THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL ONE COMMON BOND - THE HORSE • ONE COMMON VOICE - MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL The 2019 Maryland Horse Industry Day Recap


Record Numbers Attend This Year’s Maryland Horse Industry Day


On January 29, the annual Maryland Horse Industry Day in Annapo-


lis had a record number of attendees. T e Horse Industry Day is a way for equine professionals and enthusiasts to meet with elected offi cials to educate them on the various benefi ts the horse industry provides for the state. T e event is held at the Miller Senate Building each year so that attendees can get a fi rst-hand look at how our state government is run. “As this was my fi rst time attending Maryland Horse Industry Day as


the executive director of the Maryland Horse Council, I was so pleased to see an all-time high attendance record,” said MHC executive director Carrie Hull. One hundred and seventy-one members of the horse industry reg-


istered for the day and nine Maryland equine organizations set up in- formation booths. During the morning session, 48 Representatives and Senators were visited by attendees and industry leaders for group discus- sions. T e Maryland State Legislature convenes in Annapolis from early January through early April, so it is a great opportunity to get access to the legislators from all over the state in one place. MHID is held at the start of the legislative session so that attendees and representatives of the Maryland horse industry can help steer discussions towards proposed bills that would have an impact on the industry and equestrian com- munity. By the second half of the session, the legislators are tied up in meetings and hearings from morning often to late at night, so an early- in-the-session date is a must. Fifty-six legislators attended lunch, and several spoke to the group. Pre- sentations by agency heads and special guests also occurred during lunch. “It was the best out of all the horse industry days I’ve attended,” said Dr. Amy Burk of the University of Maryland Equine Studies Program. “T e coordinators did a fantastic job getting more legislators to come to lunch and meet with us,” she added. “T is year’s program was particularly important because there was a


great deal of turnover in last November’s elections,” said Jane Seigler, Maryland Horse Council Legislative Committee chair. Seigler reported that 18 out of 47 Senators were newly elected, which is close to half. In addition, 42 out of the 141 members of the House of Delegates are also newly elected. “T is means that the horse industry has an important task in educating the new legislators about the powerful economic impact of the industry; its breadth, dept and diversity; its importance to preserving environmental quality and open space, etc.,” Seigler added. “I always look forward to Horse Industry Day as it gives us an op-


portunity to meet with legislators and educate them about the value of the horse industry in Maryland as well as get to know them when we are not lobbying for or against specifi c bills,” said Maryland Horse Council president Neil Agate. He added, “I also love seeing our members go in and meet with legislators. T ere are always MHC members who come out to Horse Industry Day and are nervous because they have never done “lobbying”, they are usually the ones that shine the most in the meetings with legislators.” T e Equiery’s associate publisher Tracy McKenna met with Senator


Michael Hough of Frederick County. “Although we are pretty far apart politically, I found him to be willing to listen, and I would be comfortable to contact him should the need arise,” she stated. Overall, these meetings and presentations have helped open up dis-


cussion and lay the foundation for the current legislative session. “T is increased knowledge and understanding on the part of our elected of-


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fi cials helps ensure that proposed legislation that may aff ect horses, horse people and their farms and businesses will get reasoned and knowledge- able consideration,” Seigler concluded.


4-H Members Receive Touch of Class During this year’s Maryland Horse Industry Day on January 29, the


Maryland Horse Industry Board honored the Maryland 4-H Horse Communications Team with a Touch of Class Award. T e team compet- ed at both the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio last Oc- tober and in November at the Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup in Kentucky where it won the High Point Communications Team Cham- pionship award. T is award is given to the team that has the highest cumulative points from all three divisions: Public Speaking, Individual Demonstration and Team Demonstration. Katherine Grasser of Carroll County competed in Public Speaking with her speech “T e Elephant in the Zoom.” Her speech told the story of Holy Roller, the Australian racing giant once described as “an elephant of a horse.” Katie captivated her audience, spinning the tale as if she had been there to watch him race in person. She won First Place at Eastern Nationals and T ird Place at Quarter Horse Congress. Anthony Righter of Montgomery County had a perfect score in de-


livery and pinned Fifth in an extremely competitive Individual Demon- stration division at Eastern Nationals. He also placed T ird at Quarter Horse Congress. His entertaining demonstration “What’s the Buzz” was on equine parasites. T e Team Demonstration was called “All T ings Aside” and shared


the history, clothing and equipment of sidesaddle riding from its early origins to its current resurgence in popularity. T ey presented illustra- tions through PowerPoint as well as shared multiple props, including sidesaddles, riding attire and other equipment. T e team was coached this year by Carroll County’s Karen Scott, who has volunteered for this position for the past seven years.


The Maryland legislative session is in full swing! Go to the link below to read updates:


https://www.mdhorsecouncil.org/legislative-blog MARCH 2019 | THE EQUIERY | 7


Anne Litz


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