BIG NEWS for Santa Fe Horse owners: Santa Fe Equine Culture Resolution

Today is an historic day. The Santa Fe County commissioners passed the Santa Fe Equine Culture Resolution.

Your Santa Fe County Horse Coalition has been hard at work together with the County of Santa Fe ensuring that today and for the future, Santa Fe ranks as one of the best places in the world for horses and their owners.

Thank you to our members and to the Santa Fe County Commissioners for their unanimous support.

Read the full text of the resolution:

SANTA FE COUNTY

RESOLUTION NO. 2015-38

A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE EQUINE CULTURE IN THE FINAL DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUSTAINABLE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE (SLDC) AND THAT SANTA FE COUNTY PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SANTA FE AS A REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HORSE DESTINATION

WHEREAS, horses and equine activity have been a unique, integral part of Santa Fe County’s history and culture for over 400 years;

WHEREAS, Santa Fe’s historic development as a transportation hub and government center could not have taken place without the significant contributions of equines;

WHEREAS, Santa Fe County adopted the Sustainable Growth Management Plan (SGMP) in 2010, in which Section 5.3.1.4, entitled “Historic Road Network, Scenic Roads and Byways,” identifies the equine’s historic contributions to the delivery of goods and transportation of people using the Old Santa Fe Trail and the Old Spanish Trail, which trail alone was used to transport thousands of horses at a time from California to Santa Fe;

WHEREAS, equine activities have a substantial economic impact in Santa Fe County;

WHEREAS, Santa Fe County adopted the SGMP in 2010, which identifies Agriculture, Arts & Culture and Ecotourism & Outdoor Recreation as 3 of the 6 Target Industries for economic development;

WHEREAS, SGMP Section 4.2.2.1, entitled “Agricultural Production,” identifies that “According to the 1998 Agriculture and Ranching study commissioned by Santa Fe County…in “[c]attle and horses made up the majority of the common livestock.”  Within the agriculture/cattle industry, horses are traditionally used for gathering and sorting cattle;

WHEREAS, SGMP Section 3.2.4.2, entitled “Arts and Culture,” identifies “horseback riding” among a number of outdoor naturalistic pursuits that draw significant numbers of tourists to Santa Fe County;

WHEREAS, SGMP Section 3.2.4.5, identifies “horseback riding” as a form of Ecotourism/Outdoor Recreation;

WHEREAS, the Santa Fe County Economic Development Strategic Plan, at Section 1.6.3, states that “Agritourism (bringing visitors to a farm or ranch) is a growing part of the national economy that generates over $556 million in revenues for US farmers each year…[and that]…“The equestrian industry is an important component of the Santa Fe County economy, with over 500 members represented in the Santa Fe County Horse Coalition.”; and

WHEREAS, horse facilities, trails and training grounds provide a robust infrastructure for clinics, agritourism and overall health/wellness for Santa Fe County residents and tourists alike.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of County Commissioners of Santa Fe County:

1. Recognize the historic, cultural and economic importance of horses within Santa Fe County;

2. Collaborate with appropriate stakeholders, including the Santa Fe County Horse Coalition to promote economic growth through horse activities;

3. Support the development and maintenance of facilities and businesses that will enable horse-related economic growth;

4. Protect and preserve the equine culture in the final development and implementation of the SLDC, and acknowledge the County’s support of the development of Santa Fe County as a regional and international horse destination; and

5. Will consider the need to include equine uses and equine related businesses in future County plans and plan updates.

PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED this 24^th day of February, 2015.

In photo: board member David Marks, secretary Piar Marks, president Cat Parks, vice president Julia Jarvis, board member Elayne Patton.

Not pictured: treasurer Richard Beal​ and advisory board members: Dr. John Parks​, Dr. Richard Patton, David Mead, Dr. Doug Thal​, Rev. Gail Marriner, Tim Nielsen​, Kevan Saunders​,  Matthew R. Williams​