The American Horse Council (AHC) Board of Trustees announced Feb. 2 that James J. (Jay) Hickey Jr., who has served as the president of the American Horse Council since June 1993, will retire on June 30.

A search committee has been formed to select his successor.

The AHC represents all segments of the horse industry before Congress and the federal regulatory agencies.

“In his quiet and unassuming manner, Jay Hickey closely observed every issue that could have some effect on the American Horse Council’s constituents and then provided them with astute guidance for more than two decades,” said Jerry Black, DVM, AHC chairman and the director of the Equine Reproduction Laboratory and the Equine Science Undergraduate Program at Colorado State University. “He has been a beacon of integrity, a trusted colleague and a good friend to countless people in the horse industry and he has been equally well regarded by Members of Congress and their staffs