NEWS &VIEWS You Can Use


AERC Breaks Ties with USEF T e American Endurance Ride Conference


(AERC), the national governing body for en- durance riding, announced on January 15 that, as of December 1, 2019, it will no longer be af- fi liated with the United States Equestrian Fed- eration (USEF). T is decision was voted on by the AERC Board of Directors during a January 14 conference call after months of deliberation. AERC stated that by keeping the AERC/


USEF affi liation through this ride season, scheduled co-sanctioned rides held in 2019 will be unaff ected and provides for a transition period before the 2020 ride season begins. According to AERC president Monica


Chapman, the AERC Board of Directors will be working on a plan to facilitate the separation from USEF and will work with AERC’s Inter- national Committee to fi nd ways to allow those seeking to participate in international competi- tions to continue to do so. However, the USEF quickly put out its own statement on January 16 in which they an- nounced that USEF has “initiated proceedings


to terminate the recognized affi liate status of AERC as soon as possible.” T e USEF stated that delaying the disaffi liation to the end of the year is not in the best interest of the sport on the national and international level. T e press release went on to state that the


USEF is uncertain if AERC will continue to adhere to and comply with USEF requirements during this transition period. T e Equiery will continue to follow this story and post updates on equiery.com as they occur.


Three Horse Spill at Laurel T ree horses fell during the sixth race at Lau-


rel Park on January 12 unseating their riders. Jockeys Horacio Karamanos, Trevor McCarthy and Jomar Torres were each taken to the hospi- tal and later released that evening. T e incident occurred at the far turn in the $35,000 Maiden Claiming race for 3-Year- Old Fillies when Trevor McCarthy’s horse, Tuff y’s Way, stumbled and fell while racing in third. McCarthy hit the ground near the rail and Lucky Dilly, who was right behind them,


Letter to the Editor - Carriage Ride Support in Frederick


By Jennifer Baker Frederick County came out in force over the weekend of December 29-30 to support local carriage operators, Lambert’s Carriage Company. T e Lamberts are multi-generational farmers who have for the past few years shared their draft horses with the community [through] carriage rides between T anksgiving and Christmas. For the Lamberts, this is not a full-time service and is simply a way to give back to our community at Christmas. Unfortunately, over the past few years the Lamberts have been targeted


by the local Frederick Vegan Army, a group of animal rights activists who feel horses are abused and should not have a place in Frederick at Christmas. Originally, the protests included showing up at city meetings when the Lamberts applied for their yearly permit to operate, and hold- ing signs at the carriage ride loading and unloading area. T is year the protests escalated to the point that protestors ran after the carriages to scare the horses and also scared the passengers by yelling obscenities at the children riding in the carriages. It was this escalation on the weekend before Christmas that lead to a post on Facebook about one rider’s experience with her children, along with video and pictures of the incident. While city police were on site, the original offi cers were unable to off er much assistance to the Lam- berts as the protestors had a permit to protest and did not stop the car- riage rides from proceeding. County citizens, though, heard of the incident on social media and began talking of a counter protest to support the Lambert family. A meet-up was planned for the evening of Saturday, December 29, as a nonviolent block party gathering to support the Lamberts. Word soon


spread [through] the county via a letter to the editor of the local newspa- per and calls to city and county government offi cials. Twenty-fi ve people showed up Saturday to support the Lamberts and tailgate. T e Frederick Vegan Army cancelled their protest upon word of the


increasing support for the carriage rides. After the success of Saturday’s festivities, another meet was scheduled for the following evening. As pictures of the Saturday group were circulated online support grew, 100 people lined the sidewalk seven and eight people deep. While the Fred- erick Vegan Army did come Sunday to protest, support for the Lamberts overwhelmingly outnumbered their protestors. T e carriage rides for this year are now over, but be aware, the protes- tors will be back again next year and will again seek to remove holiday carriage rides from Frederick. Eff orts are underway now to ensure the Lamberts are continually supported and hopefully will not have to face protestors alone again.


IF YOU HAVE NEWS, VIEWS OR UPDATES TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE SEND THEM TO THE EDITOR at


The Equiery, P.O. Box 610, Lisbon, MD 21765 • FAX: 410-489-7828 • email editor@equiery.com. Be sure to include your full name, phone number and address. All submissions become the property of The Equiery.


www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 FEBRUARY 2019 | THE EQUIERY | 9


tripped over the fallen Tuff y’s Way, unseating Karamanos. Torres was trailing the fi eld aboard Kimberly B, who then collided with Tuff y’s Way as she scrambled to her feet. Both Tuff y’s Way and Kimberly B were eu- thanized due to their injuries.


Nearly $30,000 Awarded in MHIB Grants


T is year, the Maryland Horse Industry Board awarded $29,750 in grants to 31 diff erent orga- nizations and individuals within Maryland. T e MHIB grant committee selected the winners from a pool of 47 applications. Funding for these grants is provided through the Maryland Feed Fund, which collects $6 on every ton of horse feed sold in Maryland. Since the Feed Fund was established in 2002, MHIB has awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to over 300 projects.


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For a full list of grant recipients, visit equiery.com or scan the QR code here.


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