Join the American Horse Council for the 2026 AHC Annual Conference and National Issues Forum
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary – Honoring the historical significance of horses in American society
When:
Sunday June 21 – Wednesday June 24, 2026
Where:
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, DC
Conference registration will go live on Friday April 04/17/2026 at 9am ET. Hotel reservations are now available, and the room block is open until June 1st. Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC. Please use the link below to book your room. AHC will not be utilizing any other link.
Conference Schedule
American Horse Council 2026 National Issues Forum Speakers
Sunday, June 21
| Time slot | Location | Topic |
Speaker |
| 11:00 – 5:00 | Registration desk open | ||
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Hampton Ballroom | The Path of Equestrian Athletes: Interscholastic/intercollegiate pipeline | Roxanne Durant – IEA, Peter Cashman – IHSA, Lisa Terry – Director of Equestrian Center at Emory & Terry University, Tom O’Mara – USEF, Lynn Hickey – NCEA |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | Hampton Ballroom | Helping the Equine Veterinary Workforce Thrive | Lexis Conrow—President, AAEVT |
| 3:00 – 4:00 | See Topic | Welfare Committee (Hampton Ballroom) & Racing Committee (Capital Conference Room) | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 | See Topic | Regulatory Committee (Hampton Ballroom) & Recreation Committee (Capital Conference Room) | |
| 5:00 – 6:00 | See Topic | Health Committee (Hampton Ballroom) & Show/Competition Committee ( Capital Conference Room) | |
| 6:00 – 7:00 | Hampton Ballroom Lobby | Cocktail Reception | |
| 7:00 – 9:00 | Governor’s Room |
AHC Board Meeting with Dinner CLOSED SESSION |
Monday, June 22
| Time slot | Location | Topic |
Speaker | |||
| 7:30 – 5:30 | Registration desk open | |||||
| 7:30 – 9:30 | Hampton Ballroom Lobby | Continental breakfast | ||||
| 9:00 – 10:00 | Hampton Ballroom | Agritourism Panel – Agritourism as a sustainability strategy for horse farms & horseback tourism supports eco- and regenerative tourism. | Abriana Johnson – Black Unicorn Creative & LA Berry – Media Relations, Active Riding Trips | |||
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Hampton Ballroom | Do More with Less: How AI protects membership, Money, and your credibility | Sabrina Stratford – Consultant | |||
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Hampton Ballroom | Beyond Georgraphy & Discipline: How Virtual Communities Are Driving Equine Professional Growth | Jillian Blades Rice – More Leg Marketing | |||
| 12:00 – 1:30 | Hampton Ballroom | AHC Awards Luncheon (Buffet, included with full registration; single day must purchase separately.) | ||||
| 1:30 – 2:30 | Hampton Ballroom | Developing a national-level equine operation and population model to inform emergency planning and decision-making. | Dr. Sangeeta Rao and Jairo Palomares of CSU | |||
| 2:30 – 3:30 | Hampton Ballroom | Trade/Tariff Research Project Presentation | Meghan O’Brien – AHC Intern Providence College | |||
| 3:30 – 4:30 | Hampton Ballroom | The Role of Equine Science in Today’s Equine Industry | Dr Kelly Vineyard & Dr. Robert Jacobs | |||
| 4:30 – 5:30 | Hampton Ballroom | Second Careers for Horses | Katherine Gregory – CO Horse Rescue, Bryce Albright – American Dude Ranch Assoc. & Teresa Woods – US Pony Club, Kristin Werner – The Jockey Club, and Kevin Price – PATH Intl. | |||
| 5:30 – 7:00 | TBD | WELCOME RECEPTION | ||||
Tuesday, June 23
| Time slot | Location | Topic |
Speaker | ||||
| 7:30 – 12:00 | Registration desk open | ||||||
| 7:30 – 9:30 | Hampton Ballroom Lobby | Continental Breakfast | |||||
| 9:00 – 10:00 | TBD | The Last Act of Responsibility: Overcoming Barriers to Euthanasia & Disposal Panel Discussion | Jessica Stark (World Horse Welfare), Sarah Coleman (Vet Direct/Kentucky Horse Council/AAEP), Jennifer Toussaint (National Animal Control Association), and Katherine Gregory (Colorado Horse Rescue) | ||||
| 10:00 – 10:45 | TBD | The Impact of Mass Bailing Across the Equine Industry | Tinia Creamer – Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue | ||||
| 10:45 – 11:00 | TBD | United Horse Coalition & Equine Welfare Data Collective Updates | Ashley Harkins (AHC/UHC Operations Manager), Kelsey Buckley (EWDC Program Manager) | ||||
| 11:00 – 12:00 | TBD | Finding and Securing Funding for Equine Programs: Practical Grant Writing Strategies for the Horse Industry | Dr. Sarah Diamond – Diamond Grants & Consulting LLC | ||||
| 12:00 – 1:30 | LUNCH ON YOUR OWN | ||||||
| 1:30 – 5:30 | Field Trip to Fort Myers or Virginia Tech Equine Center | *Please note, you must be registered at least two weeks in advance in order to attend the field trip to Fort Myers, as we must give them notice. | |||||
Wednesday, June 24
| Time slot | Location | Topic | Speaker |
| 7:30 – 9:30 | Hampton Ballroom Lobby | Continential Breakfast | |
| 9:00 – Noon | Hampton Ballroom | Congressional Fly-In Orientation @ 9:00 |