Letter from the MHC President THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL
by Kimberly K. Egan, MHC President At the end of this month, our dear friend Ross
Peddicord will retire after 14 years as the Execu- tive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) and a life at the heart of the Maryland horse industry – from a cadet in the mounted cavalry to the show ring to a fox chaser to a steeplechase jockey to the breeding shed to the Baltimore Sun to the Pulitzer Prize nomina- tion list to the Maryland 5 Star to the Washing-
ton International Horse Show, and on and on. When Ross retires, our industry will lose a terrific champion of all things horse. Ross’s influence is undeniable. Under his leadership, our industry has
roughly tripled from an already substantial $1 billion industry in 2011 to a stunning $3 billion industry today, during a decade that included a global pandemic that saw much of the industry shuttered en- tirely for over a year. Ross presided over the creation of the Maryland Horse Park System,
which
brought an FEI five-star three-day event to Fair Hill and an FEI five-star show jump- ing competition to the Prince George’s Equestrian Center. Ross grew our number of licensed stables to almost 800 stables strong, he created our popular network of Horse Discovery Centers, and he helped install Horseland as a fixture at the Mary- land State Fair and other prominent eques- trian venues around the state. Ross started MHIB’s Western Riding Committee and its Sport Horse Committee. He started the Touch of Class Awards program which honors “Maryland horses, in- dividuals, teams, organizations or events that demonstrate the highest standards of excellence in the Maryland Horse Industry by achieving national or international recognition.” Ross kept the horse industry on the Department of Agriculture’s radar, and he coached over a decade of Administration officials, state employ- ees, and private sector leaders in the economic importance of the horse industry. We touched base with his most recent “boss,” Kevin Atticks, who said, “[I] worked with Ross for years before taking my current role as the Secretary of Agriculture. He has been a constant and staunch sup- porter of my work on value-added agriculture in the state, and he taught me much of what I know about our incredible horse industry.” We also touched base with Jeff Newman, the President and CEO of the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill. “From the day I was hired in August 2019, Ross has been supportive in every way possible to en- sure both my own and the event’s success to date,” Newman said. “As an Ex-Officio and active member of our Event Committee, his incred-
ible knowledge and countless introductions to key constituents with the equestrian industry, sponsorship support and so much more, Ross has always been there for me when needed, ready and eager to help. He’s five star in every way.” “Ross is a Maryland treasure and the horse industry’s greatest pro-
moter,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, who is also a former president of the Maryland Horse Council and the founder of the Retired Racehorse Project. “He’s made life better for horsemen and horsewomen everywhere, and he’s set our industry in Maryland up for future success.” How has he done it? Part of it is that Ross is gregarious, ebullient, and generous to the
Always a cheerleader for Maryland’s horse indus- try, Ross Peddicord at Woodstock Equestrian Cen- ter grand opening in 2013.
core. He goes everywhere, talks to everyone, and absorbs everything. Jim Steele, who was the MHIB Chairman when Ross was hired, told Te Equiery in 2021 that “Ross is an encyclopedia of knowl- edge and has an Energizer Bunny’s-worth of energy. He can go out and meet people as a friend, our kind of person so to speak, which is one of the reasons he is so great for this job.” Pittman told us in November of this year that Ross “has the rare mix of charisma, character, and creative talent that delivers progress wherever it appears.” Ross is an especially skilled talent scout. Hope Birsh of Maryland Saddlery told us in January 2021 that “Ross is really good at spotting people who are passionate about this industry.” And he acts quickly once he spots someone. Birsh said, “His gift is bring- ing people together that might not always
agree but they make something happen. He identifies talent, gets them started, and then sends them off to war!” Birsh added, “then he is there in your corner the whole time cheering you on and being so supportive.” Anne Litz, MHIB’s Field Marketing Specialist, told us this month that
“Ross has a remarkable ability to unite people, often seeing the potential for connection long before anyone else realizes it.” Ross was in a perfect position to do talent spotting. He knows almost
everyone there is to know because he has written about the horse indus- try for almost his entire professional life. He won the Toroughbred Racing Association’s award for the best magazine article of the year as a senior in college. His first job out of col- lege was as a staff writer for the Horsemen’s Journal, which is the official publication of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Asso- ciation. He was a handicapper and racing columnist for Baltimore Sun for 18 years, and he has been a contributing author to Te Maryland Horse (now the Mid-Atlantic Toroughbred) and to Te Equiery, for decades. He
continued... Join at
mdhorsecouncil.org 6 | DECEMBER 2024 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION 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
