Legislative and Regulatory Activities.

As is described in greater detail in the Legislative Committee Report, at the state level we monitored, supported, opposed, and introduced a number of pieces of legislation during the last legislative session, and we did the groundwork for introduction this year of legislation that will adopt a license plate honoring horses and the equine industry in Colorado.

At the national level, we paid close attention to several bills that will impact the equine industry if passed, including proposed legislation regulating horse slaughter, the right to ride in wilderness areas, tax treatment of the equine industry, and immigration issues. These bills figured prominently in topics addressed at the American Horse Council and the State Horse Councils Advisory Committee meetings held jointly in Lexington, KY earlier this month.

Our Political Committee, known as ColoradoHorses, began to get its legs under it a bit. We have a lot of work to do in this area, and I know that Jill Montgomery, who chairs the Legislative and Regulatory Committee, and Kathleen Burke, who chairs our Marketing and Communications Committee, have some ideas for accomplishing that.

We continue to work with local, state and national groups and agencies to ensure that the equine industry has a place at the table when policies and legislation affecting us are debated and decided. We remain particularly interested in equine access to trails, and in that regard are keeping a close eye on the proposed development of the second stage of Cheyenne Mountain State Park in Colorado Springs. In addition, Brian, Jill and others are working with a variety of federal, state and local agencies, non-profit organizations, and private groups in the development and implementation of the Colorado Front Range Trail which, when completed, will run along the eastern fringe of the Front Range from Wyoming to New Mexico. It is a huge undertaking involving over 500 stakeholders and 35 managing agencies.

2007 also marked the ratcheting up of CHC’s interest in the issue of unwanted horses. The often acrimonious debate over horse slaughter has overshadowed the larger question of how to address the thousands of unwanted horses currently in Colorado and across the country. That number is growing. The American Horse Council has launched a significant effort to bring the issue to the forefront of debate, and we in Colorado are exploring a number of possibilities. I anticipate that 2008 will be an important year where this subject is concerned.

Education and Outreach

As you know, our education efforts complement the CHDA’s, and our principal tool for accomplishing our goals in this area is the Rocky Mountain Horse Expos. We staged successful Expos in our customary venues of Denver and Durango this past year, and we launched the first annual Vail/Eagle Valley Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in June. The Vail/Eagle Valley Expo was important not just because it represented a new venue for the Expo, but because it featured two new events/draws - the Extreme Cowboy Race™ hosted by Craig Cameron, and the Vail Valley Championship Ranch Rodeo, a working ranch cowboy rodeo sanctioned by the Working Ranch Cowboys Association. Both events were extremely successful, and both will be featured at future Expos, including the Denver Expo in March 2008. Brian Kitchen, Connie Spencer, Jessica Crosby, and Elizabeth Testa deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the success of the Expos. Our total Expo sales in 2007 were $630,174.00, up from $537,910.00 in 2006.

Marketing and Communication.

We continued to overhaul and fine-tune our web sites (CHC, RMHE and CHDA) in 2007. They are increasingly professional and useful. They enable us to offer an interactive medium, an electronic newsletter, news flashes, legislative and other updates, and links to CHDA, the State Veterinarian’s Office, the state and federal park services, federal and state equine associations, and other sites of interest to the equine community. They also enable us to conduct electronic polling and support and implement initiatives and legislation/regulation.

We continue to explore ways to increase membership in the CHC. You will hear during the Annual Meeting a report outlining new benefits for members that may help us in that effort.

Management

CHC remains on firm footing, financially and operationally. Our gross revenues of $752,907.00 in 2007 exceeded 2006’s of $660,759.00 by $93,147.00, or 14%. We had a few unusual expenses in 2007 that affected our bottom line, but we do not anticipate a repeat of them in 2008 and are confident that they represent an exception and not the norm. We are headed in the right direction, focusing on our mission statement and the strategic plan which supports it. CHC’s statewide visibility and credibility have continued to grow in the last year, and with a functioning web site as a key element of a comprehensive marketing plan, and continued outreach through the Expos and other activities, I believe that our message and relevance will gain further momentum both inside the equine community and in the Capitol.

Thank You

This may not be the time or place, for which I apologize, but I wanted to let you know that I will leave the CHC presidency this year. The old jokes about fish left too long in the refrigerator, and in-laws who overstay their welcome, come to mind. It is time for some new blood, new ideas. We are blessed with a number of smart, energetic, talented, caring people in the CHC, and it is important that they have a chance to work with you, Brian and the Board of Directors in leading the CHC. I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure and consider it a privilege to have served in the position. I will remain on the Board and look forward to working with the new president, Brian and you in that capacity. So, thank you for making the past several years such a pleasure. I am in your debt.