Daniels re-elected as president of National HBPA

Doug Daniels, a horse owner and equine veterinarian, was re-elected to a second three-year term as president of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association on the last day of the organization’s conference on Saturday in Iowa.

Daniels, who lives in Virginia, was elected unanimously by the National HBPA’s board of directors, according to the organization. The National HBPA has affiliates in most major racing states.

During the conference, the National HBPA held multiple panels discussing the organization’s concerns with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, its lawsuits challenging HISA’s constitutionality, and its backing of national legislation that would replace HISA with a state-based system administered by racing commissions and horsemen.

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Daniels, who is a member of HISA’s Horsemen’s Advisory Group, said in a statement that his focus over his second three-year term will be to build support for the legislation, which is called the Racehorse Health and Safety Act. It was introduced last September by a congressman in Louisiana, where HISA does not have jurisdiction due to a court injunction also affecting West Virginia, and it is currently co-sponsored by a small group of legislators who represent states that have joined lawsuits challenging HISA’s constitutionality.

“The top priority is getting the RHSA accepted and in play, getting people behind it,” Daniels said, in a statement. “Getting more people behind the HBPA, instead of the contention that has existed the last couple of years. There are a lot of people behind the scenes who are very much in favor of what we’re doing, but they feel forced to play the politics and not their conscience.”

Although the National HBPA has formed the vanguard of opposition to HISA, a broad array of national and state racing constituencies support the organization, including a rival horsemen’s group, the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. The constitutionality of HISA remains in limbo due to conflicting opinions issued in the past year by the U.S. Fifth Circuit and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and it is expected that the Supreme Court will decide the matter sometime in the next 12 to 18 months.

“There was a lot more to do these last three years than I ever dreamt,” Daniels said, in reference to the numerous legal challenges to HISA filed or supported by the National HBPA. “I hope now, in the next three years, it will be a lot less contentious and a lot more meaningful from the standpoint of our horsemen looking forward to positive change. I look forward to doing all I can in the process.”

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