Latest News

Eventing Coaches Program on the Agenda at US Eventing’s 2024 Annual Meeting

Eventing

Did you know that US Eventing has a professional education program for coaches and trainers? It does — the US Eventing Coaches Program (ECP). Did you know that there are 12 ECP certified eventing coaches in Maryland? There are. You can see who they are under the USEA heading here. Did you know that the lack of credentials for many eventing coaches came up at the US Eventing Annual Meeting last week? It did. In stark contrast to our peer nations, the U.S. has no formal certification or licensing requirement for people who make a living with horses — except veterinarians at veterinary technicians. In the U.S., anyone can say they are a “trainer” or an “instructor” or a “coach,” whether they have the knowledge or ability to those jobs, and whether they are any good at those jobs. The result is too many instances of consumer confusion, unsafe riding, ...
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Weekend Winners — Dec. 7-8, 2024

Results

Two Maryland Sport Horses brought home wins over the first weekend in December, one in Dressage and one in Eventing. On Saturday, December 7, Timothy Kammerer’s Holsteiner mare Epona WEF (Quinar x Rania (R Saluut II)) won the Third Level Test 1 class at the Stable View Winter Wonderland Dressage competition in South Carolina. This was Epona’s third win at the Third Level, the previous two being at the Summer Solstice competition in South Carolina on June 15, and the Spring Fever competition, also in South Carolina, on Apr. 20. Kammerer owns Sparling Rock Farm in Barnesville. Also on Saturday, trainer Tim Keefe’s unraced Thoroughbred gelding Wonderful Courage (Bourbon Courage x Wonderful Secret (Stevie Wonderboy)) won the Junior Training Rider division at the Rocking Horse December Horse Trial in Florida. This was the gelding’s third outing at the Training level. His first was at the Ocala Festival of Eventing last ...
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Maryland-Breds Dominate Oldenburg Premium Mare Awards

Results

Lismore
Every year, the Oldenburg North American Registry awards Premium Mare status to the 6 highest scoring mares in each region. This year, Maryland-breds dominated the East Coast Premium Mare award list by taking 4 of the top 6 spots, including Reserve Champion. The horses are: Reserve Champion — Lismore (pictured above), a 2021 Oldenburg bred by Elizabeth Callahan (Cool Na Grena Sporthorses), by Levisonn out of Avalon (Fine Romance). #3 — Peyton HTF, a 2020 Dutch Warmblood mare bred by Hilltop Farm, Inc., by Kjento out of Raj Mahal HTF (Royal Prince). #4 — Grace Bay, a 2018 Westphalian mare, also bred by Elizabeth Callahan, by Grafenstolz out of Rehobeth (Riverman). #5 — Georgia HTF, a 2018 Hanoverian, also bred by Hilltop Farm, by George Clooney out of Unicum-D (Negro).  They are pictured below starting with Lismore at the top and the next three in order of placing from left ...
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Maryland-Bred OTTB Wins Training Level American Eventing Championship

Eventing

Ameristan
Maryland-bred Thoroughbred mare Ameristan took home the title in the Junior Training division at the American Eventing Championships in Kentucky yesterday!Ameristan is by Cosa Vera (KY) out of Seeking Allie (VA) (Seeking Daylight (KY)), and was foaled in Maryland on April 8, 2017. She was piloted with great enthusiasm by Tessa Geven of Cataula, Georgia. Geven has evented through the Training level with Ameristan as well as her Irish Sport Horse gelding Caheradoo Jack (Jack’s Delight x Caheradoo Echo (Clover Echo). She has also ridden up through Junior Intermediate with her imported Hanoverian dressage gelding Sir Frederico (Sandro HIT x Donnerfree (Don Frederico)). But it was her Maryland-bred mare that put her over the top this weekend. Congratulations ladies! — this post first appeared on the Maryland Horse Council’s website —
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Reproductive Health Alert: CEM Confirmed in 11 Domestic Ponies in Florida

Health Alerts

On May 23, 2024, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa confirmed a case of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in an 11-year-old domestic pony mare in Florida. CEM is a foreign animal disease that can affect fertility in horses and ponies. It is transmitted during live cover and artificial insemination, and it can also be transmitted through contaminated equipment and human hands. The U.S. eradicated the diseases in the contiguous 50 states in 2010. The last reported case in an American equine was in a Thoroughbred mare in Puerto Rico in 2013. The country had been considered CEM-free by the global veterinary community since then. Factual Summary This outbreak involves stallions, mares, and geldings; of all ages and breeds; on one farm in Central Florida. The 11-year-old mare had been bred by live cover on May 10th to a 3-year-old pony stallion. That pony stallion has since tested positive as well, along with ...
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