After 18 months as the President and CEO of the NTRA, I can honestly say that I have yet to experience a dull day on the job. Thursday was no different as I and a number of others from the industry found ourselves on Capitol Hill appearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
It was extremely difficult to listen for almost three hours while Congress members and industry witnesses alike railed against a variety of horse industry shortcomings, some real and some imagined. Clearly the whole story was not told and I was very frustrated that other voices were not heard. Tracks, horsemen, breeders, vets, regulators, chemists and others were needed to give a more balanced view. Despite the hearing's shortcomings, I believe the session may lead to positive changes within the industry.
One thing is for sure. The hearing is yet the latest example that our industry needs to act responsibly, collectively and expediently on a range of equine health and safety initiatives. Otherwise we can expect Congress and others to push forward with an agenda to act on our behalf.
One question I've been asked repeatedly in recent days is this: Why is the NTRA opposed to additional intervention from the Federal government?
I want to be clear that we welcome the Federal government's interest and involvement in our sport and multi-billion dollar interstate and international commerce.
The reason we oppose direct government intervention in the area of regulation is because we don't believe another layer of bureaucratic morass is in the best interests of horse racing. Federal regulation would never replace existing regulation at the state level, and it would likely come with a hefty price tag that inevitably would be passed on to the customer.
What is clear is that there is a limited window of opportunity for our industry to respond responsibly and collectively to recent events. We must move to implement reforms and promote improvements in equine health and safety.
Being in our nation's capital, I am reminded of that famous quote attributed to Ben Franklin as he signed the Declaration of Independence at the Continental Congress in 1776: "We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."
The choice -- at least at this point -- is ours to make. That may not be the case when the 111th Congress convenes in January.
Check out my testimony from today's hearing.