A Conversation With...Mack Hayden
By Lisa Broadwater

There's an old saying that if you want something done, give it to the busiest person you know. Someone like Mack Hayden — whose list of accomplishments is not only long but impressively diverse. The 27-year former state trooper (the only Arkansan to ever be named Trooper of the Year twice) also has 27 years' experience as a farrier — a job he took on shortly after he began showing horses.
Since then, Hayden has gone on to chair the Pope County Riding Club eight times (from 1984-2004), to chair the Arkansas Valley Horse Show Association three times (1986-'88), to chair the Arkansas Horse Shoers Association in 1996, to serve on the board of the Pope County Fair Association and the Arkansas Missouri Show of Champions (both 2000-2004), to chair the Arkansas State Horse Show Association three times (1998-2000), to chair the equine division of the Arkansas Farm Bureau since its inception in 2000 and to chair the equine division of the American Farm Bureau when it was created last year.
Hayden's latest distinction is being named the newest member of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission. Recently, editor Lisa Broadwater visited with Hayden at his home just outside Russellville to discuss his goals for the position.

Horsemen's Roundup: Did you grow up with horses?
Mack Hayden: Yes and no. I've been a horse person over 30 years. I'm originally from Smackover. I went to work for the State Police and moved from Smackover to Little Rock and stayed there quite a while. From there I went to Danville, and from Danville I moved here.
I've been a farrier for 27 years now and have shown horses for 28 years. I show gaited horses, my daughter shows pleasure horses and speed horses, and my wife rode pleasure.

HR: What got you involved?
MH: The love of horses, to start with. But I also needed something to do with my child that was responsible and productive — something where I could be with her a lot of the time and on weekends. She was 5 when we started, and we're still showing together.
I have a grandson who's 5 years old, who's been showing for two years now. And we have a young granddaughter who'll ride also, hopefully.

HR: What about showing did you like?
MH: The competition. I'm 57 years old, and I can still be competitive, and that's good for me.

HR: But in the beginning, you weren't thinking that way, were you?
MH: No. It goes back to the love of horses. I've been in the top 20 in the state over 20 times. I've been in the top 10 in the state and won the state championship 11 times. My daughter has won championships. So we're really in the business.

HR: How did you make the leap to shoeing?
MH: I couldn't find a horseshoer who would shoe a horse how I wanted. I worked with a friend of mine around here for a long time, and ended up going to the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School in Oklahoma City. Then I came back and have continued my education ever since. I go to the AFA convention; I go to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas to clinics, just to learn.

HR: How have things changed over the years?
MH: When I started shoeing horses, if I pulled up on a horseshoer shoeing and got out, he quit. He didn't want me to know what his secrets were. They were very closed mouth.
I shod a lot of rough, bad-footed horses starting out. It used to scare you when you'd pull up to shoe a horse, and there was a crowd there. That was a good sign that they had some bad horses and wanted to see if the horseshoer could do it. But you kind of outgrow that and know you don't have to do that as your skill level increases to where you demand a better quality horse that you can get under.
I also teach horseshoeing at the Department of Corrections.

HR: How'd you get started with that?
MH: I was a state trooper for 27 years. I was in the Department of Corrections working and noticed that the feet on the horses were terrible. I asked around to find out what kind of program they had, and they didn't have one...
So I told them I could put a school together, and gave them a list of materials to buy. It was like $30,000. And I said, 'When ya'll get this bought, call me and I'll come teach your school.' That was in the middle to late '80s. And I've taught it every year except one.
The class ranges from 10 to 12 inmates....And it's been a very successful program. And we've probably saved the state of Arkansas between three-quarters and a million dollars. It's rewarding to do that.

HR: How'd you get so involved in the state horse show?
MH: I've always said that you're either part of the problem or part of the solution. I felt like there were some changes that needed to made; there were some things that were run like I wouldn't run it. So we took it and changed it up.
One of the things I've said from the start: "I don't care if you're riding a backyard horse or you're riding a-quarter-of-a-million-dollar pleasure horse, you should be treated the same. And the treatment has to be fair for everybody." I think that's one of the big things we did.

HR: How do you put on a show and compete in the same show?
MH: It's hard. I didn't sleep a lot.

HR: Which is tougher: putting it on or competing?
MH: Putting it on. The show started on Friday afternoon, and I was there from Wednesday through Monday, and my average sleep time was about two hours. I usually slept under the coliseum back in our office in a chair. Because, you know, anytime anybody has a problem they don't want to talk to anybody but the [person in charge]. So I tried to be available. And I liked it.

HR: What were some of the challenges?
MH: I changed the show up. Well, I can't say I did; the board did. We started the show on Friday instead of Saturday because there are so many classes. We would actually come out of Saturday's classes and see the sun come up Sunday morning.
Moving those events has helped us a lot. Hopefully, we'll get to put maybe one or two more there one day.

HR: How long have you been involved with the Farm Bureau?
MH: Ten years or longer. The state equine division started in 2000, when David Hillman was president of Farm Bureau. And it has grown in leaps and bounds.

