In one way or another, hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians are involved in the state’s equine industry, and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Equine Initiative would like to hear from every single one of them.The initiative, a recently formed partnership between the college and the horse industry, is conducting a survey to give those involved in the industry an opportunity to “define the kind of future they want for Kentucky,” said Lori Garkovich, professor of community and leadership development and chair of the initiative.“Our dream is that anybody related to the equine industry will participate in this survey,” she said, “from the person riding a pleasure horse to a person who manages a thoroughbred farm; from the person who writes an insurance policy for a horse farm to someone who sells feed to the horse owner.”The survey, available on the initiative’s new Web site, is another step aimed at fulfilling UK’s mission to be more responsive to the daily needs of the equine industry. A series of open-ended questions will provide valuable insight into the type of equine-related programs, services and activities needed at UK and the College of Ag, Garkovich said.“I see a potential for building or creating new economic opportunities around the equine industry and new research initiatives to address the challenges facing the industry,” she added.The UK Equine Initiative was established in May through the efforts of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, and College of Agriculture faculty and administrators. It is being conducted in concert with the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and several other equine organizations in Kentucky.The survey, along with information about the initiative and equine resources, is available on the UK Equine Initiative’s Web site.