Winter 2022/2023 - Philadelphia Polo Classic Brings High Goal Polo to the City of Brotherly Love September 24 was a historic day for Philadelphia. It was the culmination of nearly a year of planning, to bring the first Philadelphia Polo Classic and the Sport of Kings to Fairmount Park. There were rows of pristine white tents set against an almost too-blue sky, and beautiful horses and polo-themed cocktails and fancy hats and well-behaved dogs and kids chasing each other around the tents and across the field. Read full article >>
Winter 2022/2023 - Get on the Bus: Tour of Regional Tack Shops Planned A visit to the tack shop is often a necessity, but it is also a fun shopping experience. Now imagine spending the whole day at tack shops and horse themed locations. Bring some friends along or make new ones. Throw in raffle prizes, horse games, and good food and it sounds even better. And to top it all off, you don’t have to drive. Read full article >>
Winter 2022/2023 - Gentle Giants Rescue Receives International Accreditation A Maryland horse rescue has been recognized as this year’s top equine sanctuary worldwide by an international accreditation organization. Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in Mt. Airy, was named best equine sanctuary of 2022 by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). Read full article >>
Winter 2022/2023 - World #1 Tim Price of New Zealand Captures Second Maryland 5 Star Olympic veterans and first-time 5 Star horses from three countries were the ones to beat for the show jumping finale of the 2022 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory. In the end, World #1 Tim Price (NZL) jumped clear aboard Jean-Louis Stauffer’s 10-year-old Selle Français stallion Coup De Coeur Dudevin to take top honors, with a score of 28.2. Read full article >>
October 2022 - World’s Top Athletes Return to MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill Oct. 13-16 After making its spectacular debut last year and being named the Best New Event of 2021 (PressBox), the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory is set to return to the Fair Hill Special Event Zone in Cecil County, MD, October 13-16. Read full article >>
October 2022 - Local Trainer Finishes Third in World’s ‘Longest and Toughest’ Horse Race Trainer Callie King recently completed the August 2022 Mongol Derby, placing third out of an international field of riders crossing 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of Mongolian terrain on native ponies. “Years ago, a family friend sent a newspaper clipping about the race to my mom with a note on it that said, ‘this sounds like Callie’. She was right. That clipping went up on my dream board,” King said. In 2019, King applied to enter the 2020 race, but that and the 2021 races were cancelled due to the pandemic. Read full article >>
October 2022 - Paula and Evie Oliver: Local Mother/Daughter Duo with Great Success Located in Chester County, PA, Paula and Evie Oliver are making waves in the dressage ring and trying their hand in the breeding realm. With Paula’s background in genetics and breeding knowledge, and Evie’s riding skill, the pair has been unstoppable in both facets of the industry. Paula got her first pony, Pierre, at 10-years-old and was immediately hooked. Read full article >>
October 2022 - Horse Park of New Jersey Aims to Regain Competitive Edge The Horse Park of New Jersey (HPNJ) at Stone Tavern has been a go-to venue for equestrian competition for more than 35 years. It’s the place where the iconic Jersey Fresh three-day event originated in 2003. HPNJ saw Jersey Fresh as an opportunity to fill the gap in the equestrian competition calendar that opened after the Essex Horse Trials in Gladstone held its final meet in 1998. From the start, Jersey Fresh was a success among competitors and spectators. Read full article >>
September 2022 - Dressage at Devon Preview: World-Class Competition and Family Fun in a Magical Devon Setting Since its inception in 1975, Dressage at Devon has been known for its high-level competition, can’t-miss special events, and magical atmosphere that is unlike anything else in the country. A time-honored tradition that is looking into the futureDressage at Devon is excited to be introducing new events while still representing the iconic horse show that has been a bucket-list experience for dressage riders around the world for decades. Read full article >>
September 2022 - York County, PA Fundraises for a Mounted Police Force The York County (PA) Regional Police Department is expanding its services to include a new mounted unit, but to get up and running, they are asking for community support. “We have a group of 15 officers that have expressed interest in working with a mounted unit,” said Lt. Tobin Zech, a member of the York County Regional Police Department. Read full article >>
September 2022 - Caisson Platoon Honors Soldiers, Both Human and Horse On any day in Arlington National Cemetery, one may hear the clip clop of hooves and the soft jingle of bridles over the silence as soldiers honor their comrades. The National Cemetery is more than a final resting place. Comprised of over 6oo acres, the parcel is sacred ground planted with heroism and sacrifice since 1866. Fellow soldiers pay tribute by leading a warrior through a field of courage on a final journey to rest in a place suited for our country’s bravest. Read full article >>
