The American Horse Council’s (AHC) Annual Meeting wrapped up on June 14 with the National Issues Forum, sponsored by Luitpold Animal Health.

Presentations and discussions about the Time to Ride campaign and microchipping kicked off the morning, and Senator Pat Robert (R-KS) spoke on the importance of the industry and hearing from constituents.

Christie Schulte, of Lead Change Management Inc. and marketing manager of the AHC Time to Ride campaign, kicked off the session by providing an overview of the campaign and its goal to not only grow the horse industry, but to make the equine experience attractive and accessible to newcomers. She also gave an update to meeting attendees on the progress of Time to Ride in 2016, as well as the new programs and sweepstakes that were introduced this year. Most notably, Time to Ride will be working with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) on First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to engage youth in as many Olympic sports as possible.

"I was delighted to share the success of Time to Ride over the last two years, which has introduced over 60,000 new people to horses,” said Schulte. “With the support of the AHC Marketing Alliance, Time to Ride’s strategy continues to focus on growing the horse industry through programs that help horse professionals convert non-riding moms and families into equestrians, and eventually horse owners and participants in the industry. To meet and collaborate with the equine industry leaders present at the AHC Issues Forum was extremely valuable to the growth and success of Time to Ride