NEWS&VIEWS You Can Use


Boyce Hits the 1,000 Win Mark Flat track jockey and Maryland native


Forest Boyce earned her 1,000th career win on Friday, February 9, at Laurel Park. T e win came aboard D Hatman T orough- breds’ Maryland-bred Determined Driver, trained by Phil Schoenthal. Boyce also rode Maryland-bred Midsummers Eve, owned by Cynthia McGuinnes and Francis Clem- ens, to victory earlier in the day. Midsum- mers Eve is trained by Tim Keefe. T e 39-year-old Boyce was born in Balti-


more and currently lives in Fallston. She’s a graduate of Garrison Forest School where she played polo. Boyce also has a degree in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Boyce got her start on the track at age 11


Baltimore native Forest Boyce earns her 1,000th here in Maryland at Laurel Park.


when she worked with the late Hall of Fame trainer Mikey Smithwick and galloped horses for Holly Robinson and the late Dickie Small at Pimlico. Boyce made her professional de- but in the summer of 2009 and her fi rst ca- reer win was on Colony Club in June of that year at Colonial Downs. She currently is tied for the ninth-most wins in Maryland Million history with seven. Her fi rst Maryland Million win was aboard Pocket Patch in 2011. In 2023, Boyce’s career earnings pushed past the $35 million mark.


PA National Horse Show Presents Grants to Six MD Programs


T e Pennsylvania National Horse Show


Foundation has awarded more than $75,000 in grants to 46 groups off ering charity-based programs. Six of these programs are here in Maryland! Kudos to the following programs on receiving grant funds from PNHSF: • Chesapeake T erapeutic Riding Inc (Abingdon) • Days End Farm Horse Rescue (Woodbine) • February Star Sanctuary, Inc (Knoxville) • Lifeline Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation (Gaithersburg) • Maryland T erapeutic Riding (Crownsville) • Promise Landing Farm, Inc (Upper Marlboro)


French Earns USEF Equestrian of the Year


Former Marylander John French won the


U.S. Equestrian Federation’s National Eques- trian of the Year award for his stellar 2023 sea- son. French is a leading rider on the hunter


circuit having won four World Champion Hunter Rider awards as well as earning the 2012 WCHR Lifetime Achievement Award. French is also a National Show Hunter Hall of Fame member. In 2023, French won three major events


on three diff erent horses. He won the Plati- num


Performance/USHJA International


Hunter Derby Championship in Kentucky riding Paradigm, the $100,000 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular on Milagro and the $25,000 WCHR Professional Challenge riding Babylon. He also won the inaugural Jeff Wirthman Memorial Trophy for Leading Hunter Trainer by money won at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida. French also won several top honors at both the 2023 Capital Challenge Horse Show and Washington International Horse Show here in Maryland.


career win


USEF Proposed Changes to Horse Abuse Rules


On February 15, the U.S.


Equestrian Federation issued the following statement.


"Dear USEF Members, As part of our continued


commitment to protecting the welfare of our equine part- ners, USEF has proposed rule changes to strengthen the horse abuse rule. Earlier this week, an extraordinary rule change to GR 838 was proposed to accompany the standard rule change to GR 702 currently under consider-


ation, which, if approved, would expand USEF jurisdiction beyond competition environments. Specifi cally, the two rules call for:


GR 702 – T e proposed change to GR 702 was submitted in early September 2023 with the intention of increasing the scope of jurisdiction of USEF to pursue investigation and disciplin- ary action for reported horse abuse occurring outside of the competition environment.


GR 838 – T is newly presented extraordinary rule change is intended to increase the scope of jurisdiction for equine abuse, further defi ne ac- tions that are considered equine abuse, require mandatory reporting of equine abuse, and am- plify the ability for competition management and licensed offi cials to impose disciplinary actions during a competition for matters of equine abuse.


T e extraordinary rule change coincided


John French, pictured here at the 2023 Capi- tal Challenge Horse Show at PGEC in Up- per Marlboro, won the 2023 USEF National Equestrian of the Year award.


with the recently surfaced allegations of abuse against horses. Upon learning of and receiv- ing photos and videos of the alleged abuse, USEF immediately contacted the FEI, and they quickly imposed a temporary suspension while they actively investigate the matter. T is was possible because FEI General Regula- tions Article 142 provides jurisdiction beyond competition environments. US Equestrian does not currently have such a rule in place at the national level. If passed, both GR 702 and GR 838, would allow USEF to further protect our equine partners and pursue disci- plinary action for reported and documented continued...


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www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | MARCH 2024 | 9


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