December 2015 - State Sides with Horse Owners; Threatens Suit Against Newlin Township Supervisors In Chester County’s Newlin Township, the year-long controversy pitting a number of horse owners against the Township’s supervisors has now captured the attention of the State’s Attorney General. Senior Deputy Attorney General Susan Bucknam has entered the fray on the side of the horse owners. Read full article >>
December 2015 - Pennsylvania Morgan Enthusiasts Succeed at World Championship Show The 43rd Annual Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® was held October 10-17 in Oklahoma City, OK. More than 1,000 entries from the United States, Canada and Europe met at the State Fairgrounds to compete in more than 300 classes, held in four different arenas, with more than $40,000 in prize money. Read full article >>
December 2015 - Irv Naylor’s Almarmooq Wins the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup by a Neck The steeplechasing season in Chester County wrapped up for the year with a beautiful day of racing at the 81st running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, run Sunday, Nov. 1 in Unionville. Top honors in the $35,000 PA Hunt Cup went to Irvin S. Naylor’s Almarmooq, trained by Katherine Neilson and ridden to the win by Gerard Galligan. Read full article >>
December 2015 - Repurposed Racehorse is First Plantation Field Thoroughbred Competition Series Winner This is a story about an unusual alignment of relationships within a Pennsylvania horse community and one particular retired race horse who has flourished as a result of these connections. Perhaps this wasn’t the path that his breeder envisioned, but it is the beginning of his promising future. Read full article >>
November 2015 - Ex-Racehorse’s Artwork Raises Funds to Save Lives — Including His Own He’s tall, dark, and handsome…and his paintings have been the best-selling artwork in Gettysburg, PA’s Gallery 30 since he started to showcase his talent. His name is Metro Meteor, and he’s an off-the-track Thoroughbred. Read full article >>
November 2015 - Hollywood Comes to New Holland A star is born into a prominent, incredibly wealthy family. Through a murky series of tragic events, the star—now a mere shadow of his former self—winds up sick, friendless and facing certain death. And then, fate intervenes, literally in the nick of time. A heroine steps in to save the day. It is the kind of riches to rags to redemption story that Hollywood screenwriters practically turn out in their sleep. Except this story is true. Read full article >>
November 2015 - Equine Herpes Virus Strikes a Three-Year-Old at Parx In early October a three-year-old filly named Top of the Stretch was shipped from Presque Isle to Parx. Her trainer, Blane Servis, said that she ran in an allowance race and didn’t perform as expected. “She got tired and stuff and didn’t run her race. She came out of the race fine,” he explained. But then there were alarming developments. “The next morning we were going to have the vet come and look at her. Read full article >>
November 2015 - Former Train Wreck Southwind Frank Now Is Winning Them All Talk about getting off on the wrong hoof. It is absolutely mind blowing Ron Burke felt Southwind Frank, his latest world champion and a $100,000 yearling purchase, was never going to make a quality racehorse. Read full article >>
November 2015 - Leslie Howard Wins Her First Grand Prix de Penn National at Harrisburg Riding Gentille Van Spieveld, Olympic veteran and World Cup winner Leslie Howard won her first $85,000 Grand Prix De Penn National to close the 70th Pennsylvania National Horse Show, held October 8-17 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. Read full article >>
October 2015 - Horses and Cars. What Could Go Wrong? Since gas seems to get cheaper by the day, drivers are finding more and more reasons to hit the road. And they take a lot of “baggage” with them, from cell phones, to navigation devices, to laptops, iPads, iPods and MP3 players. Everybody wants to get away; they just don’t want to leave anything behind! Read full article >>
October 2015 - Pennsylvania Home-Bred Yearling Leads USHJA Hunter Breeding Standings With her classic head, graceful neck, and sassy white tail, Tainted Love (by Amazing, out of Tuxedo Park) is rocking the A circuit hunter breeding rings. Despite large, competitive fields, the yearling filly has always placed in the top three, earning armfuls of tricolors and hardware, and is now leads the US Hunter Jumper Association Hunter Breeding Yearling standings by a huge margin. Read full article >>
