At the mere mention of the success of Maryland's horse industry, or lack thereof, one word inevitably comes to mind: slots.Proponents of legalizing slots have argued it could save the troubled industry, and as a result protect more farmland and preserve the state's rich equine history.But, Del. A. Wade Kach, R-Baltimore County and Carroll, said slots did not motivate his introduction of HB 1361 to require an independent study of the health of Maryland's horse industry that would culminate in recommendations for making the industry competitive with surrounding states.This has really nothing to do with slots. When you think of the slots debate, one of the questions was 'what kind of assistance does the Maryland racing industry need so that they're going to be competitive with neighboring states?'