Jay Hickey will retire effective June 30, 2016 as the President of the American Horse Council.  He will be succeeded by Julie Broadway, who is leaving her post as the executive director of the American Morgan Horse Association.

The American Horse Council, founded in 1969 as a Washington D.C.-based national association representing all segments of the horse industry, promotes and protects all horse breeds, disciplines and interests by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry itself.

Ben Pendergrass, who has served as the horse council’s vice president of government affairs since 2008, has been named senior vice president for policy and legislative affairs.  The American Horse Council has been an advocate of the PAST Act.

Hickey has been a strong proponent of the Humane Society of the United States and their legislation, the PAST Act, that would diminish the Tennessee Walking Horse show industry.  Hickey spoke last week on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States at a Congressional information session the HSUS hosted to promote the PAST Act.

Broadway, who spent nine years as the executive director at AMHA, will begin her new role effective July 1, 2016.