MHIB Presents Touch of Class to National Champion Therapeutic Riding Mount

Glen Arm, MD (June 5, 2012) – A special delegation of the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) visited a Baltimore County equestrian school today to present its Touch of Class Award to Merlin, a national champion therapeutic riding mount, who has helped hundreds of special needs children and adults deal with emotional issues and traumas throughout his career.  The 32 year-old gelding, who is still in active use at the Rose of Sharon Equestrian School in Glen Arm (Baltimore County), was honored earlier this year as the American Morgan Horse Association’s “National Therapy Horse of the Year” at its annual awards program in Florida.

“It is a privilege to be here today with this gifted and caring horse who has quietly gone about his business of helping people and making a real difference in the lives of people in need, especially special needs children and adults,” said MHIB Chairman Jim Steele. “Merlin represents not only the very best of the equine species, he is truly a role model for all of us to emulate.”

Merlin is a former show horse who “retired” from his first career at age 18 and took up residence as a therapeutic riding mount at the Rose of Sharon School – the school’s first therapeutic horse.  His owner Joan Marie Twining, who is also the founder and executive director of Rose of Sharon, said the charismatic and gentle Merlin is still the lead horse in her stable.

“In the stable, there is something about Merlin’s presence that helps people in emotional distress bring their pain to the surface and release it in a wash of tears,” said Ms. Twining. “Dozens of people over the years have commented on how much better they feel after just spending time with him. I am humbled by his continued willingness to choose to do the work we are doing despite the predictable routine and the ravages of age. He’s a horse with special needs himself now, but he still takes himself and his work pretty seriously.”

Because Merlin no longer leaves the farm, a delegation from the MHIB went to Rose of Sharon to present the Touch of Class award to him and Ms. Twining in a special ceremony.

The MHIB conceived of the “Touch of Class Award” nearly a year ago to honor the many Maryland horses and people who achieve national and international prominence. The award celebrates the memory of “Touch of Class,” the gallant Maryland-bred mare who won two Olympic Gold Medals in Showing Jumping at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

Winners since its inception in include:

• Sept., 2011: Graham Motion, Kentucky Derby-winning trainer from Fair Hill
• Oct., 2011: Colleen Rutledge from Mt. Airy and her horse, Shiraz, third highest-placed Americans at the 2011 Four-Star Burghley Horse Trials in England
• Nov., 2011: John Crandell III from West River, and his Arabian horse, Heraldic, winner of two Silver Medals in Endurance Riding at the 2011 Pan American Games in Chile
• Dec., 2011: Tiffany McClure from Cheltenham and her horse Dink, World Champion Barrel Racers on the International Professional Rodeo Association circuit.
• Jan., 2012: Multiple National Champion Pony Hunter Sire Blue Rain, who stands at Springdale Pony Farm in Frederick, owners Allyson Coluccio and Lisa Gordon Carr.
• Feb., 2012: Thoroughbred racer, Rapid Redux, winner of U.S. record 22 straight races and Special Eclipse Award winner, owned by Robert Cole of Highland; and two champion Standardbred racers, Champion U.S. 3 year-old Pacer, Roll With Joe, from Joe Thomson’s Winbak Farm in Chesapeake City; and world record holder Googoo Gaagaa from the Richard Hans Farm in Westminster.
• March, 2012: National steeplechase champions, owner Irv Naylor, from Glyndon; trainer Tom Voss from Monkton; and Bon Caddo, timber horse champion from Glyndon, owned by Merriefield Farm and trained by Dawn Williams.
• April, 2012: National Arabian racing champions Golden Odyssey and Dixies Valentine from Sharon Clark’s Rigbie Farm in Darlington.
• May, 2012: Merlin, the American Morgan Horse Association’s “National Therapy Horse of the Year” from Joan Twining’s Rose of Sharon Equestrian School in Glen Arm.

Touch of Class recipients so far include 15 people and 11 horses, all national or international champions, from eight different Maryland counties (Cecil, Howard, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore and Harford counties) who are involved in nine varieties of horse sports — Thoroughbred racing, 3-Day Eventing, Endurance Riding, Western barrel racing, show hunters, Standardbred racing, steeplechasing, Arabian horse racing and therapeutic riding.

The non-profit Rose of Sharon Equestrian School (ROSES), founded in 1998, offers therapeutic horsemanship programs for people with disabilities, volunteer openings for retirees and others, internship and research opportunities for college students, service learning hours for middle and high school students, and remediation classes for students academically at risk, as well as workshops and projects for Scouts. For more information about ROSES, see www.roseofsharonschool.org.