Passion for Fostering Horse Industry

Chmn. Kim of KRA pushes growth of horse industry and horse-back riding as new growth engine

Chairman Kim Kwang-won of the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) has always been calling for the development of the horse breeding industry as a whole, not just the horse racing ever since he took over the helm of the KRA in 2008. He will soon see the revised horse industry law coming into force from next month, which will provide a base for the development of the horse breeding industry in Korea for the first time. KRA needed a legal framework to back up its development as a horse breeding institution, along with the horse racing.
What Kim has been aiming for was to foster the horse breeding and horse back riding for general public, along with the horse racing so that KRA would be not only known merely as the horse racing concern, but also a top institution that expanded the horse breeding around the country.
The chairman should be given a large credit for the revised Horse Industry Rearing Law being passed at the National Assembly in February, making a huge contribution to the birth of the horse breeding industry in Korea.
The horse breeding industry will involve the raising horses, marketing and equipment industry, which would make a great force in the farm economy.
Furthermore, the horse breeding business would benefit greatly from the free trade agreements with foreign countries that will open the markets of a number of foreign countries that signed the FTA with Korea paving the way for exports of domestically bred horses, making the horse breeding a new growth engine industry.
The development of all the sectors of the horse breeding industry will depend on the construction of many horse riding courses and the horse-riding population. KRA has been supporting the construction of horse-riding parks and horse riding facilities by providing funds to farmers, local autonomous organizations and universities with a special fund made with its income from horse racing.
KRA kicked off its business to support the horse breeding industry in 2006 and up until 2010, it provided support to 37 organizations including 28 private entities and 9 local autonomous organizations to install horse riding facilities. This year, too, KRA plans to provide 8.4 billion won to 9 organizations including 8 private institutions and a local autonomous organization.
KRA has been pushing for the construction and operation of its own horse back riding parks and got the licenses to build a farm-type horse back riding course in Iechon, Gyeonggi Province and a tourism-type horse back riding course in the Saemunkeum Tourism Leisure Complex in North Jeolla Province.
KRA has also been training a number of personnel to be professionals in the horse industry, which Chairman Kim should take credit for. In 2010 alone, KRA trained 103 horse back riding teachers and 19 special horse back riding trainers. This year, KRA selected 37 qualified horse back riding trainers through examinations.
Now horse back riding trainers only number 1,127 in the country, including 177 for racing and 950 for athletics trainers, falling far short of the necessary numbers.
Since 2009, KRA taught 2,593 people to learn how to ride horses to spread the culture of horse back riding around the country, and 4,362 in 2010 and plans to teach 6,500 people how to ride horse backs.
KRA with the revised Horse Industry Development Law coming into force soon, plans to set up standard qualifications for horse trainers, horse back riding trainers, and others, along with the launch of a research institute for horses to back the growth of the horse breeding industry.
Senior Horse Back Ride Trainer Shin Joong-sun of Tongdo Horse Back Ride Land located near Tongdo Buddhist Temple, only 10 minutes from Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, says members of the land are mostly from Busan as it takes from 40 to 50 minutes in cars from the port city and we provide kindly lessons on horse back riding and horses are gentle easy for first-timers to take lessons.
Many people use their leisure time to learn horse back riding these days and they select to go to the horse back riding courses where the trainers are kind and horses are easy to handle, said Shin. nw

Chairman Kim Kwang-won of the Korea Racing Authority.

Photos on courtesy of the Korea Racing Authority