NEWS & VIEWS continued
million; this impact would be spread over Cecil County and Delaware. With the national headquarters for steeplechas- ing based at Fair Hill, improvements bring back an enticing possibility: could there once again be a Breeders’ Cup steeplechase race? Breeders’ Cup Limited dropped steeplechase from its card in the 1990s, according to reports at that time, due to costs. Fair Hill is also home to the national T oroughbred Racing Association.
What’s Happening In April, T e Maryland Stadium Au-
thority Board approved moving forward with engineering and design for the project using $100,000 from a bond bill passed by the General Assembly and $250,000 raised privately. T e USEF full-site selection committee met at Fair Hill on April 18 with a team of six people representing Fair Hill In- ternational (FHI), the Maryland Sports Commission, the Fair Hill Foundation and the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB). T e selection committee re- viewed the lengthy Proposal Addendum put together for the visit, commenting that FHI had answered “90%” of their questions. T e selection committee then met with DNR Secretary Mark Belton, Commerce Secretary Mike Gill, MDA Assistant Secretary Steve Connelly, MHIB chair Jim Steele, MHIB repre- sentative Jay Griswold on the Fair Hill Foun- dation board, Cecil County Executive Alan McCarthy and many other industry leaders were involved with the bid. An eight-person team (Trish Gilbert, Car- la Geiersbach, Anne Haller, Ashley Cotrell, Kelli Gerding, Nina Gregory, Sandy Turner and Ross Peddicord) representing FHI, MD Sports Commission, Cecil County Tourism, the Fair Hill Foundation and MHIB attended Rolex Kentucky in late April. In May, a four- person team (Carla Geiersbach, Anne Haller, Nina Gregory and Ross Peddicord) attended Badminton in Great Britain. At both places, team members met with event organizers, re- ceived a “behind the scenes” tour of the events and facilities, learned best practices and shared information about Fair Hill and the Maryland equine industry.
T e Cecil County Government honored the Fair Hill Four-Star bid proposal as the 2016 Best Tourism Project of T e Year. In August, utilizing funding secured to date, a comprehensive study/plan will begin for the fi rst phase of improvements, which include tunnels, roads, utilities, trail riding stables, the kennels and the turf track. T e second phase includes the grandstands, offi cials’ tower, barns and other structures. T ese improvements will take place regardless of whether or not Mary-
10 | THE EQUIERY | JULY 2017
land receives the FEI Four-Star, and are antici- pated to be completed by August 2019. Many of these improvements will be used regularly by those stabled at the Fair Hill Training Cen- ter and by the various equestrian competitions currently using the site. A Four-Star is not anticipated to interfere with the current multi- use schedule at Fair Hill.
land Horse Industry Board: MHIB helped to pull together all the players necessary to make the bid for the Four-Star.
Q. How does this bid change the current event at Fair Hill? A. T is year the T ree- and Two-Star will re- main at the Gallaher Road site.
Approx. 160,000 spectators attend Badminton over the four days of competition. Maryland delegation visiting Badmin- ton: L-R: Dale Clabaugh (Maryland Horse Council), Carla Geiersbach, (FHI), Ann Haller (FHI); Ian Stark (interna- tional course designer), Nina Gregory (FHF), Ross Peddi- cord (MHIB), Carolyn Mackintosh (owner and manager of Loch Moy Event Complex)
T e Four-Star Quest Q&A T e Equiery commends all those involved
with the Four-Star on their relentless dedica- tion to communicate with both the local com- munity in general and the equestrian commu- nity in particular. Despite their yeoman’s eff ort, it is only natural that some misconceptions will continue. Below are questions readers submit- ted to T e Equiery and questions or concerns we have heard as we travel out and about to various equine functions. T e answers were provided by
- Terry Hasseltine, Executive Director, Mary- land Sports Commission, A Division of the Maryland Stadium Authority: MSA is re- sponsible for the numerous stadium and event spaces throughout Maryland through public- private initiatives. - Carla Geiersbach, Executive Director, Fair Hill International: FHI began hosting a T ree-Star Event over thirty years ago; today, in addition to its annual fall festival centered around the T ree- Star and a Two-Star, during the rest of the year FHI hosts lower-level horse trials as well as driv- ing, endurance and derby cross events. - Nina Gregory, Executive Director, Fair Hill Foundation: T e Fair Hill Foundation, Inc. was established in 2016 specifi cally to raise funds for equestrian-related improvements to Fair Hill and to support the original vision for Fair Hill. - Ross Peddicord, Executive Director, Mary-
Q. Funding fell through for the WEG in Canada; could that happen to Fair Hill? A. T e two situations are very diff erent. First, the scale of investment necessary for the Four-Star is drastically below the about $80 million investment that was needed to host WEG. T e total infrastructure cost for Fair Hill is a fraction of that cost. Second, the pro- posed Fair Hill Four-Star event is an annual event. T e great thing about the proposed improvements to the facili- ties at Fair Hill is that other sports and events––equestrian and non-equestri- an alike ––will be able to also use im- proved facilities. T is makes the whole project not only more economically de- sirable, but benefi cial to lots of diff er- ent user groups over the calendar year.
Q. I heard that the bridle and driving trails will be closed during a Four-Star. A. T ere are more than 5,600 acres and 80 miles of trails at Fair Hill. T e Four-
Star will only aff ect a small portion of the Fair Hill NRMA property, and for a very limited amount of time. Access may be restricted to some trail sections during the Four-Star cross- country competition in the immediate vicinity of the current steeplechase course and the Saw Mill fi eld, but the vast majority of trails should remain open and unrestricted for public use year-round.
Q. I hear that the nature center will be closed. A. T e Fair Hill Nature Center is located outside the special events zone where Four-Star activi- ties would take place. Fair Hill Nature Center is a wonderful organization that provides nature- based learning opportunities to Cecil County school children, as well as many other programs. With 27 years in operation, the Nature Center looks forward to continuing to serve this need at Fair Hill. T ey have no plans to close.
Q. I hear that rental prices to host a 4-H show at Fair Hill will go up. A. T ere are no planned changes for the show rings at the fairgrounds. T e Department of Natural Resources sets the fee schedule associ- ated with facility rental, and there are no plans to raise the rates for 4-H groups as a result of the Four-Star eff ort. DNR regularly reviews rental fees and service charges to ensure reason- continued on page 65
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