HR: What was its goal?
MH: To have representation of Arkansas's horsepeople through Farm Bureau on any legislative matters. The other aspect is educational. I told them when they appointed me that I won't do it unless someone goes away with something and that person felt their time was well spent. Anytime we have a meeting, we need to carry something home that will not only help you but you can also tell your friends.
At our spring annual meeting, for example, we had a horseshoer, Todd Bell, who's president now of the Arkansas Horse Shoers Association, do a demonstration about shoeing and talk about shoeing. Then we had Buster McClaury come in from Texas for the rest of the day to talk about horsemanship training tips. We combined all this with a Farm Bureau meeting that discussed the direction we're going, Farm Bureau policy and legislatively what can we do for you? It was a great meeting. it rained that day, but we had 75 to 90 people there.

HR: What are current positions?
MH: EIA is an issue we've stood solid on for years. And right now, we're having tremendous luck with getting horses tested. I think Phil Wyrick told me we tested 75,000-80,000 horses last year. Which is great. Of course, to get rid of the disease we're going to have to test them all. But we crawl before we walk; we have a good law.
We've talked about the issue of processing horses — about what to do with horses that really aren't usable anymore. We see that as a viable option. There are some states where you can't bury horses anymore. So what do we do with them? We have to have a place for these horses to go.

HR: Is the slaughter issue today's EIA?
MH: It could be. But we've got to have a viable option for horses. What are we doing to do with them if we don't? It's not like a little dog you can bury in the back yard. Folks are not gonna let you drag a backhoe in your back yard and bury a horse — especially if you've got a one- or two-acre farm. And there are a lot of them.

HR: Are you guys doing anything specifically to ensure that it's an option?
MH: That's probably going to be a legislative fight.

HR: Will the Farm Bureau be involved in that?
MH: Most probably.

HR: What about the loss of trails issue — are you dealing with that?
MH: Yes, Farm Bureau deals with all the issues. We've taken issue that we keep multi-use trails open, trails. We have a lot of trail riders who are Farm Bureau members.

HR: Have you put any direct pressure on the various agencies that will decide about these trails?
MH: We haven't really had the problem to address yet. Until we start having trails close — and I don't know that it'll get to that. That'll have to be something we figure out as we go along.

HR: You won't continue to serve on the national equine committee?
MH: That was for a year [from February 2003 to February 2004].

HR: Did you get anything done in that year?
MH: Well, yeah, we talked about some issues, but we were really just getting the program off the ground because it was the first year ever for the committee.
One of the things I'd like to see us do across the country, through the Farm Bureau, is have a national Coggins paper — one set of papers that's the same everywhere. So if you tested your horse in California and drove here, the paper you had out there would be the same one we had here.

HR: That seems like it would be simple enough...
MH: It does. But you know politics. It's little things like that that I think would help us because, in today's global world — look at Thoroughbreds and how they move back and forth; look at barrel racers.

HR: Is it doable?
MH: It is — it's gotta be.

HR: What should people who want to be more involved in equine issues do?
MH: Contact their local Farm Bureau agent. Ask if they have an equine division. If they don't have one, ask if they can start one. If anyone needs some help with that, they can give me a call [at 479-968-4310]. It's a grass-roots thing, and we all get together and talk about the direction we want to go.

HR: And the Livestock and Poultry Commission appointment?
MH: I'm tickled to death about that. I've been trying to get on this commission for three years. I want to represent horsepeople. There have been people on the commission who owned horses, but there has never been anybody in the industry. I've been in the industry for 30 years now. So I'm not someone who just owns a horse and occasionally rides it. Consequently, I want us to have a voice.

HR: What's your personal mandate?
MH: I have to do it all, but I'm going to be a horse person.

HR: So you'll make sure that horse issues come to the table?
MH: Yes, ma'am. Horse issues are going to come to the table.

HR: What specifically are you going to be doing?
MH: That's a good question. I don't go to my first meeting until March. And until you kind of sit at the table, you don't know what's going to be brought to you.

HR: Of all the things you've done, which are you most proud?
I can't pick anything out. Quite honestly, I think the Lord has blessed me by being able to do these things. And it's not me; it's about horses and horsepeople. It's so I can represent people.

HR: Do you remember the first time you did this kind of thing?
MH: President of the Pope County Riding Club. From there I went to chair of the Arkansas Valley Horse Show Association, and it kind of grew out of that. I've always wanted to be a player and a part of what I'm doing — I've wanted to be able to have a say.

HR: But you can't make everybody happy.
MH: I don't try.

HR: What if the majority view differs from yours?
MH: As long as I have the general consensus that this is what the majority of the people want, that's the direction I take. You can't make everybody happy — I'm VERY well aware of that.

HR: Is that ever tough — when your own views conflict with what you've had to do?
MH: Well, yes. Probably the toughest thing I fought was EIA. I've been on it since the get-go. People who don't test horses or don't like it, I feel like they maybe don't respect my right to keep my horse alive.

HR: Do you ride for pleasure?
MH: No, I ain't got time. But I like being busy. My day, at my busiest, starts at 6:30 in the morning and ends at 9 or 10 at night, six days a week. On Sunday, I go to church, and if I have any problem horses I'll deal with them that afternoon.

HR: How do you describe yourself?
MH: I don't know. Maybe as driven to excel at whatever I do, and to be good at it. Maybe not the best, but to be the best I can be.