NEWS &VIEWS You Can Use The 437th Session of the Maryland General Assembly is in full swing!


Also known as the “Legislative Session,” these 90 days are an intense roller coaster of parliamentary drama. It is not uncommon for 2,000-3,000 bills to


be fi led each session, and every single one of them receives at least one hearing before the session adjourns in April. T e session convened on January 11, and the


fi rst month is usually pretty low-key – think of “back to school” week for adults. Lots of meets and greets, not too much action in the hearings. By mid-February, the window for introducing bills through standard procedures closed. Bills can still be introduced, but the process is more cumbersome and a hearing is no longer guaran- teed. As of press, over 2,600 bills have been fi led. By the time you read this in March, it will most likely be crazy, with things moving fast. Below are some of the bills in play which are being monitored by the Maryland Horse Coun- cil (which represents all horse organizations in Annapolis), and the status as of press. For up-to- date information, please visit equiery.com.


Animal Welfare, Neglect & Cruelty


SB 631/HB941 Animal Abuse Emergency Fund SYNOPSIS: Requiring specifi ed fi nes to be re-


Getting social with The Equiery!


Facebook (www.Facebook.com/T eEquiery) T is month on Facebook proved a great reminder of how fantasti-


cally diverse the Maryland horse industry is, and what an amazing com- munity of horse people in which we all live. Our popular posts vary from notices about lost horses, to exciting news about Triple Crown hopefuls, to memorials of beloved trainers and friends. We fi nished the month with 7,245 followers, which means that 73 of you are new to T e Equiery on Facebook since late January 2017. Welcome! T e Top Ten list goes like this: 1. T e Budweiser Clydesdales had the overwhelming win on Super Bowl Sunday. T ey might not have gotten their own tv commercial this year, but they got airtime on T e Equiery on Facebook, along with a wonderful story about Purina donating feed by horse and wagon, to an American horse rescue. T is post on 2/5 had a following of 37,600 fans and sits squarely in our top position! T is story came courtesy of Equiery adver- tiser Bowman’s Feed & Pet. 2. Not all news is good news, and sadly on 2/21, we reported the death of Maryland trainer and eventer Javier Corradini. As of press time, this post had a following of 13,000. 3. A photo shared from Chronicle of the Horse Facebook page on 2/6 of Savannah Fulton struggling to stay on her horse, and succeeding, at the Wellington Eventing Showcase, drew a crowd of 4,600 followers. 4. In fourth place was another 2/21 post; this time a link to an Eastern Shore news article about public comment wanted for Worcester Coun-


ty’s plan for the Ilia Fehrer Nature Preserve. T is post had a following of 4,000 and climbing, at press time. 5. Our announcement of the release of the February issue, with cover stars Bailey Doloff and Wishlea Star Dasher, drew quite a crowd. T is 2/1 post had a following of 3,700. 6. A link to an article on Winter Laminitis, posted on 2/15, drew a fol- lowing of 3,200 interested readers. 7. With 2,900 followers was a 2/1 link to an Equiery Marketing eBlast, on behalf of the University of Maryland, who is searching for ponies for a pasture study. 8. A couple of yearling colts were feeling spring fever and escaped from their fi eld in Sparks on 2/19. We posted, you stepped into action, shared, and gained this post a following of 2,600 readers. 9. Another Equiery Event Marketing eBlast share, this one about the Foxhall Team Chase, had a following of 2,000 Equiery Facebook fans at press time, at currently sits in ninth place. T is crazy, warm weather must have Marylanders thinking about spring competition!! 10. Rounding out the Top Ten was a 2/8 post about Triple Crown hope- fuls from the Fair Hill Training Center, with a following of 1,900 fans. We are excited to follow their progress this spring!


Did You Know?


Did you know that if you purchase an Equiery Events/Product/Ser- vices eBlast, that it pushes to our Facebook page, as well? YES! T is


IF YOU HAVE NEWS, VIEWS OR UPDATES TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE SEND THEM TO Editor at The Equiery, P.O. Box 610, Lisbon, MD 21765 • FAX: 410-489-7828 • email editor@equiery.com.


Be sure to include your full name, phone number and address. All submissions become the property of The Equiery. 8 | THE EQUIERY | MARCH 2017 800-244-9580 | www.equiery.com


mitted to the Animal Abuse Emergency Com- pensation Fund; establishing the Animal Abuse Emergency Compensation Fund;


providing


for the uses, purposes, sources of funding, in- vestment of money, and auditing of the Fund; requiring the Executive Director of the Gover- nor’s Offi ce of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) to administer the Fund; providing that the Fund is a continuing, nonlapsing fund not subject to specifi ed provisions of law; etc. Comment: T e various county animal control divisions have long been seeking a mechanism by which they can pay for contracts with nonprofi ts to shelter and care for seized animals. While most local animal control facilities can handle small animals, they are generally not equipped to handle livestock.


SB 790/HB 455 Animal Cruelty Standards SYNOPSIS: Clarifying that a person who has charge or custody of an animal and who unnec- essarily fails to provide the animal with proper air, proper space, proper shelter, or proper pro- tection from the weather is guilty of violating a specifi ed prohibition against abuse or neglect


of an animal; and clarifying that a person who intentionally mutilates, intentionally tortures, intentionally cruelly beats, or intentionally cruelly kills an animal is guilty of violating a specifi ed prohibition against aggravated cruelty to animals. Comment: T is bill essentially cleans up and or-


ganizes the existing statutes so that when individ- uals are charged with misdemeanor or felony ne- glect or cruelty, the charges are more clearly defi ned.


Land Preservation


HB 155 MD Ag Land Preservation Founda- tion – Easement Termination SYNOPSIS: Making pre-2004 MALF ease- ments eligible for termination “only under ex- traordinary circumstances” as opposed to when profi table farming is no longer feasible. Comment: T is bill was requested by Governor


Hogan, and if passed, would help to maintain Sen. Clark’s original vision for MALPF, which was the fi rst state ag land preservation foundation in the country. Sen. Clark’s family has long been involved


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