September 2022 - Always Evolving: The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, MD is respected for its outstanding United States Eventing Association (USEA) recognized and unrecognized starter events, cross derby events, clinics, camps, twilight eventing and cross-country schooling year-round. Topping the list of recognized events is the Maryland Horse Trials (MDHT) - a high level equestrian triathlon of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping held at the farm on consecutive weekends in July. Read full article >>
September 2022 - State Trooper Charged with Aggravated Cruelty After Ramming Horse December 21, 2021 turned out to be a tragic end for an unnamed horse near Oxford, PA. Just before midnight Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) from Troop J in Avondale responded to a call about a horse standing on the shoulder of Route 1, a four-lane divided highway. The horse reportedly had been struck by a motorist. Read full article >>
August 2022 - Maryland Residents Sweep International Tilting & Jousting Tournament Twenty-three-year-old Mikayla Miller of St. Leonard, MD was about eight years old when she first tried jousting. She said she didn’t do well the first time, but with lots of practice and many jousting tournaments she “got better and better.” Read full article >>
August 2022 - Regina Kear Reid’s Memoir Becomes a YA Novel, ‘Heels Down Hall’ The year is 1967. Just out of high school, Alexa Goodwin travels from the old south to a small town in England to work as a schooling student for one year at Heels Down Hall. Her plans are to earn the British Horse Society Assistant Instructors certificate - a globally recognized teaching credential – and to eventually ride for the United States in the Olympics. Read full article >>
August 2022 - HISA Mandates for Jockey Health Moved to Back Burner? In a perfect world, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) would have rolled off the legislative and organizational assembly line on July 1, 2022, ready to revolutionize the horseracing industry in the United States. But this is not a perfect world and there are a lot of stakeholders in the industry who are still angling to have their priorities included in the law’s execution. Read full article >>
August 2022 - Derby @ the Vineyard- A Unique Derby for Riders and Spectators Since it first came to be in May of 2019, Derby @ the Vineyard has been one of Pennsylvania locals’ favorite shows. With attractions for exhibitors and spectators alike, the derby caters to all attendees. At their May event, Derby @ the Vineyard boasted filled divisions and hundreds of spectators, and management is looking forward to bringing exhibitors the derby they love again this year September 24th and 25th. Read full article >>
July 2022 - Wolfe Auctions Teams with Rescues to Put the Welfare of the Horses First “We don’t sell horses,” says Josh Ruby, “we sell memories…through relationships between good horses and their future riders.” Ruby, owner of Wolfe Agricultural Auctions in Thurmont, MD, is trying to change the landscape for horses that are headed for auctions. Instead of opening the doors for anyone to bring any horse to the auction ring, Ruby and his team looked at the horses, thought about their needs and decided that the welfare of the animals was more important than profits. Read full article >>
July 2022 - In First Time on Course, Para-Driver Succeeds at Elk Creek CD Individuals with disabilities often find a wealth of benefits in building a relationship with horses. That can be through groundwork, riding or driving. At this year’s Elk Creek Combined Driving Event, held June 3 - 5 at Fair Hill, MD, para-driver Alanna Flax-Clark put in a strong performance, finishing with the best dressage score of the competition and third in the Training Level division. Read full article >>
July 2022 - In Rare Move, Injured and Orphaned Assateague Filly Rehomed Chincoteague Ponies were introduced to the world in the book “Misty of Chincoteague,” but have you met the Assateague Ponies? They’re not as well known, though they both live on the same 33-mile barrier island along the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Read full article >>
June 2022 - Freddie Proctor and Andi’Amu Win 29th Annual Willowdale Steeplechase The featured race of the day was the $35,000 Buttonwood/Sycamore Farm Willowdale Steeplechase. It drew only three entries, but they still made for an exciting race. Withoutmoreado and Awesome Adrian, both trained by Katherine Neilson, faced off against Ballybristol Farm LLC’s Andi’Amu, trained by Leslie Young. Andi’Amu was fresh off winning the Virginia Gold Cup just a week earlier, by a 23-length lead at the finish line there with jockey Freddie Procter. Withoutmoreado had won the Winterthur Bowl by 11 lengths the previous weekend. Read full article >>
