Maryland Horse History Trail Receives Tourism Award

Horse History Trails Team (from left): Ellen Moyer, Angela Reynolds, Ross Peddicord and Margaret Worrall

ANNAPOLIS, MD  – The state’s first horse history trail, established and sponsored by the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB), a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture, received the “Best Product or Event” Award of 2014 at the annual Mary

land Tourism and Travel Summit last week in Ocean City. The horse history trail won in the category of best small project costing $5,000 or less.

The idea for establishing a horse history trail was conceived by the MHIB’s Horse History Committee to showcase Maryland’s proud equine heritage that spans nearly 400 years and to inventory the historic equine sites around the state. The trail was originally envisioned to be statewide, but there are so many sites, MHIB decided to establish several trails in various counties or regions. This first trail that won the award is called “Horses At The Beach” and showcases 11 historic equine sites in Worcester and lower Wicomico counties.

The “Horses at The Beach” project was spearheaded by Angela Reynolds, a member of MHIB’s Horse History Committee and long active in the Ocean City-Berlin tourism industry. Ellen Moyer of Annapolis and Margaret Worrall of Cambridge, both equestrian historians, helped Reynolds with the project. All three were honored at the awards banquet last week.

“The history of horses in Maryland mirrors the history of the state,” said Jim Steele, MHIB chair. “We greatly appreciate this award and particularly the efforts of Angela Reynolds and her team.”

MHIB contributed $3,800 to establish a website (www.MDHistoricHorseTrails.com), accompanying brochure and display materials for the trail. Other partners offering support and ideas were the Worcester County Office of Tourism, the Town of Berlin and the Maryland Historical Society.

This first trail serves as a template for other similar trails currently being developed, including one in Southern Maryland, the Annapolis area, Baltimore City, and the Preakness Trail. It is the second year that a product conceived and established at MDA received this award. The winner last year was MDA’s “Ice Cream Trail.”

Winners in the larger divisions were the Delmarva Chicken Festival and the City of Frederick’s War of 1812 Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Celebration.

For further information concerning the Horse History Trail, contact MHIB Executive Director Ross Peddicord at 410-841-5798 or ross.peddicord@maryland.gov.

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