Featured Article (August 2004)

Virginia Horse the Original SUV - Horse Board Launches Marketing Campaign

Over the next several months, as you are driving through the Commonwealth going to a horse event, a trail ride, or just enjoying your summer vacation, be sure to keep an eye out for billboards promoting Virginia’s horse industry.

The Virginia Horse Industry Board has committed $50,000 to a marketing campaign to increase the visibility of the industry as well as to educate people about the importance of horses to Virginia’s economy.

Starting in July, 12 billboards promoting the industry were posted throughout Virginia. Six of the billboards are located in Central Virginia – in the Richmond area, and six more are on highways in areas such as Orange, Charlottesville, Wakefield, Disputanta, and Staunton. Other billboard sites may be added this month.

Two designs are featured on the colorful billboards--focusing on Virginia’s equine industry. The first is a mare and foal with text reading, "The Virginia Horse Industry = $1 Billion to Virginia’s Economy." The Horse Board website www.vhib.org and the toll-free number to receive more information (877-TROT2VA) are also on the billboard, with the VHIB logo.

The second design features a young man and his mother obviously enjoying a great riding experience. The text reads "Virginia Horses – The Original SUV." The logo, website, and toll-free number also are listed on this design. These billboards promoting Virginia’s $1 billion horse industry can be seen around the state through September. This is the first time the Virginia Horse Industry Board has undertaken this type of promotional campaign.

Interstate Highway Promotion

In a further effort to assist people who are traveling through Virginia learn more about the industry, A Guide to Virginia’s Horse Country is being offered at rest stops along Interstates 64, 81, and 95 through the end of the year. The Horse Board is working with the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association to make the brochures available at all of these interstate rest stops.

Richmond International Airport Promotion

Another first time placement is at Richmond International Airport. Starting last month and running through September, two back-lit wall displays promoting Virginia’s equine industry are being exhibited on both concourses of Richmond International Airport. The messages are the same as those depicted on the billboards.

These two displays will help visitors and residents alike become aware of the importance of the horse industry to the Commonwealth by reaching some of Richmond’s growing number of business and recreational travelers. From 200,000 to 235,000 persons pass through RIC per month; these numbers represent an almost even split between residents of the area and visitors. By September, potentially three-quarters of a million individuals from such major markets as New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Boston will have viewed the Horse Board displays at the Richmond Airport.

Mission of the Virginia Horse Industry Board

All of these efforts reinforce the mission of the Virginia Horse Industry Board: the promotion and economic development of the equine industry in the state. Statistics from the 2001 Virginia Agricultural Statistics Survey verify the importance of the $1.46 billion horse industry to Virginia. Based on cash receipts for 2001 and a sales value of nearly $99.4 million, horses are the 7th largest agricultural commodity in the state.

In addition, with 170,000 horses, ponies, and mules, Virginia ranks as the 5th largest equine state in the U.S. Virginia horse owners spend nearly $505 million per year caring for their horses, and some 800,000 individuals participate in over 700 equine events held in the state each year, spending more than $167 million.

If you have questions about any of the promotional activities mentioned above, or would like more information on the Virginia Horse Industry Board, please contact the VHIB office, 804/786-5842; visit the website {www.vhib.org}; or send an e-mail to aheid@vdacs.state.va.us.

Specific Locations of Horse Industry Billboards:

Around the State:

• Orange– on Route 15, 1 ½ miles south of Orange
• Staunton– on Route 250, .7 mile west of Staunton
• Charlottesville– on the south side of Route 250, 7 miles east of Charlottesville
• Wakefield– on Route 460, .1 mile east of the Wakefield Airport
• Towards Williamsburg/Toano– on Route 60, 1.3 miles west of Route 30
• Near Disputanta– on Route 460, 1.6 miles west of the city limits

In the Richmond Area:

• On Williamsburg Road–1000 feet east of the Richmond Airport/Airport Drive
• Chesterfield– .1 mile east of Turner Road on Hull Street
• Chesterfield– 8259 Midlothian Turnpike, east of the Powhite Parkway
• 1503 East Main Street– near Interstate 95 at Franklin Street
• Mechanicsville Pike (Route 360) at Magnolia Avenue– near Interstate 64
• 3215 West Broad Street at the Boulevard– near the Channel 8 TV building

Virginia Horse Industry Board 2004