The goal of the MEIA is to preserve, promote and protect horses, horse-related activities, and the equine industry itself. Its primary concern is to create and maintain a communications network among horse people, as well as between the horse community and the rest of Maine's agricultural interests. While other organizations deal with issues that affect a specific breed or activity, the MEIA focuses on the big picture issues that affect all horse owners - tax issues, insurance and liability reform, governmental regulations and access to facilities and open spaces. Although it is an entirely independent organization that answers only to the equine community of the State of Maine, MEIA is also a member of the American Horse Council and is affiliated with the Maine Farm Bureau, thus receiving use of their office space for meetings, as well as full-time clerical and lobbying support from Farm Bureau staff. Monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of the month at the Farm Bureau office.
Stress is placed on communication.
A booth at the Northeast Horsemen's Council Trade Show, a monthly column placed in The Horse's Maine and other equine publications, and communication with the equine industry via Action Alerts, fact sheets and other media as necessary enable MEIA to effectively inform the Maine horse community of bills, laws, and other occurrences that affect them. Knowledge of and appropriate response to events as they happen may be vital to continued growth of the horse industry in Maine. Our full-time lobbyist through the Maine Farm Bureau allows us to stay on top of new bills as they appear and assists us in lobbying for legislation that will aid our industry. A conference or panel discussion at the Northeast Horsemen's Council Conference and the expert speakers that MEIA provides to the equine industry in Maine all aid in the knowledge building and gathering so important to a continued healthy industry MEIA has accomplished much already. Most recently, MEIA led the charge to get an equine limit to liability law passed which will help protect Maine's horse owners from frivolous lawsuits and should, over time, help lower liability insurance rates.