June 2022 - Looking to Buy a Chincoteague Pony Foal? Here’s Some Advice Foals are popping on the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, just over the Maryland line in Virginia. Have you ever thought about buying a wild foal at the annual Pony Penning auction? If you have, resources are available to help you know what to expect. According to Darcy Cole of DSC Photography, about 68 foals will hit the ground before Pony Penning. Read full article >>
June 2022 - The Clock is Ticking: Can HISA Take Effect July 1? When Rich Strike crossed the finish line at the 2022 Kentucky Derby, the crowd, the announcers and even the horse’s trainer were stunned. It was a performance that overturned the predictions of horseracing’s most astute bookmakers. At 80-1 odds, Rich Strike proved that catching lightning in a bottle is not impossible. In that electric moment, it seemed that the horseracing industry’s troubles had faded and the effort to corral the nation’s 100+ Thoroughbred racing venues—along with jockeys, trainers, horses, breeders, owners, veterinarians, etc.—into the confines of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), was within reach. Read full article >>
June 2022 - The Garden State Horse Show: New Jersey’s Most Historic Horse Show New Jersey’s historic Garden State Horse Show was first held in 1951 by The Junior Essex Troop. The Troop had its own farm in West Orange and ran as a military-style organization for boys. By the 1980s, the Troop was no longer an active organization, but some of the former members used the running of the show as an annual reunion. Former manager Tim Cleary joined the Troop at ten-years-old and managed the show for 33 years. Over time, the show went from a one day show to a three day show and was known as the largest junior-only horse show on the East Coast. Read full article >>
May 2022 - World Class Competition, Family Fun Highlight 126th Devon Horse Show Known as the place “Where Champions Meet”, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair heralds in their 126th year of world class competition, May 26th to June 5th, 2022, at the historic Devon Show Grounds. The oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse show in North America, this year once again brings together elite equestrians from varied disciplines in one extraordinary 11 day event. Hunters, Equitation, Jumpers, Saddlebreds, Roadsters, Carriage Driving and Coaching alike will all have their chance to compete for a spot in the famed winner’s circle in the Dixon Oval. Read full article >>
May 2022 - Equine Dentists, Vets Gather in Maryland to Treat 35 Rescue Horses Good things happen when good people come together. On March 26, that’s just what happened at the Maryland Horse Rescue. It all started with one blind horse in need of dental help, but it has become something much bigger, with hundreds of horses benefitting over the years. Read full article >>
May 2022 - Pennsylvania Horse Racing Integrity Hotline Goes Live On March 1 Pennsylvania’s Horseracing Integrity Hotline went live, offering individuals who witness suspected unethical, illegal activity at any one of the state’s racetracks a way to report the activity anonymously. The hotline is not manned, but Racing Commission staff monitor it and determine what—if any—course of action might be warranted. The hotline number is supposed to be posted at each of the state’s racetracks, in public spaces, as well as in areas not accessible to the general public, such as barns and backside locations. Read full article >>
May 2022 - American National Riding Commission Equitation Finals Held at Centenary University Centenary University in Long Valley, NJ hosted colleges from around the country for the American National Riding Commission Equitation Championship. At this event, April 14-16, each college and university had the opportunity to campaign both novice and national level teams for the championship title. Read full article >>
April 2022 - For Kids Who Don’t Enjoy Riding in Circles, There’s Pony Racing Racing over fences is back in full force this spring with longstanding events joined by a few new dates on the racing calendar. In most cases, both point to point races and National Steeplechase Association sanctioned steeplechases include races for junior riders on horses and ponies. Read full article >>
April 2022 - Rescued to Stardom: All Winners Here Dishing up hope for the future of rescued horses, the Rescued to Stardom equine competition took place on Friday and Saturday (March 4 and 5) at Horse World Expo. The multi-leveled competition featured horses from 501c3 horse rescues in and around the Mid-Atlantic region and their trainers, showcasing the beauty and ability of the rescue horse. Read full article >>
April 2022 - Steeplechasing and Point to Points – How to Watch The Covid-19 pandemic changed the world in many ways and horse racing was no exception. In 2020 and 2021 many race meets were cancelled or held with no spectators permitted. Even when audiences were allowed to return, some meets limited attendance or required social distancing. Read full article >>
April 2022 - Move Over, Newport… Polo is Coming to Philadelphia! Polo. It’s not just for Newport anymore! Think polo and a cheesesteak, or polo and Rocky, or polo and the Reading Terminal Market. Think polo in Fairmount Park. The First Annual Philadelphia Polo Classic will be held there on September 24, 2022. Save that date. Read full article >>
