UHC Roundup June 2019
The United Horse Coalition is a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council to educate the horse industry about the problem of horses at-risk or in transition. We seek to provide information for existing and prospective owners, breeders, sellers, and horse organizations regarding the long-term responsibilities of owning and caring for horses, as well as focusing on the opportunities available for these horses.
“Through industry collaboration, the UHC promotes education and options for at-risk and transitioning horses.”
PROGRAM UPDATES:
The United Horse Council had a very successful kick off meeting last week during the American Horse Councils Annual Conference in Washington D.C. If you were unable to attend, feel free to take a peek at the Power Point Presentation that was given to talk a little about where the UHC has been, where we are currently, and our goals for the future.
The UHC is excited to announce that the development of our new website is now complete and live at www.unitedhorsecoalition.org. The old website was redesigned and given a face lift, as well as the updating of our Logo to reflect the name change from “Unwanted” to “United.” The new website has a strong focus on our Resource Database, more importantly, our Searchable Resource Database. This database will allow anyone in need (Rescue, Owner, or Potential Owner) to reach out to us and search for whatever it is they may be in need of, and the database will give them any available resources according to their location. For example, if an Owner needs temporary assistance in the form of a hay bank, veterinary care, or a gelding clinic, they will be able to search for local programs in their area directly on our website. Or perhaps a Rescue is in need of specific funding grants, operational guidelines, or information on volunteer recruiting and retaining – we will point them in the right direction. Though we do have many resources already available currently on the website, the UHC Resource Database will be continuously added to on a day to day basis as more resources become available Nationwide. This is a long-term project that will grow with time. The United Horse Coalition would like to be a central repository for all resources available Nationwide to assist horses at-risk, or in transition.
We have re branded and updated the majority of our Educational Materials to give an overall cohesiveness to the look and feel of them. They are now showcased on our website for easy access to any Members (or the general public) who are in need of them. Any materials not currently updated, will be completed as time allows. We are also working with our Members (and the Industry) to identify a need for new materials and working to create them. For example, we have identified a need for information regarding Volunteer Recruitment and Retention and will be collaborating with some of our members to create these much-needed materials. Other Educational Materials in the works are Standards of Care, and Youth Education and Outreach.
The UHC has also rebranded our Facebook page, and are actively posting to gain followers and viewership. It is our hope to be able to use our social media accounts to share valuable information to help horses who are at-risk, or in transition. We have also created a new Instagram account and Twitter account. If you are on social media – look us up!
With all the wonderful new changes within the UHC, we are now working to grow our Membership Base: more members means more collaboration, which in turn leads to new and innovative ideas to help our horses!
Currently the UHC Ambassador Program has been quiet. However, given the new changes within the UHC we have had some recent interest in a few members stepping up to become UHC Ambassadors which has given us the impetus to reprise this program and give it new life. The Ambassador program offers a volunteer service involving members of the horse industry who represent the UHC to present information about horses at-risk or in transition, and the efforts of UHC to reduce the number of at-risk horses Nationwide.
We are excited for the future of UHC! As always, if there are any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at UHC@horsecouncil.org.
