NEWS - Sound Horses Prevail With the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission

Back in 2009, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission ruled that it will no longer allow breeders' incentive funds to go to horses shown under sore HIOs. The only approved HIOs that a person can show with to receive incentive funds are NWHA, FOSH and the HPC. Click here for my previous post concerning the ruling.

For those of us who don't know what the incentive fund is, it's tax money that is given by the State of Kentucky to breeders to encourage them to keep the horse economy going. The money is allocated by the HRC. Breeding farms can receive a certain amount of dollars per horse each time they show them. This fund is available for all breeds, not just racehorses or TWHs.

I've received information that under the new ruling, approximately 5000 gaited horses were shown sound and their owners will be rewarded by receiving fund money. I don't have the exact figures, but approximately 1000 horses were shown with NWHA, 1500 were with the HPC, and 1700 were with FOSH (although these were mostly the mountain gaited breeds). Each horse passed inspections.

Then there's this little fact: only 47 of these horses were padded horses. (The HPC is the only HIO of the three that inspects padded horses.) This really makes me realize that the padded horse community truly wants to keep their sore horses in the ring. Perhaps money isn't enough incentive to keep them from soring their horses, so we have to ask ourselves: what is? I don't know the answer to that.

Congratulations to all of the sound horse trainers, owners and exhibitors who will receive incentive money. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed! And thank you again to the HRC for supporting the sound horse!