The inaugural Kentucky International Equine Summit 2008 has landed two more sponsors—the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). Both will be luncheon sponsors for the summit that will bring together industry leaders to examine the issues facing the future of the equine industry.

The event, scheduled for April 28-29, 2008, is being hosted by the Equine Industry Program in the College of Business at the University of Louisville in cooperation with the Equine Initiative in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky. The event is specifically focused on leaders throughout the equine industry.

“We’re extremely pleased that organizations of this caliber are signing on as sponsors for this important event,” said Rich Wilcke, Director of the Equine Industry Program at the University of Louisville and summit organizer. “It’s not that we needed added credibility since both the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky are the organizers, but having KEEP and the USEF as partners sends a clear message that the dialogue that will take place over the two days of the summit will be valuable.”

USEF is the national governing body of equestrian sport in the United States. Headquartered at the Kentucky Horse Park, the USEF sanctions and regulates competitions all across the nation. In addition, the organization and its leadership played a tremendous role in winning the bid for the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games.

KEEP was created in 2004 to bring together all breeds of horses to make the state more aware of the economic impact of the equine industry in Kentucky. In addition, it has been a voice for horse owners in Frankfort to lobby for legislation favorable to the industry, which included creating the breeder incentive fund, which returns some $16 million to the industry annually. It’s estimated that the equine industry employs some 100,000 people and has an economic impact of $4 billion in the state.

“We hope to attract the officers, directors, staffs, and committee members of state and national equine associations,” said Wilcke. “As people begin to devote themselves to involvement in their association, whether a breed group or a discipline, their perspectives bring a broader concern with issues, usually breed- or discipline-oriented. The purpose of this conference is to take them to the next step, which is looking at issues from an industry-wide perspective.”

Other sponsors who already have committed resources in support of the summit include the American Horse Council, the North American Equine Ranching Information Council and the American Saddlebred Horse Association.

The Kentucky International Equine Summit 2008 will be hosted at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Lexington, April 28-29. For more information or to register, please visit www.kyequinesummit.com.