MHC Industry Professional Members, continued...
and Girl Scouts from Baltimore City and surrounding counties. In July 2023, GEC started a half-day camp for homeless children through Em- power4Life, and every other month GEC welcomes formerly unhoused people to work with horses through the Helping Up Mission. GEC also: (i) partners with Trellis Services to help children living with autism de- velop life skills; (ii) partners with the Baltimore Station to help veterans struggling with addiction and housing insecurity; and (iii) hosts summer farm tours for St. Joseph Fullerton School. In the past, GEC has hosted youth from the Juvenile Offenders in Need of
Supervision (JOINS) program in the Baltimore County Police Department. GEC also runs environmental stewardship programs. It partners with
the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy (GVC) to host rain barrel work- shops and to plant bio-retention gardens and 100 trees on the grounds. GEC is developing plans to switch to solar energy and reduce turf in non-pasture areas in favor of native plantings. Tere is a lot going on at GEC – stop in for a visit if you haven’t already
done so.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS MHC welcomes O’Brien’s Pasture Maintenance, LLC, as a new
Industry Professional member. Owner Barry O’Brien grew up working on farms; milking cows, raising beef, planting and harvesting crops. He learned that whether growing a vegetable, grain, or pasture for grazing or the harvest of hay, the nutrients in the soil needed to be correct. As he began to transition from his professional life (in an ag adjacent field) to his retirement, he still wanted to be involved in agriculture, thus O’Brien’s Pasture Maintenance, LLC, was created. He thought mowing pastures for land owners would keep him busy but requests for the application of soil nutrients and weed control were many. O’Brien wanted to do it right so he contacted the Maryland Department of Agriculture where he was provided guidance on the course material needed to become licensed and certified in soil nutrient management as well as licensed and certified to apply herbicides for weed control. O’Brien and his wife, Missy, live on a small horse farm in Mt. Airy. He has a deep appreciation for the work that goes into making sure the horses (or any stock) are well cared for, and that includes caring for the land that sustains them. Horse farms have different requirements for their pastures. Is the land to be just used for pasture, or will it be needed to grow hay? How you maintain the land will vary depending on your needs. Before doing any maintenance on a client’s pasture, O’Brien
Attention Contractors
Advertise in The Equiery’s Farm Fix-Up Guide
featured in the April print issue & on
www.equiery.com/farm-fi x-up-guide
Contact Tracy McKenna 410-489-7826
tracy.mckenna@
equiery.com Ask about Multi-Media Packages!
44 | JANUARY 2024 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
insists on a soil test. He believes that not doing a soil test is a disservice to the client, and a waste of money, and potentially bad for the envi- ronment. If the soil is not properly fed your pasture will not reach its potential. A pasture for grazing should be cared for in a similar manner as a field harvested for hay. You can reach him at
obrienspm@gmail.com
MHC also welcomes HCS, USA Saddlery, owned and operated for
over 30 years by master saddler Amber Baughman-Markley. Baughman- Markley runs the saddle fitting company out of her facility in Clear Spring. Her company’s goal is to “provide American riders with a professional saddle fitting experience as well as equipment equal to the quality selected by top English and European riders.” Most of the saddle, bridle, and acces- sory brands in stock are customized for each client. Te saddle brands in- clude Albion Saddle Makers Ltd, Black Country Saddles, Fairfax Saddles Ltd, Hastilow & Sons Saddlery, Ideal Saddlery, Jefferies Saddles, Kent and Masters Saddles, and Torowgood Saddles. Bits and bridles include Con- cept and Fairfax Performance Bridles, Abbey bits, Beris bits, and Fager and Neue Schule bits. Baughman-Markley is a certified master saddler and will also repair tack and offer guidance and assistance with tack main- tenance. You can reach her at
info@hastilowusa.com.
ADDITIONAL NEW MEMBERS
Covered Bridge Farm (Alayna Newsome) • FMF Equestrian (Savannah Fulton) • VJM Equestrian (Victoria McIntosh)
WELCOME BACK RENEWED MEMBERS Kitsi Christmas • Paradise Energy Solutions (Andy Schell) • Raising Connections (Rachann Mayer) • R&D Cross (Kody Cross) • Cappetta LLC (Nikki Wingire)
OUR IP MEMBERS Our three new Industry Professional (IP) members join our roster
of ~200 IP members, which represent all manner of companies that do business in, with, or near, the Maryland Horse industry. IP members have direct input into MHC’s policy and advocacy work with state, local, and municipal governments. Tey also receive special coverage in this column and invitations to IP-member only business networking events and seminars. Te business logo and link for each IP member appears on the IP member directory on MHC’s website: https://mdhorsecouncil. org/industry-professionals/.
Looking to Snag those Spring Farm Fix-Up Jobs?
EXTRA DISCOUNTS
FOR MHC MEMBERS! Join Today!
www.mdhorsecouncil.org
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