Officials from the SHOW HIO met in Washington, D. C. yesterday with the United States Department of Agriculture.  Representing SHOW were CEO Dr. Doyle Meadows, Chairman of the Board Charles McDonald and Director David Howard.  Dr. Chester Gipson, Dr. Rachel Cezar and Michael Tuck represented the USDA.

This was the first face-to-face meeting of the two groups and SHOW brought the government up to date on actions taken during their first 40 days of existence.  SHOW then outlined their plan for the balance of this show season and their long range plans.

SHOW expressed concern to the Department about horses not being presented for inspection at shows this year because of inconsistent interpretation of the scar rule among horse show veterinarians, Designated Qualified Persons and Veterinary Medical Officers. 

This led to a discussion about alternatives to the 2007-2009 Operating Plan penalty structure.  SHOW informed the Department of a proposal that had previously been sent to all of the other Horse Industry Organizations for consideration. 

There is a HIO conference call Tuesday to discuss SHOW’s proposal with the hope that an agreement can be reached among the group for a recommendation to the Department.

In addition, the Department agreed to discuss alternatives to the current penalty structure with the Office of General Counsel in order to give SHOW input on their plans.