News and Happenings...
Message from the president, Steuart Pittman
Another legislative session will soon be upon us and the Maryland Horse Coun- cil will be present in Annapolis more than ever. We’ve had a great year, kicking off the Political Action Committee, growing the Business Network, expanding the Save T e Horse Farms Campaign, and positioning ourselves for creation of the Maryland Fund For Horses. In 2012 all of these eff orts, as well as our membership recruitment drive, will pay dividends to the horse industry that
even I, the eternal optimist, wasn’t sure were possible. Ross Peddicord’s work at the Horse Industry Board is coming together to turn our Marketing Committee’s dreams into something real. Marga- ret Rizzo, our administrator and founder of Mythic Landing Events, has taken on new challenges to move MHC forward. Our executive com- mittee has dynamic new blood and some old blood that is as energetic as ever. It’s an honor to be MHC president at a time like this, and all I can say is that any of you who read these updates in the Equi- ery and haven’t yet become either an indi- vidual, farm, or business member of this organization should just go online, type in
mdhorsecouncil.org, and hit the Join Now button. We are a grassroots membership or- ganization that represents your interests. Be with us, and I hope to see you on November 15 in Annapolis!
A message from the Horse Council Pac’s Chairman, Rob Burk
Maryland Horse Council Joint Meeting with the Maryland Horse Industry Board
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Miller Senate Building 11 Bladen Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Reception at 6 p.m. • Meeting at 7 p.m. All are welcomed!
For more information, or to join MHC, please visit
www.mdhorsecouncil.org
How much is it worth to you to be respected? With all the many and complicated interests and issues clamoring for attention and solutions, the fact is that to be recognized as a legitimate force in American politics you must wield power, infl uence, and/or money. T e State of Maryland is no exception. T ere comes a time when a politician must get elected, re-elected, or must push a piece of important legislation. At those points, the politician often looks to groups that are able to mobilize voters, such as the Maryland Horse Council, to bolster their power and infl uence to get the job done. T ey will also look to the established Political Action Committee (PAC) System in Maryland for fi nancial support. PACs are private groups, regardless of size, organized to help elect political candi- dates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. In late summer 2011 a new PAC, the Horse Council PAC, was estab- lished in Maryland. Affi liated with the Maryland Horse Council, the
Horse Council PAC is a separate entity whose sole purpose is to “Pro- mote the Maryland equine industry to the State government and the general public.” T rough the Horse Council PAC, the Maryland equine community can pool its resources to make sure that the state government listens to the issues and concerns that impact us. If every equine owner in Maryland gave just $1 to the Horse Council PAC, we would have a pot of funds of worth around $30,000. T at is a signifi cant amount of money in political terms and is enough to garner the attention of any politician with an equine owner in his or her district. T us, PACs become an im- portant tool for ordinary citizens to use in matching the clout of wealthy individuals, corporations, or other well-funded interest groups. In just over a month since the offi cial establishment of the Horse Council PAC, the Chairman (Rob Burk of Anne Arundel County) and Treasurer (Win Hayward of Montgomery County) have received about a dozen requests from Maryland legislators for fi nancial support for their candidacy, or to support a particular equine issue. Horse people, of course, can donate directly to a politician, but are limited by campaign fi - nance laws to $4,000 dollars per politician or issue per four-year election cycle. However, if they, plus others who don’t give directly, also give money to a PAC, the PAC can donate up to $6,000 to a particular candidate or issue. In eff ect, this multiplies the impact on politicians willing to support issues important to the equine community. T ere are approximately 300 PACs cur-
rently registered in Maryland. T e Horse Council PAC is the only one representing all aspects of equine interests in the state. So the next time you hear of or experience a law or regulation that impacts your equine interests, whether it be a trail closing, a new regulation or a tax, to name just a few, think about send- ing in a couple of dollars to build up the war chest of the Horse Council PAC. In the end,
the respect that the equine community receives from even the smallest donation will be paid back by the trailer load. For donation information, visit
www.mdhorsecouncil.org.
Unwanted Horse Project Update from Vicki Carson T e Unwanted Horse Project is gearing up for a very active fall and
winter. A committee of Horse Council members has been working to form a
new nonprofi t organization, Maryland Fund For Horses (MFFH). T e Maryland Fund for Horses’ application for tax-exempt charitable sta- tus should be complete by the time the November Equiery is published, and the MFFH committee thanks Christine Hajek of Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue for her hours of volunteer time in completing the
continued on page 30
Maryland Horse Council membership is open to all associations, farms, businesses and individuals. To join, please visit
mdhorsecouncil.org, contact
admin@mdhorsecouncil.org, or call 301-502-8929. The Maryland Horse Council is sponsored by B & D Builders, The Equiery, Farm Credit and Southern States.
26 | THE EQUIERY | NOVEMBER 2011 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88