March 2022 - Welcome Back: 19th Annual Horse World Expo Features World Class Shopping, Exciting Competitions, Family Friendly Entertainment, Top Clinicians, Theatre Equus The world of horses returns to the 25-acre climate-controlled Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA March 3-6. 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 and beyond. Read full article >>
March 2022 - Switch to Microchipping Presents Problems for Standardbred Rescuers For many years, you could easily recognize a Standardbred by the five-digit freeze brand on its neck, but that is changing. In 2019 a new policy made microchipping the primary identification method for the breed. Freeze branding as additional identification is still available as an option, but it comes with an additional cost. Read full article >>
March 2022 - Outlaws Wanted: Be a Bandit with the Mason Dixon Cowboys Imagine the rough and tumble Wild West, where outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid robbed banks, trains and stagecoaches. Now, you can experience it yourself. Grab your cowboy hat, board the train and meet the Mason Dixon Cowboys. Better yet, you can join them and become a cowboy too. Read full article >>
March 2022 - Horseracing Reform Stalls as Authorities Fail to Agree The horseracing industry—once called the “sport of kings”—has seen better days. For both Thoroughbred and harness racing, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Not long ago, throngs of people gathered at racetracks across the country to watch magnificent Thoroughbreds do what they seemed to have been born to do—run fast and fearlessly. Likewise, fans of harness racing have flocked to marquee races like the Hambletonian (for trotters) and the Little Brown Jug (for pacers)—iconic annual races featuring the top three-year-olds. Read full article >>
February 2022 - US Eventing Association Honors Locals at Annual Meeting The 2021 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention was held at the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, December 9-12. The Year End Awards Ceremony, led by Jim Wofford and Jim Wolf, recognized riders, horses, and game-changers in the sport of eventing with over 80 awards and grants. Read full article >>
February 2022 - At 85, Lyn Jones Reflects on a Life in the Saddle Lyn Jones of Penllyn, PA sits near a sunny window in his living room. He is surrounded by photos, news clippings, citations and other memorabilia of his decades as a horseman. There are carvings and bronze castings on the shelves next to him. On the coffee table there are books and stacks of photos. Read full article >>
February 2022 - Horse World Expo Sneak Preview—New Clinicians, Performers, Rescue Horses Horse World Expo returns to the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, PA for its nineteenth year, March 3-6. The mid-Atlantic region’s largest equestrian expo features over 160 hours of non-stop seminars and mounted clinics, hundreds of vendors and ample family friendly equestrian entertainment. Read full article >>
December 2021 / January 2022 - It’s All Good News as Work to Ride Breaks Ground on $8 Million Facility Chamounix Equestrian Center occupies just 3.5 acres in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, but its impact stretches far beyond the park’s boundaries. Since its founding in 1994, Chamounix’s iconic Work to Ride program (WTR) has been a lifeline for young people in Philadelphia’s under-resourced communities. Read full article >>
December 2021 / January 2022 - Local Authors Pen Horse Books for Holiday Giving Christmas is around the corner and the shopping has begun. Here are some books for you to consider when searching for gifts for horse-lovers. They are all from authors who live in our coverage area - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. We hope you find the perfect gift! Read full article >>
December 2021 / January 2022 - Owner of Troubled Riding Stable Charged with Torture of Horses The operator of a long-troubled trail riding and lesson facility in Maryland could get jail time for the starvation deaths of horses in her care. Nichole Reinke, of Sykesville, who ran Misty Manor Riding Stable, was arrested in October and charged with 64 counts of animal cruelty including 11 felony charges of torture. Charging documents filed in Carroll County Circuit Court allege that horses at Reinke’s property were intentionally tortured, according to a report in the Baltimore Sun. Read full article >>
December 2021 / January 2022 - Upstart Beats the Veterans at 2021 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup With two previous winners in the running, an unexpected winner made the 87th running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup an exciting race. Sunday, Nov. 7 in Unionville, PA, was a beautiful day for the four-mile race over timber with a purse of $35,000. Five starters went to the post including 2019 and 2020 Hunt Cup winner Mystic Strike and 2018 winner Stand Down. Read full article >>
