The inaugural Kentucky International Equine Summit, scheduled for April 28-29 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Lexington, will feature more than 80 industry experts.

The summit will feature three tracks—“Equine Economy in the 21st Century”, “Wellbeing of the Competitive Horse”, and “The Emerging Science of Horse Breeding.”

Panelists and individual speakers will discuss opportunities and demands the industry faces regarding technology improvements and competition with other sports in the “Equine Economy in the 21st Century” portion. Some of the confirmed speakers for the track include:

Alan Balch, Executive Secretary, American Saddlebred Horse Association;
Corey Johnsen, President, Kentucky Downs;
Denny Hales, Executive Vice President, Ohio Quarter Horse Association;
Craig Dado, Vice President of Marketing, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club;
?Todd Gralla, SDA—Director of Equine Services, Gralla Architects;
John Nicholson, Executive Director, Kentucky Horse Park;
Jerry Fruth, President, United Stated Equine Trails Coalition;
Sam Sheppard, Chief Executive, European Breeder’s Fund;
Tom Struzzieri, President, HITS;
Phil Terry, Director of Marketing, Little Brown Jug Society;
Tom Aronson, Vice President, Churchill Downs; 
Steve Day, President and Board Chairman, Dover Saddlery;
John Volk, Senior Consultant, Brakke Consulting;
Tom Persechino, Director of Marketing, AQHA;
Rep. David Osborne, Realtor/Member, KY Legislature;
Alan Gutterman, Vice President of Marketing, Santa Anita Park;
Dale Owens, General Manager, Louisville Bats;
John Della Volpe, Founder and Managing Partner, SocialSphere Inc.;
Mark Simendinger, President, Kentucky Speedway;
John Long, CEO, United States Equestrian Federation;
Robert Clay, Owner, Three Chimneys Farm;
Denny Gentry, Founder, United States Team Roping Championships;
Karen Lippert, Director of Marketing and Communications, Protocol Entertainment Inc.;
Gloria Austin, Founder, The Florida Carriage Museum and Resort; and
Holly Davis, Acting Director, Horselife, Western-English Trade Association

The event is being sponsored by the Equine Industry Program in the College of Business at the University of Louisville and aims to bring together industry leaders to examine issues facing the future of the equine industry.

For more information, visit www.kyequinesummit.com