December 2017 - Professional Grooms are Unsung Heroes No More The names are familiar to equestrians everywhere: Laura Kraut, Leslie Howard, Rodrigo Pessoa, Norman Dello Joio. Their achievements in equestrian sport have earned them worldwide acclaim, medals and money. They’ve represented their countries with dignity, standing with their exquisitely-groomed horses for photos and shaking hands with presidents, princes and prime ministers. Those vignettes don’t tell the whole story, though. Read full article >>
December 2017 - Horse Power For Life Brings Peace to Cancer Patients, Survivors and Families December marks the tenth anniversary of Horse Power For Life, a non-profit organization using horses to help families impacted by cancer. Founded by Shiree Radie and Barbara Rosoff, the organization provides a program combining riding instruction and interaction with horses to patients in treatment, survivors, family members and caregivers. Read full article >>
December 2017 - Ebanour and Nagel Repeat Win at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup The 83rd running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup in Unionville, PA was held Sunday, Nov. 11 under cloudy skies, on turf that was wet from rain the previous night yet firm for good going. For the second year in a row, Ebanour, owned by Irvin S. Naylor and ridden by Darren Nagel, was the winner of the $35,000 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, even though trainer Cyril Murphy had not originally planned to run the horse in this race. “We planned not to come last year. We didn’t get to the (Virginia) Gold Cup. At Geneseo (the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup in October) he turned over and stung his stifles and this was a backup,” Murphy explained. Read full article >>
December 2017 - Locals Win at World Champion Morgan Show Many quality Morgans from Pennsylvania were shipped to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to compete in the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show, held October 7-14. More than 1,000 Morgans were entered from all over the country and Canada, and they competed in excess of 300 classes for over $400,000 in prize money. Read full article >>
November 2017 - Southeast PA Horse Industry is Growing Quickly, Annual Impact is $670 Million The equine industry is alive and well and thriving in southeastern Pennsylvania, a new study by Delaware Valley University shows. The Impact of the Equine Industry on the Economy of Southeastern Pennsylvania studied the horse industry in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon Montgomery, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York Counties, an area which the US Department of Agriculture 2012 Census says accounts for 36 percent of the equine population of Pennsylvania and 32 percent of the equine farms. Read full article >>
November 2017 - Andrews Bridge Foxhounds Celebrates a Century of Foxhunting The centennial year for Andrews Bridge Foxhounds has been one that is full of changes, but the hunt goes on, looking forward to their second century. “We are celebrating our 100th year, we are still standing, we are hunting, we have great community relations, we’ve got fabulous country, and anybody who would like to come out and hunt with us - we would love to speak with them and have them give us a try,” Joint Master of Fox Hounds Betsy Harris said. Read full article >>
November 2017 - At Age 80, John Evans Steps Back from Cochran Hunt First Flight Duties After 44 years leading the first flight of the Cochran Hunt, John Evans is handing off that responsibility, but he is still riding in the first flight every hunting Saturday and enjoying every moment of it. “I turned 80 and I thought it was time for me to ride back in the group and not have this responsibility. So, I gave it up as of last March,” Evans said. “I’m still in the first flight, I’m just not in charge, and therefore I can socialize more. Read full article >>
November 2017 - Burke Stable Starts Season Slow, Finishes on a Roll He leads all North American trainers with 725 victories from 3,663 seasonal trips to the starting gate, tops those same standings with $16.7 million in the bank, has the fastest trotting female in history, the Canadian Trotting Classic victor, the Little Brown Jug winner and a recent world champion 2-year-old pacing filly in his barn. Ron Burke, however, stated in a simulcast interview at the Red Mile that this year was not exactly transpiring as he had planned. Read full article >>
