Local group helps horse owners statewide

WESTERN MAINE — Allison MacDonald, president of the Western Maine Harness Horseman's Association (WMHHA), has done what those who have come before him could not.

Thanks to his efforts, this week, hundreds of horse enthusiasts across the state will receive letters that will invite them to dramatically reduce their legally-mandated insurance costs.

Horse owners who want to participate in racing currently are required to carry $300,000 in third-party liability insurance.

That's for good reason, says Gary Moore, who has just signed on as the executive director of the WMHHA.

"You're dealing with a dangerous sport here," said Moore. "If you were to watch these men and women breaking two-year-old colts, you'd hope they have insurance. The colts are a lot stronger than they are. I've helped pick people up off the track before."

That much insurance can cost an individual horse-owner a bundle.

"I pay over $1,000 a year myself," said MacDonald. "That's a little more than most people, because I'm right by the highway, so you have all that extra traffic going by the horses, but most people pay at least $300 a year."

The WMHHA membership costs just $70 per year, and it includes not only $500,000 in liability insurance, but a few ancillary insurance benefits as well, such as a $5,000 life insurance policy on the horse owner.

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'There's people around a kitchen table saying we need to do something about this. Literally. It's not politicians, it's people saying 'we need to do something to help each other out.'

Gary Moore

executive director, WMHHA

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This is the first time that horse owners have been able to bargain collectively for a group rate on this type of insurance in Maine. MacDonald says that it took him years to work out the deal, and that other horse-related organizations in the state have tried and failed in the past.

Moore, who has worked as a school superintendent, and in the legislature before, says that the group's mission is a welcome departure from the politics of his previous settings.

"It's exciting, because it's truly a Maine thing," said Moore. "It's a kitchen-table, grassroots organization. There's people around a kitchen table saying we need to do something about this. Literally. It's not politicians, it's people saying 'we need to do something to help each other out.'"

Moore says that the biggest challenge facing the average horse owner is the expenses of horse maintenance.

"A bale of hay, or something that might have cost $3 or so in the recent past, now costs $8 or $10," he said. "A bag of grain was $6, now it's $10."

Moore and MacDonald see their insurance offering as a way for the horse owners of Maine to help each other.

"Right now, we've had about 30 members for these many months," said MacDonald. "We're hoping to get up to a couple hundred, perhaps."

If enough new members sign onto the plan, MacDonald says that he hopes to expand the benefits to members in the future.

"This is just the start," said MacDonald. "We'd like to do all sorts of things, like scholarships for the children of our members. We really don't know how many we'll have. Just to cover our expenses is our goal. I'm not in it to make a profit."

The organization also offers a $30 associate membership, which includes fire and life insurance, but no liability coverage, for non-horse-owners that would like to be affiliated with the organization.