Letter from the MHC President THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL


by Kimberly K. Egan MHC President


And just like that, winter is upon us. T e competition season goes out with a bang in


Maryland with the marquee events during October Horse Month and national fi nals in several disciplines around the country. As we have in years past, we con-


ducted surveys of spectators and participants at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill and the Washington International Horse Show at Show- place Arena. T is issue contains an analysis of those surveys – our readers complimented both venues on their several improvements from last year. Now we settle in and hunker down for


cold weather and mud. Mud is a big deal in Maryland because almost the entire state drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Mud and silt can carry nitrogen off the land and into the water, where it can con- tribute to algae blooms and aquatic plant die-off caused by lack of oxygen. Horse manure can do the same. Maryland is un- der a legal obligation to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus run-off into the Bay. Our Soil Conservation Districts


If you are currently using a dumpster to collect your manure, please


MHC COMMITTEE REPORTS IN THIS ISSUE!


• Government Relations - Find out more about AFOs and CAFOs on page 39


• Industry Professionals - Meet new


(SCDs) work hard to help horse farm owners manage mud and manure so that Maryland can achieve its mandated goals for the Watershed Implementation Plan, for credit in the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Model. T e Montgomery Coun- ty Soil Conservation District in particular has asked us to help them collect infor- mation about conservation practices that horse farms are already using voluntarily, so that Montgomery County can get credit for them. A dumpster that is used to collect manure gets the same Best Practice


credit as as an engineered animal waste storage structure designed by the SCD. But while the SCD knows about the engineered waste storage facilities it has designed, it doesn’t know about dumpsters that are being voluntarily used.


members and read about current member news on page 44


• Trail Stewardship - Explore the C & O Canal Towpath in Allegany County on page 28


contact the SCD at 301-590-2855 and let them know. Getting this in- formation into the hands of the SCD will not only help Montgomery County meet its goals, but will also provide evidence of what good stew- ards of the land horse farms are. In other mud-and-horses news, it is the time of year to keep the federal Clean Water Act regulations in mind, specifi cally those pertaining to Animal Feed Operations (AFOs) and Concentrated Animal Feed Op- erations (CAFOs). Our Government Relations column this month ex- plains that under the regulations, and for purposes of application to horse opera- tions, an Animal Feed Operation is any animal operation where animals are kept in confi ned situations on a property for a total of 45 days in any 12-month period and where vegetation or forage growth is not sustained in the normal growing sea- son over any portion of the facility, i.e., no pastures or hay fi elds. According to our umbrella organization, the American Horse Council: “No matter what size an operation is, if it is an AFO, it may be designated a CAFO. Many di- verse types of horse operations including show grounds, breeding facilities, race- tracks, large recreational boarding stables, and more could be regulated as a CAFO. Being defi ned as a CAFO requires you to manage wastewater and drainage, have a nutrient management plan, and repeat the permit inspection annually.”


Read more about how Maryland regulates AFOs and CAFOs in this


month’s Government Relations column. All of us here at the Maryland Horse Council wish you a warm, safe, and jolly holiday season. We will see you in the new year.


Thank You To Our Maryland Horse Council Sponsors! join.mdhorsecouncil.org www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | DECEMBER 2023 | 7


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