Consensus is an Art
On Wednesday, March 17, 2021 the RTIP welcomed Alan M. Foreman, Chairman and CEO of Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Associations, Inc., to the Hirsch Speaker Series via Zoom.
Foreman walked the students through the history of horsemen organizations providing context to the various evolutionary changes that have occurred. He shared that the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 gave the horsemen leverage to negotiate more comprehensive contracts with racetracks.
Foreman went on to discuss how his organization became to be. Horsemen in some states wanted to be more jurisdictionally focused. The THA is supportive of the regional affiliates but does not govern from the “National” office. Through his leadership, many of the THA affiliates have worked together with divisions of the HBPAs in the MidAtlantic region to create the MATCH series which provides a seasonal schedule of regional races which led to a regional championship.
Regarding the HISA legislation, Foreman said “horsemen are beginning to realize that racing needs to be responsive to the public’s opinion, primarily the deaths, but also the indictments of Navarro and Servis. The THA is laser focused on the safety and welfare of the horse.”