For release: 4/7/8                  For information: Karen Freese (217) 677-2152

Illinois Equine Foundation
provides tax-free way to help HCI help horses

The Illinois Equine Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization, meaning that gifts and contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible, according to Karen Freese, Foundation president. 

The not-for-profit Foundation, started in 1998, was organized as a program of the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois (HCI) to receive tax deductible contributions that provide support to the industry beyond HCI’s principal mission as the voice of the Illinois horse industry, Freese explained. 

Gifts to support the work of the Council may be received through the Foundation as monetary sums via checks or wire transfers as well as in the form of stocks, annuities, bequests from an estate, endowments, etc. 

“For more than a decade, HCI has used the Foundation to support the Ruby Holmquist Memorial Scholarship Fund, and more recently the Dean Scoggins Memorial Scholarship,” Freese said. 

By charter, Foundation funds are used solely for scholarship and educational purposes. “Contributors may designate their gifts, however, for general or specific uses, such as either of the current memorial scholarship programs or to expand HCI’s educational efforts, including development, publication and distribution of equine related pamphlets, guides and brochures,” Freese said. 

“Or contributions may be designated to support new programs, such as educational seminars on environmental, zoning, legal, best practices and business aspects of the equine industry,” she said. 

With government assistance for the equine industry and university equine programs dwindling, Freese said that support is needed now more than ever before. 

“Gifts can be in any amount and for a purpose that you specify,” Freese said. 

An example Freese gives is that a long-time friend of Dr. Scoggins recently provided $10,000 to establish and support an annual scholarship in his name, providing assistance to large animal veterinary students. 

“It’s a great start, but we need your help to reach our goal for this endowment,” Freese said. 

For information on how to become a major Foundation Sponsor or sustaining member, contact the Illinois Equine Foundation, P.O. Box 1605, Springfield, IL 62705, call the HCI office at 217-585-1600 or drop an email to hci@horsemenscouncil.org. 

Checks should be made payable to the Illinois Equine Foundation and mailed to the address above. Gifts of $25 or more will automatically generate receipts for tax purposes. 

Horsemen’s Council Of Illinois urges you to contact
your legislators, asking them to back an amendment
to keep premise, animal ID registration voluntary

 Please do it now while your legislators are in your district office
(the General Assembly does not re-convene until April 1)

  

Go to www.horsemenscouncil.org and click on “Legislation.” It provides an aid in locating and contacting your elected officials. You also may use it to check on the wording and status of other laws and pending legislation that affects horses and horse ownership.

 

The amendment to HB 5776, as introduced by Representative Richard P. Myers, (R) Macomb, provides that the Department shall not require a premise identification number or electronic animal identification under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) to exhibit or enter livestock, poultry, rabbits, horses, or any other animal at any fair or exhibition in Illinois, unless required by federal law or regulation.

 

Without this amendment, officials could bar prospective exhibitors from state and county fairs, shows and exhibitions unless they produced evidence of premise ID registration.

 

The amendment further provides that the Department shall develop a process for persons to withdraw from the NAIS registration, and that process shall provide for removal of the person's information from the Department's database.

 

In explaining why you support the amendment, you may use language such as, “Please support Rep. Myers’ amendment to HB 5776 because premise reporting and animal identification is currently impractical for horses because unlike most cattle, pigs and poultry, horses are frequently moved, even ridden, from one place to another – to trail rides, shows and competitions all year long. It would be a recordkeeping nightmare.”

 

NAIS provisions call for reporting all movement of registered animals, such as when cattle are moved from pasture to a feed lot or sold to market. Under current proposals, horse owners would be subject to the same movement reporting requirements.

 

Rep. Myers is joined by 13 co-sponsors of the amendment, including members of the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee. The amendment was placed on calendar order of 3^rd reading with a short debate tentatively scheduled for April 1 when the General Assembly re-convenes.

 

The Horsemen’s Council of Illinois is the state affiliate of the American Horse Council and is the only statewide association of equine organizations and individuals providing centralized leadership for Illinois’ 77,000 horse owners, 213,000 horses and its diverse $3.8 billion industry, which provides full-time employment for more than 15,000 people.