December 2019/January 2020 - From Humble Beginnings to Filly Champion: A PMU Success Story Sometimes, our best horses come to us from unusual places. For Mary Ann Luke of Earleville, MD, fate intervened at many points along the way to bring her a very special mare that would produce three premium foals. Read full article >>
December 2019/January 2020 - A Horse with No Name Becomes a Cause Celebre Things can get pretty wild on the roads in Grantville near Penn National Race Course. Just ask Julie Rish who lives about five minutes from the racetrack. “I tend to notice animals as I drive, anyway,” Rish explains. “I am always on the lookout, especially back along the mountain. Read full article >>
December 2019/January 2020 - Mystic Strike Wins the 85th Running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup The first and second place finishers from the 2018 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup were in the field for this year’s 85th running of the $40,0000 Timber Stake in Unionville, PA on Sun., Nov. 3, but Upland Partner's entry Mystic Strike topped them both. Read full article >>
December 2019/January 2020 - East Coast Morgans Take on the World The 2019 Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® was held October 12-19 in Oklahoma City, OK. The show attracted about 950 entries from across the United States and Canada. More than $250,000 in prize money was awarded. Read full article >>
November 2019 - Equine-Assisted Therapy Program Looking for New Home The Executive Director of Gateway HorseWorks took to Facebook with a lengthy post, pleading for help in finding a new farm that could house her equine-assisted therapy practice. “I decided at my kitchen table to write this kind of sobbing Facebook post, which I never do, and so many people read it and shared it and so many people stepped up and got involved and that’s how we found this.” Read full article >>
November 2019 - Longtime Competitor Erin Sylvester Wins Final Fair Hill International Four Star Erin Sylvester and Paddy the Caddy ended their long history of competing at Fair Hill in style winning The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI4*-L Eventing National Championship. Joining her in the victory circle was Woods Baughman aboard C'est La Vie 135 as The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Champions. Read full article >>
November 2019 - Regional Ranch Horse Championships Are for Everyone In 2017, an article appeared in Pennsylvania Equestrian regarding a new association for the growing discipline called Ranch Riding. The East Coast Ranch Riding Association, ECCRA, appeared to be just another outlet for horse lovers. ECRRA was the brainchild of Terry Helder who envisioned an association to meet the needs of equestrians of every age while at the same time, creating a show environment that was versatile, affordable, competitive and fun all at the same time. Read full article >>
November 2019 - Molly Ashe Crawley Kicks Her Way to the PNHS Grand Prix Win As the first in the class of 21 entries to go clear in the FEI CSI3* $134,000 Grand Prix de Penn National, Beezie Madden set a scorching time to beat of 34.93 seconds aboard Abigail Wexner's Coach. The following three riders outpaced Madden, but only barely. The top four finishing places were separated by a mere 0.87 seconds. Read full article >>
October 2019 - Top International Eventers Return to Fair Hill, MD October 17-20 One of the world’s most prestigious Three Day Events returns to the region October 17-20 as top riders prepare to compete for $50,000 in prize money at the Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International Three Day Event. The event hosts the US Equestrian CCI4*-L and CCI3*-L Fall Eventing Championships and the US Eventing Association Young Event Horse East Coast Championships presented by Dubarry. Read full article >>
October 2019 - Ghetto Cowboy Brings Hollywood to Fletcher Street “The way I work, all my books are inspired by things I stumble across in real life,” Greg Neri says. “It’s kind of the act of stopping me in my tracks.” Several years ago Neri, an award-winning author of young-adult fiction, stumbled across photographer Martha Camarillo’s book about the men and the horses at Philadelphia’s Fletcher Street Stable. Inspired and amazed, Neri began digging for more information about these urban cowboys. He discovered gold. Read full article >>
October 2019 - Draft Horse Pleasure Show is Best Deal in Pennsylvania Picture a draft horse competition and you probably don’t think of barrel racing. But once a year, riders saddle up their giant mounts to try to beat the clock to the delight of hundreds of visitors at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. I was once one of the onlookers. In 2008 I bought a “might be pregnant” Belgian mare from an Amish farmer in Chester County, PA. The following spring a chestnut-blonde filly arrived. Read full article >>
October 2019 - Chapot Repeats Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix Win The 2019 Devon Fall Classic ran September 12-14 at the Devon Horse Show grounds in Devon, PA. After taking a year off from the event, organizers welcomed high numbers of entries at the newly revamped show. With prize money offered in almost all classes, exhibitors from all levels of show jumping experienced a successful week of competition. Read full article >>
