Summit Speakers
More 2010 Speaker and information coming soon!
John Long
Nick Nicholson
More to come...
Our Luncheon Speakers
 John R. Long
Chief Executive Officer, United States Equestrian Federation
Chairman of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
John Long has been directly involved in the equine industry for over 20 years. For four years, Mr. Long served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Churchill Downs, Inc. He oversaw the management, operations, and planning for all of the company's racetracks and simulcast facilities. Prior to his tenure at Churchill Downs, Inc., he spent ten years as President and Chief Operating Officer of Ladbroke/USA, one of the largest pari-mutuel operators in the country during the 90’s. From settling union disputes to equine medication policies to legislative affairs, Mr. Long has served on the front line, dealing directly with many constituencies in the equine industry.
In December of 2003, Mr. Long became the first Chief Executive Officer of the United States Equestrian Federation, Inc., which is the national governing body for equestrian sport in the U.S. The USEF was officially formed that same month when the former United States Equestrian Team and USA Equestrian joined together with the purpose of becoming one strong national voice for equestrian sport. The USEF supports a membership of over 95,000, ranging from children with their first pony in their own backyard to the training and selection of our Olympic equestrian teams. Twenty-eight breeds and disciplines are represented in the Federation and annually participate in more than 2600 USEF-recognized horse shows in the United States and in high performance international competitions, including the Olympic Games, the Pan American Games and World Cup competitions.
Internationally, Mr. Long serves as Secretary General to the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) which is the international equestrian federation. Mr. Long was appointed in 2007 Chairman of the newly created Nominations Committee. In 2009, he was appointed to serve on the FEI’s Structure Steering Group in order to assist with planning to restructure its governance.
Mr. Long serves as Chairman of the World Games 2010 Foundation Board of Directors developed for the planning process for the FEI World Equestrian Games to be held in Lexington, Kentucky in 2010.
Nick Nicholson
Chief Executive Officer
Keeneland
Nick Nicholson became Keeneland’s sixth president in January of 2000, making him the first Keeneland
President who doesn’t have a direct line to the people involved in the opening of the track in 1936.
Prior to joining Keeneland, Nicholson was the executive vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club, which maintains the official pedigree of all North American Thoroughbreds. During his tenure at The Jockey Club, several innovations were implemented, including the introduction of The Jockey Club Interactive, the world’s first interactive Thoroughbred registration system. While at The Jockey Club, he took a leave of absence to help form the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and served as its first chief operating officer.
Before joining The Jockey Club in 1989, he was executive vice president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders and was instrumental in the drafting and passage of the bill that allows intertrack wagering. Earlier in his career, Nicholson served as executive assistant to Kentucky Senator Wendell Ford in Washington, D.C. He previously served as administrative assistant to Kentucky’s Commissioner of Parks.
“There’s a pride and a loyalty among Keeneland’s employees that transcends from the top to the bottom. It is my honor to serve with a team of individuals that continually go the ‘extra mile’ in all they do,” Nicholson said. “From a simple smile and greeting to our guests to handling complicated situations, the dedication of the Keeneland staff is tremendous.”
Nicholson is the current chairman of the American Horse Council, and serves on the board of several other major industry organizations, including the NTRA, the Thoroughbred Racing Association, Equibase, the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, and the University of Kentucky Equine Research Foundation. He is a past president of the Thoroughbred Club of America and also served as vice chairman of the International Catalog Standards Committee..
For his many contributions to the industry, Nicholson received the Lifetime Service Award from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, as well as The Jockey Club Gold Medal. In 2004, he was elected a member of The Jockey Club.
Nicholson’s community involvement includes serving on the board of the Urban League, Commerce Lexington Inc., KET Commonwealth Fund, Transylvania University, the Dermontti Dawson Foundation, and Shakertown.
Nick and his wife Susan have two children. Trish is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Nick III is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Kentucky College of Law.
ARCHIVE
2008 Summit Speakers
Where Horseplay Is Serious Business.
Spring 2008, Lexington hosted the inaugural Kentucky International Equine Summit, an event which brought leaders from all aspects of the horse industry together to examine the most important issues facing the industry.
The Wellbeing of the Competitive Horse
Discussed how breakthroughs in veterinary science and innovative synthetic surfaces promise to make racing, showing, and training safer, and as a result, improve and sustain the competitive careers of equine athletes.
The Emerging Science of Horse Breeding
The mapping of the equine genome, as well as other advances in veterinary and biomechanical knowledge, may have dramatic implications on the future of horse selection. Examined how this emerging science will challenge historical practices, breed registries, and other organizations concerned with the preservation of traditional breeds and popular equine disciplines.
Jim Heird
Colorado State University |
Dr. Jamie MacLeod
M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center |
Dr. Nena Winand
Cornell University |
Alan Porter
TrueNicks |
Dr. Ernest Bailey
University of Kentucky |
Dr. Molly McCue
University of Minnesota |
Dan Kenny
Dan Kenny Bloodstock |
Ken Jackson
Kentuckiana Farms |
Fred Sarver
Leatherwood Stud |
Ann Peters
Three Chimneys Farm |
Frank Mitchell
Bloodstock Advisor |
Dr. John Steiner
Rhinebeck Equine LLP |
Robert Fierro
DataTrack International |
Mike Brown
Sireaverages.com |
Dr. Samantha Brooks
Cornell University |
Gary Carpenter
American Quarter Horse Foundation |
Ken Carson
Valor Farm |
Tom Crouch
Kentuckiana Farms |
Dean Hoffman
Hoffman Communications |
Laura Lipf
Royal Vista Ranches LLC |
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The Equine Economy in the 21st Century
While there has been unprecedented growth in the horse industry over the last half-century, the trend has slowed in recent years. Rather than accept that this the end of an era, discussed ways the industry could better position itself to find more participants, spectators, sponsors, and to reach out to more consumers.
Rich Wilcke
Equine Industry Program |
Steve Day
Dover Saddlery, Inc. |
Tom Aronson
Churchill Downs |
Martin Concannon
Lafayette Associates KY |
Allen Gutterman
Santa Anita Park |
John Della Volpe
SocialSphere, Inc. |
Tim Campbell
IMG |
John Long
USEF |
Alan Balch
ASHA |
Todd Gralla
Gralla Architects |
Craig Dado
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club |
David Osborne
Member Kentucky State Legislature |
John Volk
Brakke Consulting |
Tom Persechino
AQHA |
Dale Owens
Louisville Bats |
Mark Simendinger
Kentucky Speedway |
Corey Johnsen
Kentucky Downs |
Denny Hales
OHQHA |
Karin Lippert
Protocol Entertainment, Inc. |
Sam Sheppard
European Breeders' Fund |
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Session Shots
Kentucky State Legislators |
Dr. Ernest Bailey from UK |
UofL Equine major Marylee Kuchta worked registration table |
Dr. Craig Wood from UK |
Larry Thornton
Thornton Quarter Horses |
Between sessions |
Speakers Alan Porter and Dr. Nena Winand |
Robert Fierro and Ed Bowen |
Ready for lunch |
Tuesday's lunch sponsored by United States Equestrian Federation |
David O'Connor
President USEF
Tuesday's Keynote Speaker |
Gary Clay meeting speakers at session break |
Equine students from throughout KY attended the summit |
Registrants in a session |
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Registrants in an Equine Economy in the 21st Century session |
Bob Evans
CEO Churchill Downs Monday's Keynote Speaker |
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2010 TOPIC TRACKS