October 2017 - Margaret McIntosh, Fresh from Europe, is Reserve Para-Equestrian Champion Margaret McIntosh of Reading, PA, an incomplete quadriplegic, is making her mark as a para-equestrian competing in dressage abroad and at home. A promising rider, competing at the international level in three-day eventing, McIntosh broke her neck during the cross-country phase of an eventing competition in 1999. She was 44 and initially, she was completely paralyzed. Read full article >>
October 2017 - Davidson Dominates at Hometown Three-Day Event Unionville, PA local Bruce Davidson, Jr. has represented his country riding on numerous three-day eventing teams, competed at the world’s most renowned and challenging competitions, and long been considered one of the sport’s elite riders. “Buck” had not, however, managed to clinch the three-star win at his hometown event, Plantation Field International. Read full article >>
October 2017 - Under Fire, PA Horseracing Initiates Out-of-Competition Testing “What has happened in Pennsylvania recently is disgraceful and sad, especially when you consider that the state is the sixth leading producer of foals and that it hosted approximately 4,000 races and distributed more than $100 million in purses in 2016.” That was The Jockey Club Chairman Stuart Janney III, speaking at the 2017 Jockey Club Round Table Conference in Saratoga in August. Read full article >>
October 2017 - Catastrophic Breakdown Averted: Bone Chip, Suspensory Issues Retire Songbird Where have you gone, Songbird? That was the tune the two-time champion's legion of fans were singing throughout her 4-year old campaign. The power and acceleration Songbird displayed the past two seasons where she dominated her competition just wasn't there. After a pair of narrow one-length victories early this summer, the dark bay filly was run down in the deep stretch by multiple Grade-1 winner Forever Unbridled in the $700,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 26. Read full article >>
October 2017 - ECRRA: New Organization Gets Western Riders Back in the Show Ring Cowgirls and cowboys, it is time to brush the cobwebs from your saddle. A new association called East Coast Ranch Riding Association (ECRRA) is just what the horse and rider needs. The equine industry has been changing and over the past decade has disappointed the average western rider who just wants to ride and show in an affordable atmosphere with natural moving horses. Read full article >>
September 2017 - Building Bridges Foundation Helps Veterans and Their Families You don’t have to ride a horse to benefit from being around them. Just being with horses and working with them from the ground can bring emotional issues into perspective and help with healing. Building Bridges Foundation, a non-profit organization based at Anderson Farms in Conestoga, PA, offers an Equine Assisted Therapy program specializing in helping veterans, active duty service members and their families through equine assisted psychotherapy. Read full article >>
September 2017 - Fifteen Deaths - So Far - Put Saratoga Under a Black Cloud Life comes at you fast. And that’s just perfect for Shariah Harris, who made her debut in the sport of high goal polo this summer. The 2017 thoroughbred racing meet at Saratoga had not even begun when a horse named Lakalas collapsed and died after breezing. It was May 28, and in retrospect, it could have been an omen presaging another tragic season at Saratoga. Read full article >>
September 2017 - Fair Hill Gets Four Star Nod from USEF Fair Hill International was endorsed July 5 by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) as the site of the second CCI4* (4*) to be held in the United States. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) for a final decision in the fall. The 4* is the pinnacle of the sport of eventing, and only six events of this level are held worldwide. Read full article >>
September 2017 - Robbie Zekany Inducted into Polo Hall of Fame Many Lancaster Polo players, perhaps nailing a perfect off-side back shot, have fantasized about someday being inducted into the US Polo Association Hall of Fame. Undoubtedly none of them imagined that the club’s first USPA Hall of Fame inductee would be loyal longtime flagger, Robbie Zekany, who has played an important role at Lancaster Polo games for more than 35 years. Read full article >>
August 2017 - Urban Cowboys from Philadelphia Ride into International Spotlight The world is at once vast and small. On a street in Philadelphia generations of people have struggled against seemingly insurmountable odds to preserve a tradition of horsemanship. An artist in Paris stumbled upon photographs of these urban cowboys and was fascinated by the juxtaposition of horses and cars in a large American city. Read full article >>
