Julie Broadway and Lonny Powell T he American Horse Council honored the equine industry’s brightest leaders at its annual meeting and national issues forum on June 7 at the AHC Conference in Washington D.C. with the presentation of the Van Ness award to Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association CEO Lonny Powell.

The late Marjorie Van Ness of New Jersey was a long-time leader and friend to the horse industry. The award named in her honor is presented to an individual that best emulates the dedication and commitment of Marjorie Van Ness to the improvement of the horse industry at the state level.

Below are comments by Powell from the ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“I would like to thank the American Horse Council and everyone here or elsewhere who took part in selecting me for this prestigious honor and award. Though I have been blessed to have received a few honors over a long, exciting and diverse career, I can assure you I will not cherish any more than this award. This really means something to me.

One of the primary reasons we are here and why the interests we represent gather in Washington, D.C. this week and why we are all members of the American Horse Council is to support the need for and importance of each of us and our organizations to advocate, educate, inform and promote our wonderful horses, the amazing human connections and farms they are associated with, the cultural importance of preserving equine/equestrian quality of life and all the annual significant economic impact and jobs our respective and united horse industries support here at our nation’s capital, at your State House, at your city hall and town halls. As most of us in this room know, government affairs is a job never done.

This award is truly meaningful to me as it both acknowledges my impact during my past 10 years in my beloved and only real current focus, Florida. It also recognizes prior decades of my earlier career successes and fantastic memories and industry community/political relationships and numerous

friendships still in place to this day in great places like California, Kentucky, Washington and Arizona.

I feel it a privilege to say that every waking minute of all 62 years of my life, as well as my own family’s, has been connected directly to the existence of horses. Furthermore, all 40 years of my executive/management career - 46 years in total work - have been spent directly in the horse industry. It is who I am, it is what I do. My career and life in the horse industry was not pursued by or handed to me. It is branded in my DNA.

As a fourth-generation horseman, I owe my genetic gratitude to my great-great grandfather Taylor, who began it all and ultimately met his demise by the large hoof of one of his Percheron draft farm horses. To my grandfather Taylor, who moved West to California and evolved the family horse of choice to Quarter Horse ranch horses. And of course, the person I most owe my involvement and passion in this industry, my late father, southern California based jockey, Taylor (of course) who guided many swift and speedy thoroughbred and Quarter Horses to victory. I accept this award and offer it to him and in his memory, work ethic, competitive spirit and absolute passion for racing and all horses.

Through high school and college, I literally worked the Quarter Horse, thoroughbred, Appy horse racing bush circuit at the most bottom of levels and tracks from mucking fairgrounds stalls, picking up grandstand and stable area garbage, and the always dreaded cleaning bathroom toilets to finally moving up the grunt ladder and hitting the lottery with testosterone/adrenaline-filled nirvana jobs to follow, such as working as a jockey valet and on the starting gate as an assistant starter. I even worked in the shipping/receiving department at the old Appaloosa Horse Club during college and the off season when it was headquartered in Moscow, Idaho.

Since that time, what an amazing journey the horse industry has taken me on working at the side of such unique and powerful horse people and captains of industry or politics like R.D. Hubbard, Frank Stronach, the Alhadeff Family of Seattle, and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, as well as shareholders and boards of directors of numerous public and private companies with tasks ranging from directly managing or overseeing the management of leading racetracks throughout the country, serving as industry academic, international regulatory spokesman,

state regulator, and just prior to my arrival in Florida, administrative law judge and governor’s cabinet member on to the coveted position I am so, so very honored to serve in today and for the past ten years and, God-willing, for years to come as FTBOA CEO. Horses specifically and in general have impacted every aspect of my life, and my family’s lives and my career. Accordingly, I’d really like to give special shout outs to some of the most special of the “...This award is truly meaningful to me as it both acknowledges my impact during my past 10 years in my beloved and only real current focus, Florida...” –Lonny Powell special of the individual and collective horses and ponies who have touched me so during my life and career and meant so very much including the amazing thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, standardbreds, arabians and appaloosas and all their forever memorable human connections who competed at the facilities I either worked at, managed or regulated, especially the fantastic fast Florida thoroughbreds and our breeders, owners, members, farms, FTBOA officers, board and staff who I am so proud and privileged to be associated with as I stand humbly before you today. I can never thank the horses, their people or you enough. Thank you!” TFH

Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds won 31% of races run at the recent Gulfstream Park Championship Meet? This demonstrates how vital Floridabreds are to the success of Gulfstream Park throughout the year–– not just during the Spring/Summer season. Additional good news for Florida breeders –– 67% of those Florida-bred winners during the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet were sired by Florida stallions.