The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) plans to set aside 761.9 billion won by 2021 in support to nurture a horse breeding industry. The ministry will introduce a horse career system while inaugurating youth horse-riding teams to popularize the sport.
These are part of the 2nd roadmap for the nurturing of the horse breeding industry, calling for the implementation of 18 tasks in four areas, which was announced by the ministry on Jan. 2.
The cited four areas are the expansion of horse demand and the nurturing of related industries; the building of infrastructure for horse breeding industry; the strengthening of the competiveness of the horse breeding industry; and the building of a regime for sustainable growth.
The ministry plans to set aside 761.9 billion won, including 195.9 billion won, which accounts for 5 percent of the fund for the development of the livestock industry, and 555.3 billion won from the KRA, for the smooth implementation of the latest master plan.
As part of efforts to expand horse demand and foster related industries, support for training riding horses will be raised by lowering beneficiaries’ own payment from 40 percent to 20 percent, and adding five more training centers.
The ministry plans to introduce a horse career system by 2021. Racehorses ordered to retire will be not be allowed to enter the riding horse market, a move to invigorate the industry, while the number of those who experience riding will be raised to 70,000 by 2021. The government’s steps to ramp up support for the development of industry are designed to popularize horse riding and improve quality.
The nation’s self-sufficiency rate of coarse fodders will increase from 52 percent or an estimated 15,039 tons in 2015 to 90 percent or about 26,000 tons in 2021.
The government plans to sign quarantine agreements with major countries to export homegrown horses with the goal of increasing the value of homegrown horse product exports to 93 billion won to 10 countries by 2021. Infrastructure for nurturing the horse industry will be built in earnest, including access to horse facilities and the overhauling of education regimes of manpower specializing in the horse industry.
Twenty-five horse riding facilities in rural areas will be built on top of 15 public facilities, while horse riding roads, stretching 500 km in length, will be expanded. Two horse industry complexes, including one in Saemangeum, will be constructed.
Director General Park Byung-hon of the Livestock Policy Bureau at the MAFRA said, “(We’ll) do our best to carry out public roles of nurturing the Koean-type horse riding and horse breeding industries by contributing to the rural economy, creating jobs and spurring youth and children’s horse riding in accordance with the 2nd roadmap for the nurturing of the horse breeding industry.”
2018 Horseracing Competition
A horse racing event will be held for 96 days at Let’s Run Park in Seoul and Let’s Park in BusasnGyeongnam, and grand-prize and special horse racing competitions will increase to 45 in 2018, two more than last year, the KRA said.
Let’s Run Park in Seoul and Let’s Park in BusasnGyeongnam will have 1,094 and 806 competition events, respectively, similar to last year’s levels.
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