August 2017 - Harris is First Female African American High Goal Polo Player Life comes at you fast. And that’s just perfect for Shariah Harris, who made her debut in the sport of high goal polo this summer. Speed is as much a part of polo as... well... stomping divots at halftime. “I love the speed,” the Cornell University student says, laughing. Polo ponies (not always ponies, but the alliteration works) race down the 300-yard field at lightning speed, chasing a ball that’s traveling at upwards of 100 miles per hour. Read full article >>
August 2017 - Cornell to California to Parx: Trainer Heather Hollahan Heather Hollahan has been training horses since 2009. Here is her story in racing: CF: Are you a Pennsylvania native? What is your background with horses and racing? HH: Actually no. I'm originally from Rockland County, NY, and started legging up thoroughbreds at San Luis Rey Downs in California in the 90's. Read full article >>
August 2017 - Grumpy Nanny: Old Gray Mare Rescued by First Time Horse Owner One old gray mare has found a new home thanks to the generosity and compassion of a woman who has never owned a horse before. Stories of horse rescues can be heart wrenching. At the same time, a successful outcome warms the heart. This one is of particular interest because the rescuer comes from outside the horse world. Read full article >>
July 2017 - Life Goes on for Lucky Survivors of Horrific Trailer Wreck They are trail mounts, therapy horses and pasture pets. One is learning Parelli Natural Horsemanship and another gave birth to a foal this spring. None of these horses would still be alive had their slaughter-bound trailer not been involved in a horrific wreck in Tennessee last November. Read full article >>
July 2017 - Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Landmark Animal Welfare Law In 1869 Pennsylvania’s legislature passed a wide-ranging law aimed at protecting animals from abuse, neglect and cruelty. Activities such as cock-fighting, dog-fighting—even bear and bull-fighting—were declared misdemeanors, along with the antecedents to these abuses—“overloading”, beating and the ill treatment of animals. In the mid-19th Century, Pennsylvania was a hotbed of efforts to change the way animals were viewed and cared for. Read full article >>
July 2017 - Locals Find Success at the Devon Horse Show This year marked the 51st year for the annual Devon Carriage Drive, which covers 4.5 miles through Devon’s back roads and neighborhoods. Along the route, residents line the road to watch and wave as exhibitors pass their properties, and share their joy for horses by inviting friends to a picnic lunch on their front lawns. Read full article >>
July 2017 - One Day Shelter Allows Owners to Surrender Horses, No Questions Asked It’s an attractive offer addressing an intractable problem. A well-funded national organization will take any horse, in any condition, no questions asked, at no cost or consequence to the owner, evaluate it and do what’s best for it. No horse will be refused, no matter its condition. Read full article >>
June 2017 - Doc Cebu Wins Willowdale Steeplechase, Eligible for $100,000 Bonus The Willowdale Steeplechase races in Kennett Square, PA, celebrated 25 years on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14. In recognition of hitting a milestone anniversary, a special feature was added for horsemen: a one-time chance at a special $100,000 bonus to any horse winning both the featured Willowdale Steeplechase race and the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup in November. Read full article >>
June 2017 - Local FEI Dressage Rider Heads to Israel to Shoot for Maccabiah Gold Imagine months of preparation, a lifetime of focused effort. Muscles burn and beads of sweat drip as the body strives for perfection. Everything is aligned into flawless synchronicity for the one momentous chance to bring home the gold. It’s not the Olympics, but the Maccabiah Games. Read full article >>
June 2017 - Matt Stout Blows the Coach Horn for the Queen of England As a fifth grader growing up in Montgomery County, PA, Matt Stout struggled through his initial trombone lessons. Little did he realize that his love of making music would lead his life down a path that included travel abroad. Last year’s journey brought him to blowing through his coach horn, proudly sounding a call, co-written by his daughter, to the Queen of England. Read full article >>
June 2017 - PEC Seeks Funding for PA Breakout of AHC Economic Impact Study The American Horse Council (AHC) began collecting data for the 2017 Economic Impact Study on April 1. The study will enable the horse industry to educate the public, the media and elected officials in Congress and state legislatures regarding the industry’s economic size, impact and importance. Read full article >>
