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Annual American Quarter Horse Association conference
March 5, 2006 We are delighted to share with you the sheer beauty of the Evergreen State and show you some of our fine hospitality and fine products, such as this Starbucks coffee I hold in my hand. Did you know that Washington State is the country’s capital of coffee? We have more coffee bean roasters per capita than any other state. The real question is if by the end of the day we are the state with the most people with jitters. We are also, of course, the home of the Super Bowl 40 Seattle Seahawks, the largest ferry system, the highest concentration of aerospace workers in the world, and a leading producer of technology with Microsoft and other high-tech companies that make their home here in the Puget Sound area. There are many fine institutions in our state, including Washington State University over in Pullman, the home of one of the finest veterinarian schools in the country. In 2003, WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine conducted nearly $11 million dollars in competitively funded research, placing it in the top tier of all veterinary schools. Washington is also the country’s second largest producer of wine, but I always hasten to add that we may be number two in quantity but number one in quantity. Some of you may have been up to top of our World Famous Space Needle already or have had a chance to take a boat ride out in Elliott Bay. If you were to cruise across the sound then traverse about 60 miles further over the Olympics to our west you’d be at the lap of the Pacific Ocean. Drive to the southeast a bit and you’d encounter the snow-capped Mt. Rainier, one of the highest peaks in the country and the most heavily glaciated. Just a little beyond Rainier is the explosive Mount Saint Helens. We’re also blessed with thundering waterfalls, an archipelago of charming islands, awesome gorges, thousands of acres of protected wildlife preserves and recreational lands. Katharine Lee Bates’ America the Beautiful: Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies, with Amber Waves of Grain for Purple Mountains Majesty could have been written about Washington State. This is prime country too for horse riding and raising. As I’m sure many of you in this audience can attest, Washington is great horse country. We have here the John Wayne Trail. I drove a team of mules along that – does that count as a ride? By the way, do you know the best way to stop a runaway horse? You bet on it! The quarter horse and horse racing industry is very important to Washington State. Racing jurisdictions here and across the nation have suffered through some very difficult financial times. To help address this, in 2004 the Washington Legislature was able to pass a law to allow advanced deposit wagering, sometimes called Internet wagering. That has helped to put the industry on more solid footing and especially help the smaller tracks. Because of that success, our Horse Racing Commission this session was able to pass further legislation to help small tracks. The latest legislation improves the investment in the equine industry by authorizing the Horse Racing Commission to spend up to $300,000 per year to develop the industry and to upgrade and maintain racing facilities, as well as assist with equine health research which should be an aid to all breeds of horses. The commission is to set its first priority for these funds for uses that assist non-profit race meets and equine health research. That legislation has passed our House and Senate and now awaits the signature of the governor to become law. Our state races quarter horses in the eastern Washington cities of Kennewick, Walla Walla, Dayton and Waitsburg. In 2005 there were 26 Quarter horse races at those tracks as well 23 mixed breed races. Of course Emerald Downs, our facility a little to the south of Seattle, races thoroughbreds exclusively. In sum, racing is a solid investment that returns millions to our state’s economy each year and employs thousands of people. Continuing to make investments in the equine industry makes good sense here as it does for other states across the nation. Let me offer to assist you if you are interested in obtaining information on legislation and laws of our state. I have found it very beneficial for us when we look to others’ experience. We can learn from other which is a clear benefit of this conference. There are other payoffs of the horse industry as well – it’s certainly not all about revenues created from the track or race horses. Showing, jumping, barrel racing, endurance rides, trail rides, rodeos, breeding, carriage pulling and other activities certainly keep the quarter horse at the forefront, even in these days when electronic gadgetry is taking center stage. To me the true value of the equine industry is not so much around dollars and cents but more about how having a thriving horse industry is help our youth. Earlier this week I spoke to the Know Your Government conference of Washington State 4-H Club in Olympia. This was a remarkable group comprised of 300 kids that were among the most bright, articulate and polite young people I’ve met. Kids love animals, especially horses, and the 4-H and FFA are wonderful organizations that helps kids develop the kind of leadership skills that they can put to use no matter where they end up in their lives. This is certainly not unique to our state. There are great kids involved in 4H, FFA, Boy and Girl Scouts in all of our states. In the work that we do with young people we have found the research to be crystal clear. Their positive activities and organization make a very significant difference in kids’ ability to resist the negative behavior. What does it take to help a kid succeed today? A little more than just plain horse sense. In All-USA High School Academic Team sponsored by USA Today, winners from the past 19 years were surveyed to get their perspective on what made them successful. What makes a student an academic star? In some ways, upbringings were as different as their geographic locations, but the newspaper reported some powerful similarities: educated, committed parents, some wonderful teachers and mentors, high expectations and the opportunities to pursue their passions. Mentoring and mentoring partnerships play a huge part in the success of our children. There is research that tells us what has worked with other children with all of the normal negative factors in their lives. One such study is called the resiliency model. It shows that there are three common denominators amongst these kids. They have had care and support by at least one person. They have been given high expectations and then help to meet those expectations and finally the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to their social environment, in other words, to do something good. I know that many of you are involved with kids and kid programs, either through 4-H or through AQHYA (American Quarter Horse Youth Association) which I’m told is the largest youth equine organization in the world. Reaching out to young people is certainly one of my passions and I know yours as well. I’d much rather see our kids spend their time riding and taking care of horse than chatting online or marking graffiti. Caring for horses not only teaches responsibility, but of course also promotes family closeness and togetherness. I want to give a sincere thank you to all of you here to who taken the time to involve young people in your very special lives with your very special friends, these magnificent animals that are the quarter horse. Again, I thank you for coming to Washington State and hope you enjoy your time in Seattle. We are so pleased and honored that you chose our great state for your conference. I do hope you are able to get around and do some exploring while you are here. You will find our citizens friendly and eager to help wherever you go. And where else can you go and start the day with the world’s greatest coffee, go ride trails for the day over some rugged, breathtaking mountain countryside then end the evening with the world’s finest wine? Thank you, and enjoy the great state of Washington.
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