MEDIA ADVISORY: Lt. Governor Brown to Present Touch of Class Award to Champion Show Hunter and Rider; Lt. Governor will also present citation to founder of Days End Farm Horse Rescue

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will present the Maryland Horse Industry Board’s (MHIB) Touch of Class Award to a champion show horse and rider on Saturday during the 7^th annual Maryland Horse Council Barbecue at Dodon Farm Horse Training Center & Vineyard in Davidsonville.

The MHIB, a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture, presents the award monthly to recognize Maryland horses and people who achieve national and international success. On Saturday, the award will be presented to Ashley Foster, a 17 year-old college freshmen, and to Charade, a 12 year-old Warmblood gelding who trains at Rolling Acres Farm in Brookeville (Montgomery County). Lt. Governor Brown will also present a Secretary’s Citation to Kathy Schwartz-Howe, founder of Days End Farm Horse Rescue, who is retiring after 24 years as the organization’s executive director.

The September award ceremony kicks off the third year of Touch of Class presentations. In its first two years, MHIB has honored 48 people and 21 horses representing 20 different equine disciplines from 12 different Maryland counties. All are national and international champions.

Foster and Charade, trained by Foster’s aunt Mary Lisa Leffler, were Champions in the Large Junior Hunter division for riders ages 16-17 at the Washington International Horse Show, the Capital Challenge Horse Show, the National Horse Show, and placed first nationally in the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s 2012 Horse of the Year Grand Champion for Junior Hunters 16-17. This division attracts thousands of competitors at horse shows throughout the United States.

Who: Lt. Governor Anthony Brown to present the MHIB September Touch of Class Award to Ashley Foster, 17, and Charade, a 12 year-old Warmblood gelding, who train at Rolling Acres Farm in Montgomery County.

When: About 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14

Where: The Maryland Horse Council Barbecue, which will be held at Dodon Farm Horse Training Center & Vineyard, 440 Dodon Rd., Davidsonville, 21035. (Anne Arundel County)

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media representatives who intend to cover the Touch of Class presentation should RSVP to Vanessa Orlando at [email protected] or 410-841-5889 (office) or 443-370-9758 (cell); or to Ross Peddicord at [email protected] or 410-841-5798 (office) or 240-344-0000 (cell).

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