May 2017 - Governor’s Budget Proposal Zeros Funding for New Bolton Center Pennsylvania’s fiscal house is not in order. It’s now estimated that the state will end the fiscal year with a $700 million deficit. Of course, this is not the first year that the state has found itself in this position. With a legislature adamantly opposed to raising taxes, and a rainy-day fund that is chronically underfunded, Pennsylvania is losing ground. Read full article >>
May 2017 - Irish War Cry Captures Wood, Headed to Kentucky Derby Faugh a Ballagh is a 19th century Irish battle cry meaning "clear the way." Even mild-mannered trainer Graham Motion must have been tempted to shout that command watching his 3-year old colt Irish War Cry storm down the stretch in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct racetrack on April 8. The New Jersey bred son of Curlin now has 110 qualifying points which punches his ticket to the seemingly wide open Kentucky Derby on May 6. Read full article >>
May 2017 - Grand Manan Wins Brandywine Hills Point to Point The Brandywine Hills Point to Point in Chester County, PA, marked its 75th year of racing action on Sun. April 2, with a full day of nine races including a dramatic end to the Open Timber race. A late winter snow storm in March forced the cancellation of the Cheshire Hunt Point to Point races, that had been scheduled a week earlier, but Brandywine’s race day had sunny skies and good footing. Read full article >>
May 2017 - Devon Horse Show Improves Grounds, Adds Arena Eventing Major revisions to the historic Devon Horse Show grounds, which have been ongoing throughout the year, will be complete for the 2017 show, which runs May 25 to June 4 in Devon, PA. Stall interiors have been renovated and supporters of the restoration program will be honored with a horseshoe plaque on the Wall of Honor. Lighting in the Dixon Oval and Gold Ring has been improved with additional lighting and backlit cupolas that will be lit from underneath. Read full article >>
April 2017 - ‘Life Changing Moment’: Dutton Family Copes as Daughter Lee Lee Recovers Life changed in an instant for Rio Olympic bronze medalist Phillip Dutton when his stepdaughter, Lee Lee Jones, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a riding accident just before Christmas. Lee Lee, a 22-year-old graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, was cantering around the exercise track at the Duttons’ True Prospect Farm in West Grove, PA on an unseasonably warm day when the horse she was riding bucked, slipped and fell. Thankfully, she was wearing a helmet. Read full article >>
April 2017 - New Holland Auction Bans Photography, Hampering Rescues A few years back Henry "Hank" Nothhaft wrote the popular business book "Great Again" about how America can revitalize its innovation leadership and kick-start the economy again. On a Monday in early March Kelly Smith, founder of Omega Horse Rescue, walked through the barns at New Holland Sales Stables as she has for the past 27 years. Read full article >>
April 2017 - Montgomery County Pony Club Members Finish Second in South Africa Grit. It’s not just the stuff that gets stuck in the treads of your sneakers. It’s a way of living, a way of taking on life’s challenges with optimism and diligence. And it’s even reached that pinnacle of “big ideas,” the TED stage. University of Pennsylvania psychologist and MacArthur “Genius” Angela Duckworth has studied what separates successful individuals—students, doctors, salespeople, athletes—from those who struggle and often quit or fail. Read full article >>
April 2017 - Injured Jockey Jake Chalfin Lobbies for Spinal Cord Research Jake Chalfin has taken on a new role as advocate for PA For The Cure in support of spinal cord disability research. Facing his own paralysis, Chalfin personally understands the issues faced by those with such injuries. As an amateur steeplechase jockey, Chalfin was paralyzed by a fall on Sept, 18 2010 at the Blue Ridge Point to Point Races. Read full article >>
March 2017 - 15th Annual Pennsylvania Horse World Expo Features Trail Champions Challenge, Equi-tainment, Top Clinicians, Theatre Equus The world of horses comes to the 25-acre climate-controlled Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA March 2-5. Pennsylvania Horse World Expo, the mid-Atlantic region’s largest equestrian expo, features four days of non-stop education, entertainment and shopping. Scores of horses of all breeds and types and the nation’s leading equestrian clinicians and entertainers draw tens of thousands of horse enthusiasts from across the eastern United States. Read full article >>
March 2017 - High-Tech Entrepreneur Making His Mark in Racing Game A few years back Henry "Hank" Nothhaft wrote the popular business book "Great Again" about how America can revitalize its innovation leadership and kick-start the economy again. It captured the wisdom of his 35 years in California's Silicon Valley where the serial entrepreneur fashioned a career of taking high-tech start-up companies and transforming them into highly touted, businesses. Read full article >>
