NEWS & VIEWS Bits and Pieces
Girl Dies in Buggy Crash On October 1, an Amish horse and buggy
were struck by a Ford F150 at the intersection of Route 5 and Oaks Road in Charlotte Hall. Francis Jerome Brawner, Jr. of Waldorf was driving the truck across the intersection. T e three people in the buggy were ejected and all three were transported to Civista Medical Cen- ter. Twelve-year-old Saloma Kathleen Stoltzfus died upon arrival at the hospital. T e other two in the buggy were treated and released. At this time, there is no evidence to indicate that speed, alcohol or drugs were contributing fac- tors in the crash.
134 Counts of Cruelty in Canterbury Polish Arabian Seizure
Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney Lance Richardson has informed T e Equiery that he has now fi led a total of 134 charges of animal cruelty (for criminal neglect) against Marsha Parkinson, owner of Canterbury Stables in Centreville, Maryland and owner of the 134 Polish Arabian horses impounded on April 29, 2011. T e case was scheduled to be heard in Sep-
tember, but was rescheduled to December 8 af- ter Parkinson’s original attorney stepped off the case. At that point, there were only 67 charges fi led. T e State’s Attorney has repeatedly made off ers to discuss a plea arrangement, but told T e Equiery, “It’s diffi cult to negotiate a plea with her when she doesn’t have an attorney.” As a result, Parkinson now faces one misde- meanor count of animal neglect for every horse on the farm, and reportedly has a new attorney. If convicted, Parkinson could face up to 90 days in jail for each count and a fi ne of up to $1,000 for each count. Parkinson has not returned calls from T e
Equiery. For background, please visit equiery. com and, in the lower right hand corner, un- der “Categories” click on “Welfare, Neglect & Cruelty Cases.”
New Laws
Several new Maryland agriculture laws af- fecting horse people went into eff ect October 1 in Maryland. HB 214 – Maryland Agricultural Land Pres-
ervation Foundation (MALPF) Critical Farms Fund: Allows MALPF to fully implement a state-wide Critical Farms Program by fi nal- izing the criteria a property must meet to be considered a “critical farm.” As of October 1, MALPF will be authorized to provide interim or emergency fi nancing (if funding is available) for easement acquisitions or fee simple acquisi- tions of a critical farm. Funding remains dis- cretionary, but the bill also allows MALPF to solicit funds from other sources. SB 322 – State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners – Registered Veterinary Technician:
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580
Gives the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (SBVME) authority to adopt regu- lations that allow registered veterinary techs to perform certain medical procedures while working under the direct supervision of a vet- erinarian. Although the law takes eff ect Oc- tober 1, the SBVME must amend its current regulations to articulate what those procedures are before a veterinarian can delegate those additional medical-related tasks. T e Board’s Veterinary Technician Committee is research- ing other state laws and regulations and will make recommendations for the Board’s con- sideration. SB 146 – State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners – Licensing: Permits the SBVME to direct an applicant, veterinarian or veterinary practitioner to submit to a mental or physical exam when the Board has reasonable evidence indicating that an individual is incompetent to practice veterinary medicine.
Bids in for Baltimore & Rocky Gap Slots
T e Baltimore Sun reported in September that Caesars Entertainment Corp., the largest ca- sino operator in the world, applied for the slots license for Baltimore County. T e bid was sub- mitted on September 23 for a 3,750-machine casino on Russell Street. On the same day, three companies applied for the slots license at Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort in Allegany County. T e companies are Landow Partners LLC, Evitts Resort LLC and Paragon Project Resources.
Laurel Adds More Live Racing Days
Laurel Park added Tuesday to its live rac- ing schedule for the remainder of the fall meet schedule. Live racing now occurs on Tuesday through Saturday until December 17.
Montgomery County Animal Emergency Database
Montgomery County is currently in the pro- cess of developing the Montgomery County Animal Emergency Database (MCaed), which will be a list of volunteers who have defi ned ex- pertise with horses and/or animals and are will- ing to help should an emergency or incident occur. T is database will not be sold, rented or shared other than with fi rst responders for emergency purposes or notifi cations only. T e database should be up and running by the end of the year, if not earlier. T e MCaed is being developed to better cope with miscellaneous animal-related emergencies, such as trailer acci- dents, loose horses on major roads, and the like. Although Montgomery County has resources to deal with many of these incidents, often hav- ing immediate knowledgeable assistance with horses or other animals in the vicinity of the incident can make an enormous diff erence.
Volunteers Needed for Mounted Police T e Howard County Police Department is
starting an all-Volunteer Mounted Police Unit and are currently seeking experienced riders with their own horses, tack, trucks and trailers. T e volunteers will perform uniformed (non-
confrontational) horse patrols at county parks and large events. T e program will fall under the Auxiliary Program, and mounted volun- teers are considered Auxiliary Police Offi cers. T e County will furnish some equipment, such as uniform shirt, badge, nameplate, sad- dle blanket with HCPD logo, radio and other miscellaneous equipment. T e volunteer must furnish the horse, trailer and all related horse equipment. T ere are no state or county resi- dency requirements. T ose interested will have to complete an ap-
plication, agree to a background investigation, complete a successful horse and rider evalua- tion, sign a liability wavier and participate in four eight-hour classes being conducted this spring. If you are interested, please call Lt. Tim Black, Howard County Police at 410-313-2306 or email him at
tblack@howardcountymd.gov.
Free Pesticide Disposal
T e Maryland Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of the Environment, the University of Maryland Extension Service and various agricultural or- ganizations, is off ering a free pesticide disposal program for Maryland farmers. T e Pesticide Disposal Program has been available to Mary- land farmers and agricultural commodity pro- ducers since 1995 on an annual rotating basis. T is is the fi rst year that the program will be open to operators on a state-wide level. Registration forms to participate in the pro- gram are available online at MDA’s website:
www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/regform.pdf,
or
from the UMD Extension offi ces. T e deadline to register is January 16, 2012.
Hay Bank Launched T e Maryland Hay Bank has been established
by T e Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue charity to provide hay for horse owners in fi - nancial crises. Horse owners may submit an ap- plication for a 30-day supply of orchard grass/ timothy mix hay once a year. All information will be kept confi dential. If approved, the horse owner will need to pick up the hay in Mt. Airy. For more information or to apply, visit mary-
lanhaybank.org.
Kudos Crownsville-based Maryland T erapeutic
Riding Inc. was named nonprofi t of the year by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce.
continued on page 12 NOVEMBER 2011 | THE EQUIERY | 9
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