In an effort to support the needs of the horse and horse owner in Kentucky, the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC), in partnership with the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners and the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, has established a hotline (866-634-0030) for Kentucky horse owners. The hotline is a network to connect resources—hay and other equine feed, vet and feed funding, rescue facilities—with Kentuckians who need those resources.

Designed as a tool for all horse enthusiasts, the hotline is a centralized hub of information that collects and shares all types of equine resources. Using the new hotline, KHC will build upon already existing information sources that include equine rescue groups, hay alternatives for horses, helpful equine groups and resources throughout Kentucky. The hotline is an opportunity for people to volunteer their assistance and resources to assist horses in need, particularly now when the weather is cold and hay is very high priced. It is also an opportunity to identify alternatives to traditional approaches to feeding and managing horses in a drought year.

“The hotline is a means for the Kentucky Horse Council to meet the needs of the Kentucky horse owner and address the issue of the unwanted horse. This is the type if networking that defines the mission of the Kentucky Horse Council,” commented Board President Madelyn Millard.

The hotline is the result of a Horse Industry Emergency Roundtable held on January 23, 2008. Participants in the roundtable—including a number of breed, veterinarian, rescue and animal control groups—had a lively and in-depth discussion of the difficult hay and unwanted horse situation in Kentucky. Solutions, problems and difficulties addressing the growing concerns were discussed, and this hotline was one of the suggested tools.

The assistance provided through the hotline will be supported by donations to the SOHO (Save Our Horses) Fund. Donations can be made to SOHO online at www.kentuckyhorse.org/SOHO_donate.shtml or by mail to Kentucky Horse Council, 4063 Iron Works Parkway, Suite 2, Lexington, KY 40511. To identify a resource for Kentucky horses and horse owners or for assistance call the hotline at (866) 634-0030.

The Kentucky Horse Council is the result of a grassroots effort to combine the voices and interests of all horsemen, in order for horsemen to band together in support of all horse breeds and all disciplines in the state of Kentucky. The Kentucky Horse Council provides educational programs, grants, scholarships, personal liability insurance, trail riding programs, an annual statewide equine industry directory and opportunities for networking with other horsemen across the state of Kentucky. For more information, visit www.kentuckyhorse.org, where there is a link to the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association.