March 2017 - Police Officers Trained to Handle Animal Cruelty Cases Last month, Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman followed through on his promise to provide local law enforcement with guidance and resources to effectively investigate and prosecute animal cruelty. In the wake of the fatal beating of a cart horse who had broken down on a rural road and a botched case against a horse rescue, Stedman vowed to step up enforcement and crack down on abusers. Read full article >>
March 2017 - Animal Welfare Reports Removed from USDA Website For many historical reasons, February 3 is a date of…what…infamy? Oddball events? Celebration? In 1959 it was the day the music died, when a plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and others in Iowa. At the other end of the emotional spectrum in 1982 an Englishman, John Sharples, finished nearly 400 hours of disco dancing. In 1990 an athlete who defined resilience, Billy Shoemaker retired from horseracing at the age of 58, after an incredible career in the saddle, and 40,350 races. Read full article >>
February 2017 - FEI Eyes Fair Hill As a Site for Four Star Events Beginning as Early as 2018 Equestrians throughout the region are scrambling to find and preserve open space for horses and equine activities. Meanwhile, the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) and Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) are dusting off the welcome mat and looking for ways to expand equestrian activities, attract more horses and horse people, and create venues for more world-class equestrian competition. Read full article >>
February 2017 - Rescued Horses Saved Again Due to Freeze Brands Three white letters of a freeze brand recently gave one horse a second chance for a second time. In November, Marina Dolbeck of Deering, NH was looking for a new horse when she encountered a draft horse on Craigslist. The horse, located in Vermont, did not look to be in very good shape, and in looking closer at his photo, she noticed a freeze brand. Read full article >>
February 2017 - USDA Releases First Report from 2015 Equine Study The USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) released the first report from its Equine 2015 study, Baseline Reference of Equine Health and Management in the United States, 2015. The Equine 2015 study is NAHMS’ third national study of the U.S. equine industry. Read full article >>
February 2017 - Butenschoen Has a Bevy of Bright Prospects in His Barn for 2017 Coming off a season in which he earned just over $2.3 million, the largest annual sum of his 26-year career, and competed in numerous Grand Circuit events, John Butenschoen acknowledges 2017 could be a banner year as well. “We are just starting to bring in all our horses,” said the Wind Gap, Pa. resident. Read full article >>
January 2017 - Paso Fino Foal, Born Six Weeks Premature, Is a Fighter Who Refuses to Quit Tamara Rose came into the world early. At 28 pounds, she was a flyweight in the world of foals. Born six weeks prematurely, the little Paso Fino would need an extraordinary combination of luck, love and veterinary magic to survive. In the parlance of Pennsylvania’s casino culture, Tamara Rose hit the jackpot. Read full article >>
January 2017 - Bee Tree Trail Percherons Presents Fifteen Horse Hitch How many horses can you drive at one time? For Dave Rohrbach of Bee Tree Trail Percherons, the answer is fifteen. Draft horses are a popular feature at the Pennsylvania Farm Show each year, and Bee Tree Trail is usually a crowd favorite, not only for the beautiful horses, but for the innovative ways that he drives them. Read full article >>
January 2017 - Survey Will Measure Economic Impact of Horses in Southeast Pennsylvania How many horses are in southeastern Pennsylvania, and how important are they to the region’s economy? Everyone connected to the horse industry in any way, in the southeastern region of the state, is urged to take part in an online survey that will help find answers to those questions. Read full article >>
January 2017 - Racing Reform Snafu a Heavy Burden for Pennsylvania Horse Breeders “I had a great horse for the first time, Saratoga Jack,” Kate Goldenberg says. “Of course, I get a great horse in a year they don’t pay me the money.” She’s standing in a muddy lane between two pastures at her farm, Safe Haven Equine in Perkasie. “They think we’re sheiks,” she says, struggling to explain why Pennsylvania legislators took nine months to fix a critical flaw in racing reform legislation passed last February. Read full article >>
