Losing Ground: The greatest threat

Six-thousand acres of open lands are lost to development everyday. A new exhibition opening at the Kentucky Horse Park addresses this issue that affects all of us as horse owners.

A big thanks to our sponsor, Kentucky Performance Products, for sharing this story with us.

Top photo: Becky Young

From the KPP Blog:

The exhibit Losing Ground: The Greatest Threat sponsored by EQUUS Magazine and Equine Land Conservation Resource opened at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, KY on October 29, 2012. The exhibit will increase awareness and educate the public about the loss of horse lands, facilities and trails access in the United States. It demonstrates the value of horses, including their economic impact, to our communities and culture, and what can be done to protect these assets, not only for horse land owners, equestrians and equine enthusiasts, but for communities and the nation as a whole. Furthermore, it describes how 6,000 acres of open lands are lost to development every day.  These are the lands we need to raise, ride and care for our horses.  These are the hayfields, the competition grounds, the trails and the pastures that support our rich American equine culture.

“It has always been the museum’s mission to look at pressing problems within the equine community, and the alarming disappearance of land for horses has to be near the top of the list,” says International Museum of the Horse Director, Bill Cooke.

The exhibit consists of an extensive mural that dramatically shows the threat of unplanned development on existing horse lands. A video film, produced by Post Time Productions and developed by ELCR, is the visitor’s first view of the exhibit which quickly draws the visitor into the story of American’s love for the horse and the threat to the very land needed to support our equine population. Three interactive kiosks allow the visitor to explore the following topic areas: why horses make good neighbors; loss of land and trails access; and a call to action that describes what individuals can do to get informed, organize and advocate locally and nationally for protection of horse lands, facilities and trail access with the help and resources of ELCR.

As part of the exhibition, visitors receive a complimentary copy of a Losing Ground: The Greatest Threat an EQUUS special report on conserving land and trails for horses, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health. “At EQUUS we’ve seen firsthand how important it is to preserve open space and trail access,” says EQUUS editor Laurie Prinz. “And we know that the first step in effective advocacy is informing Equestrians and the public at large about what’s at stake. We appreciate that Pfizer has made possible a special publication highlighting land use issues.”

“As the only national organization working to conserve land for equine related use, ELCR is proud to partner with Equus magazine on this important project that will raise awareness of the need to protect our horse lands now, before it is too late,” says ELCR CEO, Anna Gibson. “The land we save in the next fifteen years will determine the future of our equine culture, lifestyle and landscape.”

The Kentucky Horse Park Hours of Operation

Open 9 am – 5 pm

Mar. 15 – Nov. 4 – Open 7 days a week

Nov. 5 – Mar. 14 – Closed Mon. and Tues.

About the Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR): The Equine Land Conservation Resource is the only national not-for-profit organization advancing the conservation of land for horse-related activity. ELCR serves as an information and networking resource for land and horse owner, organizations, agencies and all equine enthusiasts on issues related to farm and ranch land conservation, land use planning, farm and ranch land stewardship/best management practices, trail access and sustainability, liability and equine economic impacts.  For more information about the ELCR visit our website at www.elcr.org or call (859) 455-8383.

About the Equine Network: The Equine Network provides, creates and distributes relevant content and services to passionate horse enthusiasts while connecting them to each other and the marketplace. The Equine Network is the publisher of award-winning magazines Horse & Rider, EQUUS, Dressage Today, The Trail Rider, Spin To Win Rodeo, American Cowboy, Practical Horseman and Horse Journal. The Equine Network also publishes a proprietary line of books and DVDs for sale through its store, HorseBooksEtc.com. The Equine Network provides emergency roadside assistance for equestrians through its recent acquisition of USRider, and is home to several websites, including: EquiSearch.com, Equine.com, MyHorseDaily.com, DiscoverHorses.com, AmericanCowboy.com and Horse-Journal.com.