Save the Date!

The American Horse Council’s 2025 National Issues Forum will be June 22-25 in Washington, DC, Omni Shoreham Hotel

Conference Schedule

American Horse Council 2025 National Issues Forum Speakers

Sunday, June 22
Time slot Sponsor Location Moderator Topic Speaker
11:00 – 5:00 Registration desk open
1:00 – 3:00 United Horse Coalition Hampton Ballroom Andrea Manley – UHC Manager Open Outsourcing Aftercare Diana Bezdedeanu, founder of Horses Offering People Education (aka HOPE in MA), and Kyle Rothfus, co-founder of Mareworthy Charities and Horse Husband Stables
3:00 – 4:00 Coalition of State Horse Councils Hampton Ballroom Justine Staten – CSHC Chair Using Partnerships to strengthen a state equine industry Dr. Neely Heidorn, PhD Associate Professor, Equine Ext Specialist, LSU
4:00 – 5:00 AHC Membership Working Group Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway – AHC President The Digital Landscape of Horse Culture: Collaborative Technology to keep pace Tyson Hartshorn
6:00 – 7:00 AHC Foundation -Cocktail reception
Monday, June 23
Time slot Sponsor Location Moderator Topic Speaker
8:00 – 5:00 Registration desk open
8:00 – 9:00 cont. breakfast Assorted Fruits; Muffins, Danishes, croissants, pecan sticky buns; Fruit preserves, jams, and sweet butter; Individual flavored yogurts; Cage-free hard-boiled eggs, served chilled and peeled
8:30 – 9:30 AHC Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway – AHC President Keynote: Culture, Collaboration & Conflict resolution Jaime Notter, Global Keynote Speaker,  Author of  “Culture Change Made Easy,”, Consultant and Culture Scientist
9:30 – 10:00 AHC Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway – AHC President Legislative and Regulatory Update Julie Broadway & Brigid Shea
10:00 – 10:15 Break
10:15 – 11:30 AHC Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway – AHC President Emirates International Endurance Village – Supporting Equestrian Sports with a vision for the future and their promotion of the Society. Mr Mohamed Al Hadrami, Event Director, Emirates International Endurance Village (EIEV); Dr. Jorge Lohse, DVM, MSc, PhD, Equine Sports Medicine Advisor (EIEV); Baraa Bnaian, Eng. Timming System (EIEV).
11:30 – 1:00 AHC Hampton Ballroom Award Luncheon – Buffet Join us as we recognize and thank our 2025 Award Winners
Maryland crab soup; Bakery-fresh bread rolls with sweet butter; Deconstructed baby gem lettuce, spinach mix, cherry tomato and raw julienned yellow beets, apple cider vinaigrette, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Raw vegetable salad | Carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and baby corn with dill vinaigrette, Russian potato salad, peas, carrots, egg, and creamy dressing
Sweet potato chips; Roasted chicken, berbere spice rub, DC sweet and sour mumbo sauce on the side; Grilled beef burgers, sautéed mushrooms and onions
Vegetable-black bean burgers: Bib lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, bread and butter pickles, ketchup, yellow mustard, and mayonnaise
Classic and gluten-friendly burger buns; Go-Go macaroni and cheese—plus a variety of mini cupcakes & mixed fruit salad
1:00 – 2:00 AHC Racing Committee Hampton Ballroom Joe Wilson – committee chair Data-driven partnerships advance equine welfare Lisa Lazarus HISA
2:00 – 3:00 AHC Health Committee Hampton Ballroom Dr Katie Flynn – committee chair Disease Mitigation: Screwworm Speaker TBD
3:00  –  3:15 Break
3:15  –  4:15 AHC Equine Welfare Committee Hampton Ballroom Kathy Alm – committee chair Social License Speaker TBD
4:15  –  5:15 AHC Show & Competition Committee Hampton Ballroom Billy Smith – committee chair Donkeys & Mules are equine too – creating equality from the clinic to the show arena Dr Amy McLean, PhD Univ of California, Davis
6:00 – 7:00  AHC Foundation – Welcome Reception Julie Broadway- AHC President Meet our 2025 Scholarship Winners
Tuesday, June 24
Time slot Sponsor Location Moderator Topic Speaker
8:00 – 1:00 Registration desk open
8:00 – 9:00 cont. breakfast Sliced melon, pineapple, grapes, seasonal berries, passion fruit yogurt sauce; Mini doughnuts, muffins, croissants, Danishes; Fruit preserves, jams, and sweet butter; Individual cereals with 2% milk and soy milk; Irish oats, steel-cut oatmeal, light brown sugar, golden raisins
8:00 –  8:30 AHC Marketing Alliance Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway AHC President Hear the results of the recent surveys and the next steps
8:30 – 9:30 AHC Recreation, Trails & Land Use Committee Hampton Ballroom Randy Rasmussen – committee chair Recent Impacts on Public Recreation Whitney Potter Schwartz, SVP at Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
9:30 – 10:30 AHC Regulatory Committee Hampton Ballroom Tom O’Mara – committee chair Labor/Workforce Challenges John Boatwright, Dir Govt Affairs American Farm Bureau Federation
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 11:15 AHC Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway AHC President Agency & Congressional Office Orientation Julie Broadway & Brigid Shea
11:15 – 1:00 Lunch on your own
1:00 – 5:00 AHC Hill Visits See your personal schedule for offices and locations
1:00 – 3:00 AHC Hampton Ballroom & Governors Room Agency Meetings
3:00 –  3:45 AHC Racing Committee Meeting Hampton Ballroom Joe Wilson closed session
3:00 –  3:45 AHC Welfare Committee Meeting Governors Room Kathy Alm closed session
3:45 –  4:30 AHC Regulatory Committee Meeting Hampton Ballroom Tom O’Mara closed session
3:45 –  4:30 AHC RT&LU Committee Meeting Governors Room Randy Rasmusen closed session
4:30 –  5:15 AHC Health Committee Meeting Hampton Ballroom Dr Katie Flynn closed session
4:30 –  5:15 AHC Show & Competition Committee Meeting Governors Room Billy Smith closed session
6:00 – 8:00 AHC Board of Trustees Meeting Governors Room Marilyn Beterea closed session
Wednesday, June 25
Time slot Sponsor Location Moderator Topic Speaker
8:00 – 9:00       breakfast egg & cheddar cheese filled croissant; turkey sausage, cage-free egg on buttermilk cheese biscuit; fried egg, smoked gouda cheese on GF bagel 
8:00 – Noon AHC Foundation, AQHA Foundation, and Equine Network Foundation Hampton Ballroom Julie Broadway, Melissa Kitchen & Chris Sitz Grant Funders Summit Stephen Belenky, Co-Founder of Hiddn
8:00 – Noon       Agency & Hill Visits