Beverly Raymond Each year, the
Maryland Horse Council honors one Maryland horse person with the
distinction of Horse Person of the Year. T e honor not only recognizes an outstanding individual in the Maryland horse community, but an outstand- ing Maryland horse person who has made a career in the horse industry and infl uenced the industry in a lasting way. Beverly Raymond, who recently retired from her job as the state stable inspector, is a prime example of an individual who not only made her career within the Maryland horse in- dustry, but has left an indelible mark on nearly all aspects of the Maryland equestrian community through this career. Beverly was a model civil servant. She embodied the ideal on which our government is based: that the function of government is to serve the public. When our society created public services, it was with the idea that these services would be carried out by individuals like Beverly. But Beverly was more than just a model civil
servant. T rough her work as the Maryland state stable inspector, Beverly was able to harness her passion, horses, to improve the lives all of horses and horse people in Maryland. T rough her work as the Maryland state stable inspector, Beverly was able to do what most of us only aspire to do: merge our avocation with our vocation.
A Lifelong Passion Beverly does not remember a time when
horses were not a part of her life. Her father did a little riding and Beverly fondly remembers her very fi rst ride. “I was fi ve years old and my dad took me to this hack stable. T ey tacked up a horse for
time for them to buy their own horse farm. T ey found Orwell, a historic farm with a home that was originally built in the early 1700s. “Some of the places we looked at had great houses but the pastures weren’t so good. T en we came to Orwell and we all thought it was perfect,” Beverly commented. Beverly opened her new farm
to a few boarders and it grew into a riding stable complete with a few invitation-only shows. “We had Jim Mooney come and teach here for a while. He was just great and would judge the shows too. He judged them as if it were a clinic, telling everyone how each class was judged and why he pinned each class the way he did,” she said. T e farm was perfectly situated at the edge of Gunpowder State Park, with di- rect access to over 100 miles of trails. “Some of my boarders called me the ‘trail nazi’,” she laughed, explaining that when the footing was not ideal she was a stern taskmaster. “Some people feel they can just ride anywhere at any- time. T at is how trails erode and why other trail users don’t like horseback riders,” she add- ed, a life lesson she used as a founding member of the Volunteer Mounted Patrol. T e experiences she had as a stable opera-
2011 Maryland Horsewoman of the Year by Katherine O. Rizzo
Beverly worked at a law of- fi ce for 10 years before be- coming a stable inspector.
so she called Beverly up one day, told her she was going to resign and asked Beverly to come with her and interview for the job. So Beverly stepped into the role as stable inspector under the State Board of Inspection of Horse Rid- ing Stables, which was founded for the purpose of ensuring that horses in public facilities received a certain minimum baseline of care and that the equipment and facilities met a basic minimum standard of safety. “I was the only stable inspector at the time. I did the whole state. Some days I’d spend the whole day at one stable, other days fi t in a few,” she explained. Most were hack stables that rented horses by the hour. T at steadily changed over the years to become more
and more lesson stables. “It has been fun to ride that wave of change!” she enthused. “It was always the intent of the creators of
“Beverly is just good people. She has a win- ning smile and a winning personality. It has been a pleasure to work with her.” - Jim Steele, Chairman, Maryland Horse Industry Board; Chairman, Maryland Horse In- dustry Foundation; Manager
, Shamrock Farms
him and a pony for me with a lead. After a few steps, the pony knocked my dad right off his horse and while he was on his back catching his breath looking up at me, he said, ‘I think you’ll be fi ne,’ and let go of the lead.” Beverly was more than just fi ne; as she grew older she rode whatever anyone was willing to let her ride. “I’ve broken all kinds of bones through the years but I learned a ton while do- ing it!” Mucking and grooming to earn ride time, Beverly learned by watching the “pros” and by doing, lessons she repeated for others during her tenure as state inspector.
A Stable of Her Own In the 1970s, Beverly’s family decided it was
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tor more than prepared her for life as a stable inspector. “I dealt with all kinds of people and boarders,” she laughed. She even had a group of working students who really did not do much work. “Some say I was just too nice, but I really wanted to give others the same opportunities that I had growing up,” she said. Eventually, how-
ever, Beverly realized that running a stable was probably not the right career choice for her. “I’m not one of those people who should run their own business. I give everything away and I’m just too soft-hearted,” she stated. It was time for a change.
The First Stable Inspector
Beverly feels that the job of state stable inspector was “gifted” to her. “T ese sorts of things never would happen in today’s world,” she said, smiling. Beverly’s longtime friend Robin Allison had been working part time for the Department of Licensing and Regulations as a stable inspector, but needed a full-time job
“Beverly is one of the most dedicated and sincere individuals I have ever met.”
- Nicky Ratliff County Humane Society
the State Board of Inspection of Horse Rid- ing Stables (now the Maryland Horse Industry Board) that this be an outreach program, to help educate those who were not in compliance and support their eff orts to bring their facilities and husbandry into accepted standard practic- es. It was never the intention that inspections and licensing be a punitive process,” said Equi- ery Publisher Crystal Kimball. Beverly agrees fully and felt her role was not to just enforce rules, but to help others run their businesses better. “I wanted to help people avoid the same mistakes I made when I ran my own stable,” she said. She had her own way of doing things, too. “I would drive in and fi rst just take in a general look of the place. But really, when it comes down to it, the horses tell you what the place is like,” she said. “I sort of learned what to do as I went along,” she added. “Beverly has been the embodiment of educa- tion and outreach, working with stable owners to better improve their understanding, and help coach them into compliance. Her role as state stable inspector was not just a job, it was a mis- sion,” Crystal Kimball added. Elizabeth Madlener had just bought the Maryland Horse Center, Inc. when she fi rst met Beverly. “At the time, I was feeling pretty over- whelmed trying to orga- nize such a huge horse center. Plus I was trying
, Carroll
to handle all the demands being made by my landlord, Maryland-National Capital Park and
continued... FEBRUARY 2012 | THE EQUIERY | 49
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