opinionated individuals with a vision. Rich Wilcke, Beverly Raymond, Debbie Rollins-Frank, Gretchen Mobberley, Hank Shirley, Elizabeth Madlener, Dorothy Troutman, Sandra Crow, Shirley Geis - some gone from us too soon to see their vision come to fruition. On behalf of the horse world, thank you. T e equine programs at our land grant ag-school had virtually disap-


peared. It took a pig/cow guy (Tom Hartsock) and a cow/horse guy (Malcolm Commer) a great deal of vision and grit to lay the foun- dation for the University of Maryland Equine Studies Program, now thriving under Dr. Amy Burk. T e tide began to turn; the industry started to come together. We made progress on regulations at the Departments of Ag and Natural Resources. T ank you, Tim Capps, Sol Goldstein, and others. By 1998, the Horse Council had successfully moved through legislation that created the Horse Industry Board. As we entered the new millennium, the Horse Industry Board began to get its feet under it, thank you Greg Gingery. In the early 2000s, the Horse Council pushed through the Feed Fund legislation, which provided funding for MHIB. With two major legislative achievements under its belt, the Horse Council really began growing, establishing a long range plan in 2005, expanding its mission, increasing its membership and racking up more accomplishments. Kudos to MHC presidents LuAnne Levens, Mike Erskine, Steuart Pittman and Jane Seigler! Once the funding mechanisms were in place for the Industry Board, it too began to have an impact on the industry, with equine census reports, economic impact studies and state-wide forums. T ank you, Rob Burk. T roughout the 2000s, with the growing infl uence of MHC and


MHIB, we began to see the needle move. T e Equiery recorded and reported every accomplishment, keeping you informed the entire time. In 2011, in these pages, I pondered whether our industry might be at a “tipping point.”


Now Here We Are In 2018, the answer is a resounding yes! Tipping point, turned a corner,


fl ipped a page – or just exploded – pick your term, the free state horse industry is reinventing itself and growing like mad. I marvel at the new activities, creative businesses and innovative outreach programs! If 1990 was the dawn of the digital age, 2018 is the high noon of the digital communication revolution. Internet and Google have made printed directories and classifi ed sections obsolete; clunky computers are now sleek smart phones, faxes have yielded to Facebook, handwrit- ten sales tickets unnecessary with virtual wallets. Print to dot-com to social – it’s a new media world! I am in awe of how the little ragtag group of true believers has be- come a sprawling, dynamic grassroots-driven, legislatively tenacious, and fi scally sustainable Horse Council, now truly living up to its moni- ker as “THE umbrella association for all horse organizations, business- es, farms and people” in Maryland. Wow. MHC has helped to defi ne – and in some cases change – the regulatory defi nitions that aff ect our industry and community, primarily in the Department of Agriculture, but elsewhere in government as well. MHC has had a consistent and persistent presence on numerous legislative issues of concern to our community. And every year the variety of equestrians involved expands and grows. Obviously, you will learn more about MHC’s projects and programs in this and future issues of T e Equiery. And then there is the steam engine known as the Horse Industry


Board – doing exactly what we envisioned it doing, but doing so in a way that far exceeds anything we imagined: Discovery Centers, Horse History Trails, Horses for Courses School Curriculum, T e Touch of Class Awards. On January 20th, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of MHIB. T ank you, Ross Peddicord and Jim Steele


I am so proud of what our community and industry has accom-


plished. It has been such a privilege for T e Equiery to have played a role in Maryland’s equestrian journey over the last 30 years.


Chapters Close As these exciting new chapters in Maryland’s horse world unfold,


we quietly turn the page on those chapters concluding. In these pag- es, I have said goodbye to more mentors and friends in the last 12 months than in any single year since founding T e Equiery: friends Marion Scullin, Jane Toal, Tater Pruitt and Rick Quinalan; mentors and sounding boards, Tim Capps and Sol Goldstein – your absence still brings tears to my eyes. Client Paul Novograd, whose creativity and zest for life helped, somehow, to keep it all real. Anne Moe, Equi- ery colleague, but also one of my fi rst friends after moving to Howard County in the early 90s. Frankie Pardoe. More than a friend, more than a mentor, not quite a mother – or perhaps, yes, Frankie was the mother of my “Equiery-self.” Her artwork graced numerous Equeiry covers those fi rst few years, giving our fl edgling publication a sheen of sophistication that belied its young age. T ere is more; suffi ce it to say that the arc of both my professional and personal life were profoundly and irrevocably touched by Frankie. When each tribute was complete and sent to press, and the tissues


cleared, the same thought would echo in my head: “It’s time. It’s time for me to go. It’s time for someone else.”


Turning The Page


2018 is going to be an exciting year! Launching with a Film Festival and celebratory parties, Marylanders will still be making their annual migration in January to Timonium, but this time for new adventures. Road-trips to Pennsylvania are being planned. Show owners Bob


Dobart and Denise Parsons expect the combined, bigger-than-ever Horse World Expo to possibly be a record breaker. Educational institutions such as the University of Maryland and


Goucher College are continuing to expand opportunities for aspiring equine-industry professionals. Fair Hill is poised to host the world’s next 4 or 5 Star CCI. And T e Equiery will enter a new chapter under the stewardship of the Maryland Horse Council. T e time is right for a fresh vision that can leverage the emerging digital media opportunities with the dynamic growth of the industry in general and the Horse Council in particular. Under the leadership of president Neil Agate, who special- izes in digital technologies for business communication and has a de- gree in accounting, and with the input from talented and knowledge- able advisory committees, T e Equiery will be able to grow and evolve in unexpected ways. T ere will be new opportunities for T e Equiery’s wonderful staff to stretch their wings; there will be increased market- ing opportunities for Equiery clients. Don’t be surprised to see videos, podcasts and more before the end of the year! T ank you, Maryland horse people. T ank you for embracing T e


Equiery and making it yours. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve you. Time to go ride my horses. I’ll see you out and about!


Crystal Brumme Pickett Publisher/Editor 1990-2017


and a time to every purpose under the heaven. www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580


JANUARY 2018 | THE EQUIERY | 9


Isabel J. Kurek


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