Letter from the MHC President THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL
by Kimberly K. Egan, MHC President
Summer starts this month – hooray! Summer camps and lesson programs are gearing up for three months of horse-crazy children who want little more than to spend as much time as they can with their favorite les- son horses at lesson barns and riding schools. Lucky for us, Maryland is blessed with an extraordinary number of lesson barns – more than in any of our neighbor- ing states and more, indeed, than in many states in the
country. T e Maryland Horse Industry Board licenses over 800 lesson and
boarding stables in Maryland, a number that has been growing steadily since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Riding schools are the bedrock of our sport, and they are where it all begins for our $2.9 billion indus- try. Lesson barns produce the next generation of trail riders, amateur competitors. trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, grooms, and professional competition riders; and they can kindle the interest of young people in careers as farriers, veterinarians and veterinary technicians, forage spe- cialists, farm stewardship professionals, horse and pony breeders, and so much more. Our lesson barns, and especially our trained lesson horses, are also how
we introduce the non-horse owning public and students of all socio- economic backgrounds and interests to the benefi ts of riding. Our saintly lesson horses teach many people how to ride over the course of their ca- reers, which means any given lesson horse has touched the lives of dozens if not hundreds of students. Lesson horses teach new riders much more than just how to post
the trot. Lesson horses teach children self-confi dence, body awareness, respect, and problem solving techniques. Lesson horses teach young people patience, empathy, and compassion. Horses make us learn to be independent thinkers. Lesson horses teach all us the joys of inter-species communication, the value of kindness, and the satisfaction of dedication. Riding schools are an oasis for many young people, an escape from
social cliques and unhealthy school dynamics. A teenager learning how to ride once told me that “horses just listen. I can tell my horse anything and she won’t judge me. She won’t call me uncool. She accepts me for who I am.” To all the lesson barns out there, thank you. And to all the irreplaceable lesson horses, we owe you more than we can ever say.
Lesson horses come in all shapes and sizes. We polled lesson stable
owners and managers to fi nd out which breeds are the most popular breeds for lesson horses in our state.
Top 10 Lesson Horse Breeds 1 tie – American Paint 1 tie – Crossbred 1 tie – T oroughbred
4 – American Quarter Horse 5 – Welsh Pony/Cob
6 tie – Appaloosa 6 tie – Dutch Warmblood
8 tie – Arabian 8 tie – Shetland Pony
10 tie – Halfl inger 10 tie – Miniature Horse
Others in descending order: 12 – Morgan 13 – Hanoverian
14 tie – Belgian Warmblood 14 tie – Tennessee Walking Horse
16 – Pony of the Americas
17 tie – Oldenburg 17 tie – Trakehner
19 tie – Friesian 19 tie – Gypsy Vanner 19 tie – Holsteiner 19 tie – Icelandic 19 tie – Mustang 19 tie – Percheron
Thank You To Our Maryland Horse Council Sponsors! ®
join.mdhorsecouncil.org www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | JUNE 2024 | 7
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