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Reply to President Stanley Seelig’s letter dated June 15, 2013

By: Arthur Morrell 

I am one of the eleven board members of the HBPA.  I have served on every board (6) since 1993.  I served only a few months, 6 months, of the previous Board 2007-2010 because the election was proven fixed to keep some members from being reelected. 

Mr. Seelig’s letter has some truths but mostly lies or purposely not telling the horsemen the whole truth. 

I supported Stanley Seelig in his bid for the presidency nearly three years ago only because he expressed his true concern for the horsemen.  But, last week, it was confirmed that Stanley tried to sell, yes, “SELL” the presidency of your HBPA to another candidate.  The condition of the sale was that that other candidate would guarantee that when he was elected President that he would appoint Stanley as the Executive Director of our HBPA.  I realize now that that candidate had more integrity than Stanley, because he told me that he could not agree to Stanley’s proposition, so Stanley stayed in the race. 

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Click here to download a copy of the longer detailed version of this letter.

As president of Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association 1993, Inc. (“1993, Inc.”), I’m sending this today because of concerns I have with our workers’ compensation insurance program.  Last week, the trustees of the Horsemen’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Trust (“Insurance Trust”) voted to change the agent of record with Midlands Insurance, a wholesale broker through whom the excess insurance and out-of-state coverage is obtained.   

In connection with the renewal of the workers’ compensation program for the 2013-2014 year, the trustees recently received renewal quotes.  There are two parts to a quote.  The first part consists of the premium for the excess coverage on in-state claims and the out-of-state coverage.  The second part is the fee paid to the retail broker or agent who procures the coverage.  In the past, the fee has compensated the agent or broker for the time and effort expended in obtaining the quote and negotiating the premium to an affordable level.  

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In a joint statement released by the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma (TRAO) and the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association (OQHRA), the associations announced the creation of a benevolence account for horsemen impacted by the recent storms in the state.

Following is the joint statement: Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Oklahoma following this horrific event. There are many horsemen who have been affected by this tragedy and have lost everything they own. Celestial Acres, which rents out stalls to multiple trainers, took a direct hit along with the highly publicized damage at the Orr Family Farm. Both horsemen’s organizations, along with Remington Park in Oklahoma City, are working together in coordinating relief to horsemen that have been affected by the storm.

Both offices have been encouraged by the outpouring of support and offers for help from across the country; it truly displays “horsemen helping horsemen.”