Maryland Horse Chase Contestants Traveled Thousands of Miles in Quest to Meet & Enjoy Maryland Horses

Anne Arundel Couple and Frederick County 9-Year-Old take top prizes

One of the stars of the Maryland Horse Chase was Skogen, an equine look-alike of a horse from the movie Frozen.

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Two married couples and one 9-year-old, accompanied by her parents, were among the 137 contestants who battled it out to the wire to win the Maryland Horse Chase, the first-of-its-kind, statewide, equine scavenger hunt sponsored by the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB), a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

The Chase, which ran April 6 – 26, helped launch MHIB’s new network of 35 Horse Discovery Centers in 15 Maryland counties. It also showcased and brought awareness to Maryland’s large and diverse horse industry. Competitors trotted all across Maryland, completing challenges at each location to earn points that were entered and geo-tracked on their cell phones. At stake, more than $10,000 worth of horse-related prizes and unforgettable experiences visiting some of Maryland’s most beautiful stables and getting to know their owners, trainers and handlers.

The top prize winners were Alexandra and Russ Robinson of Shady Side (Anne Arundel County) who traveled 1,463 miles and visited 33 of the 35 stables and equine businesses to amass 4,980 and 4,840 points, out of a possible 5,000. (Alexandra completed more bonus points to edge out her husband.)

“This is something we will talk about for some time,” said Alexandra. “This was our first time doing anything like this.” Her husband, Russ, purchased a new cell phone just for the competition.

Alexandra and Russ traversed the state together, out finishing 9-year-old Ella Jensen and her parents, Jeffrey and Stephanie Jensen of New Market (Frederick County). Ella, who her parents describe as “horse crazy,” visited 25 farms and accumulated 4,430 points. Her dad estimated that they drove 1,300 miles.

“I was very impressed with how friendly and welcoming all the farms were,” said Stephanie Jensen, Ella’s mother.”Although we already know a bit about horses, we still learned new things. We loved seeing different parts of Maryland.”

Regina and James Keadle, newcomers to the state who reside in Avenue (St. Mary’s County), finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with 4,240 and 4,120 points.

“This adventure was fantastic and offered my wife and I a chance to tour Maryland since we just moved here in March,” said Keadle. “My wife is the one who loves horses and I am just learning to remain calm around them.” Keadle added that they met “a very special group of highly intelligent individuals who have a huge heart for animals.”

Among the favorite challenges were finding the type of horse that appeared in the movie Frozen (a Norwegian Fjord horse named Skogen at Worthmore Equestrian Center in Kent County), body painting a pony named Corey (at Dun Pikin Farm in Anne Arundel County), and seeing the Thoroughbred and Standardbred foals at Shamrock (Carroll County) and Winbak Farms (Cecil County).

For their prizes, the Robinsons selected a carriage driving lesson with Dr. Mike Odian, President of the Maryland Draft Horse and Mule Association, and an overnight stay at the Rolling Hills Ranch Bed and Breakfast in Port Deposit.

Ella chose a week’s free tuition to attend summer riding camp at Full Moon Farm in Finksburg. The Keadles chose an overnight stay at the Lighthouse Club Hotel in Ocean City, owned by horseman John Fager; and a package of four tickets to Medieval Times at Arundel Mills Mall.

MHIB is continuing to contact all the contestants, learn about their experiences and have them choose from the array of prizes.

“We will list all the prize winners, their comments about the Chase and their prize selections on our website when it is complete,” said MHIB Executive Director Ross Peddicord. “It will take some time to do this, but we want to savor this experience and make sure everyone who competed ends up with a prize that they enjoy.”

MHIB Chair Jim Steele added his thanks to all the contestants, sponsors, farms and businesses that participated. He also gave special thanks to Chase Coordinator Tara Guevara and MHIB Advisory Board Member Hope Birsh, who conceived the idea for the contest.

For more information, contact Ross Peddicord at ross.peddicord@maryland.gov or 410-841-5798.

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