October 2015 - Victory Therapeutic Horsemanship Brings Solace to PA Veterans There is something about a horse—a solid, warm, and silent creature— that can soothe and connect with even the most traumatized souls. Victory Therapeutic Horsemanship, located in Bellwood, PA, specializes in just that: uniting detached, troubled veterans with an equine partner who can help them unearth their humanity. Read full article >>
October 2015 - Special Paint’s Eyes Saved by Laser Treatment In the first collaboration of its kind between Penn Vet and Penn Med, clinicians used a laser treatment for humans to treat cancerous tumors in the delicate area around both eyes of a horse. Read full article >>
October 2015 - Kocher Wins Ludwig’s Mini-Prix Riding with a Broken Rein Held over the Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5, 6, and 7, the 72nd annual edition of the Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show and Country Fair featured three days of hunter and jumper competition for all ages. Along with the horse show, shopping, demonstrations, activities, and entertainment as well as a carriage drive and a large antique car show make the event into a holiday tradition with something for everyone, including the family members who don’t ride. Read full article >>
September 2015 - Kill Buyer Starts Controversial Rescue with a Ticking Clock In 2006 the Virginia-bred mare, Striding Victory, wore the roses in the winner’s circle at Charles Town. Last month, the 14-year-old thoroughbred was literally on her last legs, trotting across the concrete pavement outside the New Holland auction in Lancaster, destined for the slaughterhouse. Read full article >>
September 2015 - Bethlehem Mounted Police Receive $10,000 Donation On July 28, 2015, Mrs. Marcia Pepper and Wellington Equestrian Realty presented the Bethlehem Police Mounted Unit with a very generous donation of $10,000. The presentation to the Friends of the Bethlehem Mounted Police Foundation was made at the Bethlehem Police mounted facility at the Burnside Planation in West Bethlehem, PA. Read full article >>
September 2015 - Swan Song for Quentin Fall Hunter/Jumper Show The Quentin Fall Show—the Hunter/Jumper showcase that had been a tradition among equestrians for many years—is now the centerpiece of the Swan Lake Fall Festival. “What we envision is having a premier, AA-rated hunter show with 3* and 4* jumpers,” Nathan Panetta, the manager of Swan Lake Horse Shows announced in an April press release. Read full article >>
September 2015 - Pennsylvania Morgan Barns Open their Doors On August 7th and 8th, Andrew Beiler of Sunrise Stables, LLC in Gordonville, PA, organized a two-day open barn and farm tour of four Morgan training and breeding farms in Lancaster and Lehigh Counties. Read full article >>
September 2015 - US Equine Industry Shows Signs of Growth, Study Finds The equine industry has found stability and shows positive signs of growth, especially among young adult horse owners and event participants, according to results of a survey by American Horse Publications sponsored by Zoetis. The survey included responses from over 10,662 horse owners. Read full article >>
August 2015 - Dressage at Devon Celebrates 40th Anniversary with New Classes, Amateur Division The 2015 40th Anniversary Dressage at Devon show will take place from September 29 – October 4 at the historic Devon Horse Show Grounds in Devon, PA. To celebrate, DAD has introduced new classes, increased its prize money and is proud to feature Lipizzan stallions in a special exhibition. Read full article >>
August 2015 - Putting Out the Flames in the Horse Slaughter Debate Alex Brown is not afraid of controversy. He’s a pragmatist who has boldly stepped into one of the equestrian world’s most contentious issues: horse slaughter. He has gone where few have gone before, in search of the facts. Read full article >>
August 2015 - Bill to Restructure Racing Commissions Passes PA Senate Senator Elder Vogel (R, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence Counties) has long sought reforms of Pennsylvania’s racing industry. Last year he proposed numerous changes to the way the state regulates horseracing; although the bill he introduced last year passed unanimously in the Senate, it languished in the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee and the session ended without any further action. Read full article >>
