planning from Purdue and an in-progress MBA from Purdue in International Business Management, in conjunction with Tilburg University in The Netherlands, Beau’s day job consists of being the Chief Financial Officer for a local home health care company.
Beau Baird with Bruce Vickery and Suddenly I’m Cool at the 2014 Quarter Horse Congress.
Our readers will likely be familiar with Beau’s involvement in the horse industry, first as a youth and then as an amateur competitor on the AQHA circuit for many years. “I started in 4H and then showed on the AQHA circuit when I was 16 years old,” Beau says. “I’ve had a lot of horses with Bruce Vickery off and on over the years, and we’re great friends. I will continue to have horses with him in the future. Recently, I moved Suddenly I’m Cool to Chris and Melissa Jones to be closer to where I live. They’re located 10 minutes down the road from me, so now I can take a Sunday afternoon away from the campaign to go ride.”
Back in 2014, we chatted with Beau when Bruce rode a then four-year-old Suddenly I’m Cool to win the 3 & 4-Year-Old Trail Futurity at the Quarter Horse Congress. Click here to read- http://www.equinechronicle.com/bruce-vickery-and-suddenly-im-cool-score-234-5-to-win-3-and-4-year-old-congress-trail-futurity/
Beau has bred and owned several Congress Champions over the years and placed at both the Congress and World Show himself. He rode BGS Hotrodder to a High Point Trail Title as a youth and earned many more over the years including an Amateur Trail High Point title, Amateur Performance Halter title, High Point Green Horse Trail title and more.
At his ranch in Greencastle, Indiana, and at a number of breeding and training operations located across the country, Beau estimates he currently has 60 head of horses. “I recently sent my breeding mares down to Amy Gumz, and she and I will be doing a partnership. Also, I have colts that are in training and getting broke with a local friend in town.”
While Beau is busy on the campaign trail, one of his horses, a 6-year-old named No Doubt I’m Lucky, won the Green Western Pleasure at the Fox Lea Farm Show, currently taking place in Venice, Florida. No Doubt I’m Lucky is under the guidance of Rusty Green Show Horses. “I was thinking that there is something wrong with the fact that I’m up here in below zero weather and my horse is in Florida!” Beau laughs.
All of his experience in the horse industry and the agricultural and business sectors has created a wealth of knowledge Beau feels he can bring to the Indiana State Representative seat. Beau’s father, who is also an AQHA member, never wanted to push his son into politics. But, it seems as if Beau has found his way there on his own. “He wanted it to be my choice,” Beau says. “Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions, and you can’t make everybody happy. You have to find out what will result in the most good for the most people.”
That mindset is a valuable asset Beau brings to the conversation when discussing polarizing issues such as the newly instituted ELD mandate that has been causing quite a stir in the horse community. “There isn’t a lot I can do on this issue from a state level, but I can voice my concerns and use my connections and personal friendships regarding these types of situations. That’s why I’m pushing so hard to get my father elected to a congressional seat. We just don’t have enough people connected to the agricultural industry in politics any more. They’re making decisions in the best way they know how, but they may not have analyzed the repercussions that things like the ELD mandate will have on an industry.”
With everything that’s going on in Beau’s life at the moment, it may be difficult to find time to sneak away to a horse show. But make no mistake; he will make it happen. “I’ve always been a road warrior. I was diligent about going to any show, at any state, at any time. I loved to haul for High Point tiles and won several of them. Now, I will just have to be more strategic in going to the larger shows.”
