Retired Racehorse Project founder turned Anne Arundel, MD, Executive Steuart Pittman. Credit: Shannon Brinkman
As a top event rider Steuart Pittman has certainly faced formidable obstacles in his career, but perhaps none as challenging as the race for Anne Arundel County (Md.) executive. He was a political neophyte facing a popular incumbent with a large war chest. But when the votes were counted on November 6, Pittman came out on top.
This January, Pittman, founder of the nationally-recognized Racehorse Retirement Project, will take office as the leader of a county steeped in its equestrian roots – including his own family history.
Pittman counts himself among the few professional horsemen-turned-elected officials, in the country. He attributes his victory to running a populist campaign that attracted voters from all parties and an ability to listen he learned from working with horses, particularly thoroughbreds.
“Had I not spent as much time training horses and listening to horses, I don’t know that I could have pulled it off,” said Pittman in an interview with East Coast Equestrian. “You have to listen to horses you can’t push and pull 1200 pounds. It’s about listening and being present.”
Pittman’s campaign headquarters was Dodon, the 550-acre farm in Davidsonville that has been home to eight generations of his family. The farm is located in the South County area and known for large historic estates, horse farms and its picturesque landscape.
Though originally a Colonial era tobacco farm, horses had their special place among his ancestors at Dodon.
In 1753, colonial Maryland's Governor Horatio Sharpe appointed Dr. George Steuart of Dodon "Colonel of the Horse Militia."
Dr. Steuart and his friends bred thoroughbreds and held match races on property near Annapolis that is now a shopping center. During the Civil War, it is believed horses were bred and trained at Dodon to serve in the Confederate Army.
Pittman grew up riding in Pony Club, fox hunting with his father and competing in pony races and local shows.
It was fitting then that Pittman, after spending post-college years as a community organizer mainly in the Midwest, would return to riding and training horses at his beloved Dodon.
Around 1990 Pittman started buying horses off the track, eventing them, and then reselling them. He noticed then that thoroughbreds were losing favor among elite riders who were turning to European-bred horses for upper level competition. With a glut of thoroughbreds on the market, more and more headed for auctions and the inevitable end at the slaughterhouse.
In 2010 he founded the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), a charitable organization whose mission is described as boosting demand for off-track thoroughbreds and building the bridges to second careers by educating trainers and the public.
Pittman writes that he believes that thoroughbred horses are the best teachers because “they are the most responsive, athletic and fun horses on the planet.”
Over the years, RRP, with its signature Thoroughbred Makeover Challenge, has grown into a $1 million membership organization and enjoys the support of the thoroughbred industry and thousands of OTTB owners and rescue groups.
After the 2016 presidential election Pittman determined it was time to turn his attention back to people and began the process of stepping aside from duties as president of RRP.
Pittman, 56, said he decided to run for county executive last year after watching much of the rural landscape he remembered as a child lost to development. With development came stress on infrastructure, driving up the cost of living.
“Anne Arundel is the 23rd richest county in the nation and one-third of the citizens lack basic necessities,” he said. “Counties like Anne Arundel are going from rural to suburban sprawl, but they don’t need to. Development projects can be stopped where they don’t belong, and growth can be limited to areas where infrastructure exists.”
Pittman is already organizing a horse-friendly administration.
In one of his first post-election moves, Pittman, a past president of Maryland Horse Council, hired Jennifer Purcell away from the Maryland Horse Council to be his chief of staff. Purcell has 24 years of program management experience working with groups like the Unwanted Horse Coalition.
There will be plenty of opportunities for Pittman to be involved in horse-related matters in his new role. For instance, Laurel Park racetrack is located in Anne Arundel County.
As other tracks have foundered, Pittman said there are big expansion plans for Laurel Park and breeders and others support commercial development there.
Pittman hopes to encourage more farmland preservation in Anne Arundel County, which ranks among the state’s counties with the fewest of the 300,000 total preserved acres - among them though, is Dodon Farm.
Development, education, infrastructure, environment, Pittman wants to ensure there is a place for horses in the Anne Arundel County of the future.
Outdoor recreation will be a focus of his, Pittman said. “We’d like to market the county and promote bike trails, open space, parks and recreation. Horses, said Pittman, absolutely fit into that plan.