“This is just another way to bring people to the area, enjoy their horse and bring money into our local economy,” Giordano said. “It’ll help fill our hotel rooms and give our restaurants and stores more things to do.”

Based on other horse parks in the United States, a park in Saratoga County could use 300 to 14,000 acres of land, which would help to preserve green space and provide a new educational, recreational and competition venue for horse owners and enthusiasts. The main goal of a horse park is to preserve the rural, equestrian and agricultural character of Saratoga County as well as to provide a premier international, national and regional equestrian exhibition facility. By building a horse park, a significant amount of land would be saved from commercial or residential development.

“A horse park would bring in more than millions of dollars to our economy. It could take the place of video lottery terminal funds if they begin to dwindle,” Giordano said.

Sports events in general help to add a positive economic impact on the area they take place in.

For example, the two-day Scholastic Rowing Nationals has an estimated impact of $2.5 million; a three-month horse show in Saugerties, NY has an estimated economic impact of about $34 million; and the economic impact of the Kentucky Horse Park is an estimated $251 million in annual tax revenues, according to a study by the New York Horse Park board of directors.

According to members of the New York Horse Park, “a horse show/equine event brings non-residents to the area where they spend money on lodging, food and incidentals and other recreational and entertainment activities. The show participants themselves, besides spending money on entry fees and stabling, purchase other goods and services for their horses, including food, supplies, bedding and veterinary services.”

Giordano said a horse park has the potential to add more competitors to the St. Clements Horse show by adding more stall space and could potentially bring the dog show back to Saratoga Springs from Glens Falls, were a large sports area was built. A study is underway by Cornell Cooperative Extension to determine the feasibility of a horse park, as well as the revenue it could produce, who would benefit and where it would be built.

If plans move forward, Giordano said he hopes to have the project started by Fall 2009.

In other news, both sides of Broadway will have business directory signs to lead shoppers to businesses off the main street by the beginning of racing season.

Like the one side of Broadway where Impressions of Saratoga, Uncommon Grounds etc. are located, the signs will post the names of businesses by street in order to get more foot traffic, Downtown Business Association President Dawn Oesch said during their last meeting for the summer. So far, about 20 businesses are lined up to have their names posted on the directories, and the Department of Public Works will install the signs.