September 2019 - A Barn-Warming, A Rescued Mini, A Day to Remember Tom and Mary Ann Messmer were getting ready for their barn-warming. It was a hot July day, and the couple had been racing around Stone Bridge Stable, their new farm, making sure the air conditioning in the tack room was working, their five horses were clean and stalls were mucked for the celebration. After years of making compromises at their farm in Blue Bell, PA, Mary Ann and Tom were practically giddy reflecting on their great fortune. Read full article >>
September 2019 - Blind Appaloosa Finally Finds Celebrity in Therapeutic Riding Zipped In Black Magic is a working lesson horse with All Riders Up, therapeutic riding of Garnet Valley, PA, earning awards and the affection of the staff and students who work with him, despite the fact that he is blind. He has been recognized as a top lesson horse and has even been made into a Breyer model horse. Read full article >>
September 2019 - SAFE Act Reintroduced in Congress Legislation to criminalize horse slaughter for human consumption and the related cross-border transportation of equines has once again been introduced in the U.S. Congress. This time though, horse welfare advocates say, they are more confident in its chances for passage than ever before. Read full article >>
August 2019 - The Strange, Sad Tale of the Quentin Riding Club’s Demise A couple hundred people in the former indoor arena of the Quentin Riding Club watched as the historic facility was auctioned on July 13. The bidding started at one million dollars, above the minimum of $950,000—the club’s total indebtedness. It continued as multiple bidders, including one bidding by phone, raised the price to $2.1 million. Read full article >>
August 2019 - Castration Fund for Maryland Horses Established A new stallion castration program is positioning Maryland in the forefront of the effort to stem horse overpopulation. Operation GELD (Gelding Equals Less Death) launched this spring by Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue aims to provide accessible and affordable funding for Maryland horse owners facing financial hardships. Read full article >>
August 2019 - Locals Win National, World Appaloosa Titles The 72nd National Appaloosa horse show and the Youth World Championship horse show was held June 23 to July 6, in Fort Worth, TX. Each year, top competitors from all over the country convene in Fort Worth to try for National Championship titles in Open and Non-Pro classes as well as Youth World Champion titles for a full slate of youth classes. Read full article >>
August 2019 - Coleman Captures Advanced Division at MARS Essex Horse Trials August 2019 U.S. Olympic veteran Will Coleman rode his longtime partner, Obos O'Reilly, to the win in the Advanced division of the MARS Essex Horse Trials at historic Moorland Farm in Far Hills, NJ June 21-23. Coleman finished cross country with no jumping and 6.40 time penalties for a three-phase score of 42.10 penalties on his 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse. Read full article >>
July 2019 - UPDATE: Quentin Riding Club Sold for Development A couple hundred people in the former indoor arena of the Quentin Riding Club watched as the historic facility was auctioned on July 13. The bidding started at one million dollars, $50,000 above the minimum, and continued as multiple bidders, including one bidding by phone, raised the price to $2.1 million. The gavel fell to a local developer, who outbid at least one other bidder who was trying to preserve the Quentin Riding Club as an equestrian center. Read full article >>
July 2019 - New Jersey Law Requires Auctions to Post Horses 72 Hours Before Sale A new law in New Jersey requires horse auctions to disclose in advance any identifying information about all equines going up for sale. Under the bill (S455), signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in May, auction organizers must post a horse’s identifying information to their websites, within 72 hours of being sold. The bill stipulates images of tattoos, brands and microchips be posted and records maintained for one year following the auction. Read full article >>
July 2019 - Junior Rider Jake Parker Wymard Turns Professional Having grown up in the horse industry, it is not surprising that Jake Parker Wymard is following in his mother’s footsteps as a professional equestrian. It is, however, unusual that he is doing it at age 18 and already experiencing success. Ginger Parker operates Flower Farm in Glen Rock, PA, where she stands approved Dutch Warmblood stallion Vinca. In addition to the breeding operation, she also provides hunter/jumper training and showing services under the name Ashcombe Sporthorses. Read full article >>
June 2019 - Beecher Wins Two at Soggy Willowdale Steeplechase Mother’s Day, May 12. was a big day for Mark Beecher, who piloted Just Wait And See to a win in the $35,000 Willowdale Steeplechase Stake. The amateur timber race over a 3 ½ mile course included two water jumps as well as a wet course in wind-driven rain. Read full article >>
June 2019 - Pilchard Sentenced; Appy Fest Showcases the Horses She Starved When Maryland horse trainer Elizabeth Schneider brought the appaloosa pony Marquis to her Prince Frederick farm in February, he was angry and wild. His distrust of humans ran so deep that he reacted violently to the slightest touch, trying to kick or strike out at anyone who tried to handle him. Read full article >>