August 2015 - PA Senate Unanimously Passes Equine Cruelty Bill “Cordelia’s Law,” a bill dealing with cruelty to horses, passed the Pennsylvania Senate June 3 with a vote of 49-0 and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on June 5. Senate Bill 294, sponsored by Sen. John Eichelberger, improves the clarity and uniformity of animal cruelty laws as they apply to horses. Read full article >>
August 2015 - Bigger Purses, New Classic in Store for PA Harness Racing The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will invest an additional $1.6 million investment in purses that strengthen breeding programs and in a prestigious stakes race planned for 2016. One half of the $1.6 million will be used to increase purses in the 2015 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes finals and consolation races. Read full article >>
August 2015 - Another Award for Pennsylvania Equestrian “The Star Barn Saga: ‘Get Rich” Scheme Costs Dozens of Horses’ Lives, written by Amy Worden, won second place in the News Reporting, Single Article category at the American Horse Publications Annual Awards Contest, held at the organization’s annual conference in San Antonio, TX in June. Read full article >>
July 2015 - ACTHA Offers New Experiences For PA Riders From the ground, the obstacles do not seem all that difficult. Perfectly spaced logs surround a massive tree trunk, inviting riders to try their hand at precision while challenging their horses’ obedience as they make their way around the circle. Read full article >>
July 2015 - Local Exhibitor Reaches the Half Century Mark at Devon This year marked the 50th time Lore Homer of Oreland, Pennsylvania, competed in the Devon Carriage Pleasure Drive. During these five decades, she drove three of her Morgans as well as a few horses belonging to friends. For most of these drives, her husband, Bernie, and her daughter, Karen, accompanied the now 85-year-old whip. Other times, friends from the horse world joined her. Read full article >>
July 2015 - In Her Second Grand Prix, Kelli Cruciotti, 17, Wins at Devon “I can’t believe it,” expressed Cruciotti at the end of the night. “She’s unbelievable. She’s the best horse I could learn to do this on. It hasn’t sunk in at all.” In front of a packed house, Cruciotti navigated a seven-horse jump-off to claim the first major win of her budding career, becoming the youngest rider to ever win the historic event. Read full article >>
July 2015 - Devon Squabbles Continue as New Organization Makes an Appearance As equestrians made final preparations for competition at the 2015 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, unanticipated competition for publicity emerged. A May 14 press release from Joshua Macel announcing the formation of an organization called the Devon Preservation Alliance stirred interest as well as controversy. Read full article >>
July 2015 - Representative Pitts Floats Two Bills to Radically Reform Racing Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Pa) has been arguing for years that horseracing has been corrupted by numerous abuses, most prominently the illegal use of drugs on horses. With New Mexico’s Democratic Senator Tom Udall, Pitts introduced legislation that would require the United States Federal Trade Commission to address the corrosive influence of drugs in horseracing. Read full article >>
June 2015 - Latest Twist in Starving Morgans Seizure: Owner Rebecca Roberts Dies After almost two and a half years, one of the costliest and longest-running cruelty cases in the history of the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area has come to an end. The more than two dozen Morgan horses, starving and feral, removed from a filthy Dauphin County farm in January 2013 were freed from their legal limbo with the death in March of their owner. Read full article >>
June 2015 - Bethany Baumgardener & Schoolhouse Rules Win the Willowdale Steeplechase In Chester County, PA, families with an equestrian connection often make the Willowdale Steeplechases their Mother's Day destination. Sun., May 10, over 10,000 people enjoyed the bright sunny day with tailgate parties, kids’ activities and a day of exciting National Steeplechase Association sanctioned racing action. Read full article >>
June 2015 - Pitts, Udall Invoke Horseracing’s Nuclear Option On May 1, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) introduced legislation to eliminate most wagering on horseracing by repealing the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, the federal legislation under which pari-mutuel racing has operated and grown over the last four decades. Read full article >>
