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The Ever-Loved Horse Racing Industry
Needs Your Help!
A Letter from the New Mexico Horsemen’s Association
The business of horse racing Nationwide
and in New Mexico is at a crossroads. As
you may know, money from slot machines
located in casinos at each of the 5 New
Mexico racetracks has resulted in dramatic
increases to purses. However, for the past
20 years there has been a steady reduction
of both new owners and participants, as well
as a declining fan base attending live racing.
There are several reasons for
this, including recession in certain
entrepreneurial industries and the
numerous other competing forms of
entertainment reducing available fans.
These competing forms of entertainment
include the massive proliferation of gaming
at Native American casinos, sports betting,
new sports evolving, and the ever-present
use of video games and social media by the
younger generations.
We here at the New Mexico Horsemen’s
Association acknowledge that competition
for fans has made growth of the sport and
business of horseracing more difficult. The
Downs at Albuquerque and Sunland Park
Racetrack have made improvements that
will allow fans to bet on live races using
their smart phones & tablets. Adapting
to modern day trends as such, is critical
in keeping the participation of our fan
base up. We as horsemen applaud these
efforts, but we also realize more must
be done to save the industry.
In addition to attracting new
fans, we must attract new owners to our
sport. Now more than ever, the increase in
emerging technologies and social media has
our industry under the constant scrutiny
of the public eye. As current participants,
we must use the highest ethics while racing
our horses to keep a positive perspective on
the sport itself. It is no longer status quo
or ethical to use medications to get our
horses to perform. We all need to act as
ambassadors for the sport and endeavor to
introduce and educate the public, as well as
newcomers, about the sport of horse racing
and ownership of horses.
While traditional marketing and
advertising may continue to have a positive
effect
on improving
participation
in our sport, we
need to embrace
the newly emerging
technologies that permit access to the
sport remotely and find ways to develop an
increasing fan and ownership base.
Our sport’s very existence depends on
us coming together as an industry and
taking this challenge seriously. That’s
why we need your help, we want to hear
from you!
Send us your ideas on how
the sport of horse racing
and participation in the
sport as owner or fan can
be made more attractive.
Don’t worry about whether
an approach will work,
just present your ideas no
matter how outside the
box they may be.
New Mexico Horsemen’s Association
217 Palomas, NE • Albuquerque, NM 87108 • (505) 266-7056
www.newmexicohorsemen.com • email: nmhastate1@aol.com
Briefly, about us:
The New Mexico Horsemen’s Association is made up of 5000 licensed owners and race horse
trainers. The Association was formed in 1966 to represent horsemen in their dealings with the
racetracks, the New Mexico Racing Commission, the New Mexico State Legislature, and to further
the interest of folks in the sport and the business of horseracing. The forward-thinking horsemen
who created the Association wanted all facets of the industry, including the breeding of horses,
to grow and flourish. It has done so, especially with the advent of slot gaming which is permitted
at each of the state’s 5 racetracks. We are a 503 c 4 not for profit entity.
For more information please contact New Mexico Horsemen’s Association, 217 Palomas,
NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87108, Phone: 505.266.7056 Larry Strain, President, of the
NMHA, Pat Bingham, Executive Director, or visit our website at www.newmexicohorsemen.com.
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