{"id":24696,"date":"2020-09-29T08:30:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T12:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=24696"},"modified":"2020-09-29T12:05:36","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T16:05:36","slug":"governor-hogan-proclaims-october-maryland-horse-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2020\/09\/29\/governor-hogan-proclaims-october-maryland-horse-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Hogan Proclaims October \u2018Maryland Horse Month\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Key equestrian events, including Preakness Stakes, taking place throughout the month<\/i><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 29, 2020) \u2013<\/b> Today Governor Larry Hogan proclaimed October as Maryland Horse Month, recognizing the abundant historic, recreational, therapeutic, and economic contributions made by the state\u2019s horse industry. Additionally, 2020 will be the first year that all of Maryland\u2019s premiere equestrian sporting events, including the Preakness Stakes, are held in the same month due to scheduling changes in response to COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaryland has historically led the nation in creating and growing innovative equestrian-related programs, from forming the first sporting organization in the colonies, the Maryland Jockey Club in 1743, to hosting the Maryland 5 Star, one of only seven events of this kind in the world,\u201d said Governor Hogan. \u201cMaryland Horse Month will showcase the depth and breadth of the industry\u2019s impact on our history, heritage, and culture.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

In support of the Governor\u2019s proclamation, the Maryland Horse Industry Board will lead a targeted marketing strategy to highlight state-wide attractions, events, activities, trails, exhibits, and experiences with an equestrian connection. The Maryland Horse Foundation\u2019s website,<\/span> MarylandHorse.com<\/span><\/a>, has been enhanced to host live streaming broadcasts, educational content, career exploration series, and behind the scenes videos with plans to expand the selection of activities and experiences in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike many of Maryland\u2019s other businesses in 2020, our industry has had to be nimble in unprecedented ways, including rescheduling major equestrian events,\u201d said Ross Peddicord, executive director of Horse Industry Board, a part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. \u201c<\/span>Preakness Stakes<\/span><\/a> will be run for the first time in its 145-year history in October instead of May, joining other key equestrian events to be held during the month including the<\/span> Jim McKay Maryland Million<\/span><\/a> race at Laurel and the<\/span> Maryland 5 Star<\/span><\/a> at Fair Hill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These events will be held without spectators, and individual event organizers will present robust virtual experiences to whet the appetite for the 2021 competitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Maryland Department of Commerce\u2019s Office of Tourism has joined the Horse Industry Board and the Board\u2019s many private-sector equestrian organizations to promote<\/span> Maryland Horse Month<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese major equestrian events typically bring in thousands of tourists, as do our world-class destinations such as Assateague Island National Seashore, home to several bands of wild horses,\u201d said Liz Fitzsimmons, managing director of the Maryland Office of Tourism. \u201cExpanding the general public\u2019s knowledge of Maryland\u2019s idyllic horse country, whether it be through driving the<\/span> Horses & Hounds Scenic Byway<\/span><\/a>, exploring regional historic<\/span> trails<\/span><\/a>, learning about an historic breeding<\/span> farm<\/span><\/a> established in the 1740s, or engaging in outdoor activities such as horseback riding, is what we do best. During this inaugural Maryland Horse Month, we will unveil three<\/span> Maryland Equestrian Travel Collections<\/span><\/a> on our VisitMaryland website.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The American Horse Council has ranked Maryland as #1 in the nation in horses per square mile. In addition to tourism attractions, there are 38 friendly and knowledgeable Maryland<\/span> Horse Discovery Centers<\/span><\/a> located in 18 counties that include licensed stables, therapeutic riding program providers, and state-of-the-art equestrian centers. All provide the perfect introduction to various segments of the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow Maryland Horse Month on social media and use #MDHorse, #MDHorseMonth, #VisitMaryland, and #MDinFocus when posting about your tour of Maryland\u2019s Equestrian Travel Collection. For the individual events, add #Maryland5Star, #Makeit5Star, #VirtualMD5Star, #MDMillion, #Preakness, #Preakness145, #BlackEyedSusan, and #JewelToRemember.<\/span><\/p>\n

For additional travel information go to<\/span> www.visitmaryland.org<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

To view a copy of the Maryland Horse Month proclamation, please click <\/span>here.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

###<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Maryland Horse Industry Board<\/b><\/p>\n

The Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) is a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Established in 1998, the MHIB helps develop and promote the state\u2019s horse industry. The MHIB also advises the Secretary of Agriculture on matters affecting the industry and serves as the licensing body for Maryland stables and horse facilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About Maryland Tourism<\/b><\/p>\n

The Maryland Office of Tourism is an agency within the Maryland Department of Commerce. Visitors to the state spent $18.6 billion on travel-related expenses in 2019. The Maryland tourism industry also generated $2.6 billion in state and local taxes essentially saving Maryland households $1,175 in annual taxes. The industry provided Marylanders with 150,000 jobs. For more information, go to www.visitmaryland.org<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Key equestrian events, including Preakness Stakes, taking place throughout the month ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 29, 2020) \u2013 Today Governor Larry Hogan proclaimed October as Maryland Horse Month, recognizing the abundant historic, recreational, therapeutic, and economic contributions made by the state\u2019s horse industry. Additionally, 2020 will be the first year that all of Maryland\u2019s premiere equestrian  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24696"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24700,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24696\/revisions\/24700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}