June 2015 - Equine Events Bring $Millions to Harrisburg Area Four of the top ten revenue producing events in the greater Harrisburg, PA area are equestrian events held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, a report from the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau said in May. Read full article >>
May 2015 - Penn National Race Course Veterinarians Arrested Following FBI Investigation Horse racing is as much mystique as it is luck. For centuries the sight of these breathtaking athletes racing across fields or around tracks has struck primal, respondent chords in the hearts and imaginations of humans. The speed and grace, coupled with the innocent power of horses are at the heart of the mystique. Read full article >>
May 2015 - All Four Vets Plead Guilty, Agree to Cooperate in Investigation A press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on April 15, Dr. Kevin Brophy, age 60, Florida, Dr. Fernando Motta, age 44, Lancaster, PA, and Dr. Christopher Korte, age 43, Pueblo, Colorado, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab in Harrisburg. Dr. Renee Nodine, age 52, Annville, pleaded guilty April 14. Read full article >>
May 2015 - Cheshire Hunt Point to Point Races For the third year in a row, Grinding Speed has won the Cheshire Bowl for the Open Timber Race at the 70th running of Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds Point to Point Races, outside Unionville, Pa. Run on Sunday, March 29, Cheshire was a good spring tune up for Grinding Speed, owned by Michael Wharton and trained by Alicia Murphy, in his preparation for the Maryland Hunt Cup. Read full article >>
May 2015 - Brandywine Hills Point to Point Races Run on Easter Sunday, the Brandywine Hills Point to Point Races drew light entries for their 73 running, on Sunday April 5 at the Myrick Conservation Center near West Chester, Pa. The featured race for the day was the Open Timber, with five entries going to the starting line. Read full article >>
May 2015 - Looking for Trouble Mal advises a reader who just can’t get comfortable on a horse. Dear Mal… I am not the most confident rider, and always feel as if my connection to my horse is tenuous at best. When I think about riding, my mind is full of negative possibilities, not necessarily the really wonderful psychic rewards of riding. I know this is not the best attitude to take to the barn, but I can’t figure out how to stop my imagination from conjuring up bad scenarios. What do you think? Read full article >>
April 2015 - Amish Horsemanship Clinic Bridges Gap Between Plain People and Rescues Red coils threw heat from the ceiling as a sea of bodies wrapped in black broadcloth listened attentively to the speaker at the front of the room. A life-sized horse statue stood to the speaker’s right, his large metal body unruffled by the room’s chilly, garage-like interior or by the incessant, incomprehensible chant of the auctioneer in the adjoining space. Read full article >>
April 2015 - Irish Olympian Kevin Babington’s New Venture Explores What Horses Want Evolution may be tough for some folks to swallow, but for people like Kevin Babington of Blue Bell, PA, evolution is the very first ingredient in a feeding plan for performance horses. Babington, the incredibly successful trainer, world class competitor in Show Jumping, Olympian, world champion gold medalist, spotter of exceptional horses and keen observer of equine lifestyle issues, has embarked on another extension of his successful business model. Read full article >>
April 2015 - Upstart is a Prime Derby Contender for Violette When you've just won a $400,000 Derby prep race and you're headed to the winner's circle, it's never good to see a flashing inquiry sign. Trainer Rick Violette, Jr. was getting ready to celebrate after watching his talented three-old Upstart roll to a 2 3/4 length victory in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 21. Read full article >>
April 2015 - Proud Chestnut is PA’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Pennsylvania Horse World Expo is one of the biggest and best in the country, and with Penn National and Parx racecourses nearby it is surrounded by Thoroughbred people. It should be no surprise then that despite the light crowds for earlier sessions, it was standing room only in the 2,200-seat Equine Arena for Pennsylvania’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest on March 7. Read full article >>