June 2019 - Work to Ride Becomes Face of Ralph Lauren’s Spring Global Campaign Go to the RL Magazine on the Ralph Lauren home page. You’ll find a bunch of young polo players of a variety of ages and colors. They’re not professional models. They’re participants in Philadelphia’s Work to Ride program, a 25 year old initiative that takes kids from the poorest sections of the city and, in exchange for hard work and good grades, gives them a chance to learn to play the world’s most elite game.. Read full article >>
June 2019 - Fair Hill Point to Point Races Easter Sunday, April 21, was filled with racing at Fair Hill Natural Resources Center, in Fair Hill, Maryland. The facility, which combines a well laid out racetrack with open fields, lends itself easily to the card that included flat, hurdle, and timber races. Fair Hill was the final event of three on the Delaware Valley Point to Point Association calendar for 2019, with five timber races scheduled. Read full article >>
May 2019 - Barbara Pilchard Convicted on 39 Misdemeanor Cruelty Counts The image projected on a screen in a Wicomico County, Md. courtroom last month was heart wrenching: A white mare lying in a muddy pasture, struggling to lift her head, her lifeless foal beside her. Prosecutor Bill McDermott called the scene the face of torture. “If this isn’t torture there is no other word for it,” he told the judge. Read full article >>
May 2019 - With Racing in the Crosshairs, Mid-Atlantic Bans Off-Label Biophosphonate Use The news has not been good for horse racing in America. More than 20 horses have died this year alone at Santa Anita Racetrack in California. But racetracks across the country have not escaped what is emerging as a horrific stain on the sport of racing. Read full article >>
May 2019 - Fractured System Leaves Pennsylvania Animals at Risk of Cruelty—and Worse Anyone working in humane law enforcement knows that the heartbreaking and disturbing nature of the cases they handle will almost certainly be fodder for heated discussion on social media. Those accused of abuse and their supporters rally in defense. Animal welfare advocates aim their comments at the accused and often the humane officers themselves. Read full article >>
May 2019 - Brandywine Hills Point to Point Races Celebrate 77 Years Small fields went to the post for five sanctioned timber races at the 77th running of the Brandywine Hills Point to Point on Sun., April 7 at the Myrick Conservation Center outside West Chester, PA. The featured Open Timber Race for the Henry C. Baldwin Challenge Trophy was won by Hill Tie, a nine-year-old owned by Julie and Dan Colhoun of Sportsmans Hall, trained by Joseph Davies and ridden by Eric Poretz. Read full article >>
April 2019 - Spring at the Races: Steeplechasing Begins in Southern PA and Northern MD It’s springtime in Maryland and the Brandywine Valley, and the horses are jumping. The Maryland Timber Triple Crown occupies the final three weekends of April, and these three races north of Baltimore signify the true start of spring--much more so than the weather or the almanac—for many Marylanders. Read full article >>
April 2019 - Eight Horses Die in Maryland Barn Fire A fast-moving barn fire took the lives of eight driving horses at Centerline Farm in Union Bridge, Md. on February 9. Owner Joyce Moxley and her father, Rick Moxley, were notified by a neighbor in the late afternoon who saw smoke coming from the barn. They raced to the barn only to find the fire already out of control. Read full article >>
April 2019 - Kerry Thomas Explores How Herd Dynamics Impact Training Herd Dynamics is not a concept that is limited to feral horses on the open range. The same traits seen in the interactions between wild horses can be found in quiet pastures everywhere no matter how many or how few horses are turned out together. Read full article >>
April 2019 - Long Road for Unbroke Stud Ends in Happy Home Via Rescued to Stardom Before he was RPM (Rescued Performance Machine), he was on his way to an abattoir. “He was an eight-year-old unbroke stud horse standing in a kill pen in Shippensburg,” Kelly Smith explains. Smith, who is Director of Omega Horse Rescue, says that RPM was clearly special. “Well, he is quite spectacular to meet in person, even though he is this rank breeding stud, you could just tell he was an extra special individual.” Read full article >>
March 2019 - Initial Plans for Quentin Riding Club Revealed “My great-grandfather was a founding member. My mother rode with the Dixons. I grew up riding and showing at Quentin all the way until I went to college,” Alisa Pitt says. Pitt has watched in profound sadness as the fortunes of Lebanon’s Quentin Riding Club have faltered and stumbled toward bankruptcy. “I decided to do everything in my power,” to save Quentin, she said, “and if I failed at least I had tried.” Read full article >>
March 2019 - No Evidence of Deadly Swamp Cancer in Assateague Wild Herd In 1947 author Marguerite Henry wrote a children’s book that turned a foal named Misty into an international celebrity. Misty of Chincoteague introduced readers to the now-famous herd of feral horses on Assateague Island. A barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia, Assateague is actually home to two separate and distinct herds. Read full article >>
March 2019 - Georgina Bloomberg Adopts Rescued Mini from Omega When Grand Prix jumper rider Georgina Bloomberg, wanted to pique her five-year old son Jasper's interest in learning to ride, Bloomberg reached out to the EQUUS Foundation. "It was a given, knowing Georgina's passion for animal rescue and adoption, that she wanted to make a difference in the life of an at-risk horse," said Valerie Angeli, EQUUS Foundation VP of Engagement. "She trusted us to help find the perfect match for her son, Jasper." Read full article >>
