Public records show that Minnesota's horse industry has been suffering through a tough decade. Once valued at nearly $1 billion, the industry has watched owners and breeders leave Minnesota for other states that use slot machines to increase racing purses.
As an owner and breeder, I have watched as friends and rivals have gone to states like Indiana and Pennsylvania.
Our horse industry isn't dying -- it's simply packing up and heading for greener pastures.
This year, like many other years, began as a hopeful one for racino legislation in Minnesota. Once again, the representatives of the state's horse industry visited with legislators and engaged a strong, grass-roots network in support of racinos.
And once again, as night follows day, state leaders decided that Minnesota's gaming structure is working pretty well, and racinos weren't approved.
For Canterbury Park, a trusted Minnesota company that has spent millions of dollars in support of racinos, this was a frustrating result given that the need for new state revenue seemed so obvious. For breeders like me, the failure of the racino bill was seen as the last straw. Game, set and match.
However, another solution was already in the works. At the suggestion of Gov. Mark Dayton and House Speaker Kurt Zellers, Canterbury Park reached out in early May to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to see if the parties could work together to meet the needs of the horse industry.
The answer was quick and certain. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community was ready to use some of its gaming revenues to enhance thoroughbred and quarter horse purses. This plan would more than double purses, and would help Canterbury Park compete fairly with tracks such as Prairie Meadows in Iowa and Arlington Park in Illinois.