March 2015 - Operators of Another Chance 4 Horses Fined On January 6, Pennsylvania’s Department of State, Bureau of Charitable Organizations became the first entity to impose a fine on Another Chance 4 Horses, the Bernville horse rescue operation at the center of numerous investigations at the state and the federal level. Read full article >>
March 2015 - Two Horses Rescued from Pool in Boalsburg, PA A horse whinnying loudly alerted homeowners in Harris Township, PA that something was amiss early Tuesday morning, January 27. A light snow was falling. The temperature hovered around 20 degrees. It was definitely not a good day for a dip in the pool. Read full article >>
March 2015 - Hearing Scheduled in Humane Society of Harrisburg’s Largest Seizure Case Two years after more than two dozen starving Morgan horses were pulled from a manure-filled paddock in Dauphin County they remain in the care of the humane society that rescued them. The vet bills have topped $200,000 and there is no end in sight for the largest animal seizure in the century-plus history of Humane Society of Harrisburg Area. Read full article >>
March 2015 - Pennsylvania Horse World Expo: The World of Horses Returns to Harrisburg The world of horses comes to the 25-acre climate-controlled Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA March 5-8. Pennsylvania Horse World Expo, the mid-Atlantic region’s largest and longest running equestrian expo, features four days of non-stop education, entertainment and shopping. Read full article >>
March 2015 - Horses and Kids Are at the Heart of Special Equestrians A horse is a horse. Of course. And anyone who has spent more than an hour or two around them knows that there’s no such thing as “just a horse.” Equines are equipped with vast reserves of talent. Besides their athleticism, horses are also teachers, empathetic buddies for troubled and wounded souls, and astute interpreters of their human companions’ innermost thoughts. Read full article >>
February 2015 - Despite Guilty Pleas, Investigations Continue at Penn National It wasn’t exactly déjà vu all over again. But recent events at Penn National Race Course at Hollywood Casino did not demonstrate a lot of positive momentum from the troubles that have dogged the race track for the past several years. Read full article >>
February 2015 - Devon Horse Show Will Stay at Devon, New President Says There are no plans to move The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. That is the message new Horse Show President Richard O'Donnell wants to stress as he steps into the leadership position amid a sea of rumors and speculation. Read full article >>
February 2015 - Help! My Boyfriend is Jealous of My Horse This seems almost more like a relationship question than a horse question. But I suspect you’ll have some valuable advice for me. I have a boyfriend and a horse—that’s two separate entities. The horse is wonderful, and I truly enjoy being with him and spending time with him even when I don’t get to ride him. We do exclusively trail riding, and an occasional hunt. Read full article >>
January 2015 - The European Union Bans Horsemeat from Mexico. Now What? The European Union has banned the import of horse meat, meat products and meat preparations from Mexico. The ban will take effect on January 15, 2015, according to Aikaterina Apostola, the Press and Media Officer for Health at the European Commission. Read full article >>
January 2015 - Animal Cruelty Will Get FBI Attention... Soon Animal welfare activists’ hopes for new ways to fight animal cruelty will be realized in 2015. Or not. According to Stephen G. Fischer, Jr., of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division, changes are coming in the way the FBI will treat reports of animal cruelty. Read full article >>
January 2015 - Now 11, Steeplechaser Divine Fortune Is Still Going Strong For Divine Fortune, it's been a long and winding road. The 11-year chestnut gelding brought down the curtain on the 2014 steeplechase season with a scintillating performance in the $100,000 Grade-1 Colonial Cup on November 15. Read full article >>
January 2015 - Dave Palone Sets World Record for Wins Already North America’s “winningest” harness racing driver, Dave Palone broke the world record Friday, November 14 at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington, PA. His 16,754th career win surpassed the mark of 16,753 held by Germany’s Heinz Wewering. The record-breaker came with Missy Tap Tina in the 15th and final race of the day. Read full article >>
