Health is the No. 1 concern here. We need to encourage more study of how disease can affect horses. Forty two percent of people who own horses move them off their property to enjoy them. We need good diagnostic tests, we need quarantine facilities, and more. Costs are rising.
Animal welfare is another issue.
There are a lot of groups opposed to the ways we use our horses. And there are a lot of people who speak to Congress about the humane treatment of animals. So, the knowledge of horses isn't there, and we have the responsibility of educating people of influence. An example of this is the Interstate Transport of Horses for Slaughter Act. In order to keep costs down, to keep trails and forest lands open to riders, you have to be involved in the process.