Industry Professional Members THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL
by Kimberly K. Egan, MHC President MEMBER NEWS
Every year, the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) gives grants to support horse businesses across the state. MHIB explained in its press release that it evaluated each application for its “value to the industry, degree of industry promotion, size and scope of activity, fi nancial need, potential for matching funds, benefi ts and overall quality of the written presentation.” Grants are capped at $3,000, and this year MHIB gave out a total of $31,000 in funds to 37 diff erent organizations. Seven of the 37 organizations that received grants are MHC Indus-
try Professional members. Indeed, the largest award ($2,000) went to an MHC member, and two of the four second largest awards ($1,500 each) also went to MHC IP members. with a third going to an Association member (Carroll County Equestrian Council). Four of the recipients are equine-assisted services programs that are MHC members. Here is the list of IP members who won a grant, along with a short description of the project MHIB funded.
Elizabeth Tate’s Common Ground
at Paradise Stables received the high- est award, $2,000, to fund a new TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survi- vors) program for veterans, active military, and fi rst responders. Common Ground is a 501(c)3) that Tate founded in 2023 to
house the equine-assisted learning program that had grown out of her successful boarding business in Mt. Airy.
Jennie Towner’s Saddle Up Scholars won a
$1,500 grant for therapy horse visits to nursing care facilities and educational programs. Towner founded this 501(c)(3) to provide individualized academic support services to young horse enthu- siasts in equestrian outreach programs “who are facing educational challenges due to systemic in-
equalities.” Saddle Up Scholars partners with T e Schuster Foundation, Work to Ride, Charm City Youth Polo, the Great Strides Equestrian Foundation, the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation’s BridgeUP/GiddyUP program, and the Ruth M. Kirk Center.
Horse Sport Maryland received $1,500 in start-up funding to build
the new Maryland Sport Horse registry. T e registry records fi ve-gener- ation pedigrees of Maryland-bred sport horses and sport ponies. Horses and ponies that are registered in the database will receive registration certifi cates and will also be eligible for discounted genetic testing for health and performance markers, as well as testing that identifi es closest breed group, calculates the inbreeding coeffi cient, and reports T orough- bred blood percentage and heterozygosity.
Chesapeake T erapeutic Riding re-
ceived $500 to support its annual Hoofi n’ It 5K fundraiser. Cathy Schmidt started Chesapeake T erapeutic Riding in 2003 to off er therapeutic riding services in and around Harford County. Her business has
grown dramatically since then and now off ers hippotherapy, corporate team building and leadership workshops, the youth bereavement pro- gram, Horses and Heroes program for veterans, and the Pony Express, which brings Buttons the pony to clients who are in inpatient health care facilities, or who are house-bound for health-related reasons.
Great and Small received $500 to
underwrite supplies for its First Fridays’ Open Barn events at its Rickman Farm Horse Park facility in Boyds. Great and Small provides an array of programs
and events for people of all ages who are living with a physical, develop- mental, emotional, or learning disability. T eir programs include thera- peutic and adaptive riding programs, a Summer Riding Club, equine-as- sisted learning programs, equine-facilitated psychotherapy services, and hippotherapy. T eir clients include veterans, military family members, school groups, and individuals.
Maryland T erapeutic Riding received $500 to help it expand its Life Skills Week program for special needs adults in Anne Arundel County and its environs. MTR is a mainstay of Mary- land’s robust equine-assisted services commu- nity -- it has been in operation since 1996 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. Some- what uniquely, It off ers occupational, physical,
and speech therapy programs in addition to its adaptive riding, equine- assisted psychotherapy, and veterans programs.
Rose of Sharon Equestrian School (ROSES) re- ceived $500 to expand its Silver STEEDS café pro- gram for seniors with memory loss. ROSES off ers its Silver STEEDS program in partnership with area continuing care facilities for dementia care. It is but one of ROSES’s several programs, which include equine facilitated learning activities on the ground or in the saddle, occupational therapy by licensed thera-
pists in the authentic farm environment, and opportunities for children and teens to earn scout badges.
continued...
mdhorsecouncil.org 44 | MARCH 2025 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
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