March 2019 - Saddlebred is a Champ in Both Hunter Pleasure and Therapeutic Classes The Pittsburgh, PA area mother-daughter team of Phyllis and Caitlin Brannon continue to make their mark in the American Saddlebred Hunter Pleasure Division, adding to their titles as they campaign toward one more World Championship show with CH Harlem Sweet Success. Read full article >>
February 2019 - Horse World Expo Preview—New Clinicians, Performers, and Rescue Horses Horse World Expo returns to the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, PA February 28-March 3. The mid-Atlantic region’s largest equestrian expo features seminars, vendors and ample equestrian entertainment. Highlights are the Rescued to Stardom competition, the Trail Champions Challenge, Parade of Breeds and Stallion Avenue, Equi-Tainment, Mounted Archery, Mounted Games, Carriage Racing, and Barrel Racing. Read full article >>
February 2019 - Historic Quentin Riding Club Finds A Savior With the fate of the Quentin Riding Club hanging in the balance, a vote held by the club membership continues the historic 46-acre site as an active equestrian facility. The club membership met December 28 at the Navy Club in Lebanon, PA, as three entities presented their case and plans for taking ownership of the site. The presenting groups were kept outside the room for each other’s presentations, giving the audience a clearer sense of each group’s specific vision for the facility. Read full article >>
February 2019 - Severely Injured Mule’s Life Saved by Welder Bryan Smith As the region’s leader in draft equine rescue for almost 15 years, Christine Hajek thought she had seen the very worst injuries and illness from neglect and abuse in working horses and mules. Until she saw the hind leg of a young plow mule from Lancaster County last September. “It was the worse injury I’d seen in a horse that was still alive,” said Hajek, founder and director of Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in Mt. Airy, Md. Read full article >>
February 2019 - Spotted Lanternfly Permits Are a Thing…Get Yours Before May 1 As farmers confronted the many challenges presented by climate change, 2018 brought yet another unpleasant surprise: the spotted lanternfly (SLF). Anyone who has not yet heard about this pest will soon learn a lot about its habits, and its potential for creating expensive mayhem. In Pennsylvania, agriculture is a diverse and powerful driver of the economy. Read full article >>
January 2019 - Endurance Rider Holly Corcoran Shines in a Sport She Loves Growing up in New Jersey, Holly Corcoran rode horses on her family’s farm. She loved horses and she loved trail riding. But she took some time off to raise her two children and eventually found herself back in the company of horses after a 15-year break. “When I got back into riding, my kids were riding one horse and we did showing. My daughter was into the showing, but I was not excited about the horse show prospects.” She thought about what she really loved: trails. And her odyssey began. Really. It became an epic adventure! Read full article >>
January 2019 - Preserving the Traditional Morgan – Only About 100 Remain In this fast paced society, things are always rapidly changing, which makes it more important than ever to preserve our historical treasures. In the horse world, the distinctly American Morgan breed has gone through changes over the decades, but there are lovers of the traditional Morgan who are working to preserve the breed as it began. “For the whole Morgan Horse breed, we’re down to around 1,500 registrations for the whole year. Traditional Morgans, there’s only about 100. That’s scary,” said Cornerstone Morgan Horse, Inc., Vice President Helga Loncosky. “The Traditional Morgan is considered, at this point, critical.” Read full article >>
January 2019 - McWicked States His Case for Horse of the Year On November 24, McWicked and pilot Brian Sears rolled home with a final quarter panel of :26.2 to collect the 7-year-old stallion’s fifth consecutive victory in the $350,000 TVG Open Pace final at The Meadowlands. Trained by Casie Coleman and owned by Ed James’ S G G Stables, the son of McArdle-Western Sahara ended the season as the sport’s highest ranked horse and stamped himself as the favorite for 2018 Horse of the Year honors. “Thanks to all the breeding farms who have contacted us to stand McWicked [at stud],” Coleman wrote on social media in October. “Owner Ed James (of S S G Stables) loves watching his horse race and has made his decision.” Read full article >>
January 2019 - Report Suggests Demolishing, Rebuilding Pimlico Race Course The Maryland Stadium Authority on December 13 released a report calling for the demolition and rebuilding of Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown. In May 2018, the Baltimore Sun reported that the 2019 Preakness would be run at the circa 1870 track with the race’s home unsure in future years. The Phase Two report culminated in a concept plan that includes both racing and non-racing uses. As Pimlico is owned by the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) and The Stronach Group of Canada (TSG), this is a hypothetical, conceptual analysis of potential uses that could occur, not a feasibility study of what will occur. Read full article >>
