{"id":28548,"date":"2024-10-03T03:12:29","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T07:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=28548"},"modified":"2024-10-04T15:16:40","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T19:16:40","slug":"governor-wes-moore-proclaims-october-as-maryland-horse-month-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2024\/10\/03\/governor-wes-moore-proclaims-october-as-maryland-horse-month-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Wes Moore Proclaims October as \u2018Maryland Horse Month\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 4, 2024)<\/strong>\u2014Governor Wes Moore<\/strong>\u00a0has once again\u00a0proclaimed<\/a>\u00a0October\u00a0<\/strong>as\u00a0Maryland Horse Month<\/strong>\u00a0in celebration of the Maryland horse industry. The month-long celebration will showcase the many ways the State is enriched by it, from the economic benefits to the recreational and therapeutic benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In celebration of Maryland Horse Month, the\u00a0Maryland Horse Industry Board<\/strong>\u00a0and its industry partners are highlighting the many statewide attractions, events, activities, trails, exhibits, and experiences that have an equestrian connection. These events include the\u00a0Maryland 5-Star at Fair Hill<\/a>, a major international equestrian event that will draw competitors from across the U.S. and abroad, which takes place October 17 through 20 in Elkton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other major Maryland horse events include the\u00a0Capital Challenge Horse Show<\/strong><\/a>, which is one of the largest horse shows in the country, at the\u00a0Prince George\u2019s Equestrian Center<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Upper Marlboro<\/strong>\u00a0now running through October 6; the\u00a0<\/strong>Jim McKay Maryland Million<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0horse race at\u00a0Laurel Park Racetrack<\/strong>\u00a0on October 12; and the\u00a0Washington International Horse Show<\/a><\/strong>, also at Prince George\u2019s Equestrian Center, October 21-27.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In between these major events are championship finals in jousting – the official state sport since 1962 – on October 5 and October 12, as well as the\u00a0Tuckahoe Equestrian Center\u2019s Celebration<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>of the Horse on October 5. The state\u2019s\u00a042 Horse Discovery Centers,\u00a0<\/a>individual farm owners and equine organizations will also host All Breed exhibitions, rodeos, and numerous other events.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaryland\u2019s thriving industry is a crucial part of Maryland agriculture,\u201d said\u00a0Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks<\/strong>. \u201cI encourage all Marylanders to experience one horse related event during the month of October!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Horse enthusiasts can also visit the new\u00a0Maryland Horse Library and Education Center\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>on Historic Main Street in\u00a0Reisterstown<\/strong>. This month marks the second anniversary of the center, which serves as an information hub for the industry and includes a fine collection of sporting books, a memorabilia area, meeting space, interactive kiosks and rotating exhibits.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This is our fourth October Horse Month celebration, it seems to grow every year,” said\u00a0Ross Peddicord, Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board<\/strong>. “This year we’ve published a guide and map of 22 trail riding stables from the mountains to the ocean where the general public can rent a horse and go on a guided trail ride. There are also self-guided driving tours of over 150 equestrian-themed sites on the\u00a0visitmaryland.org<\/a>\u00a0website where folks can visit and interact with horses.”<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/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 Maryland Horse Month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaryland is home to world-class destinations such as Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park among major equestrian events that draw thousands of visitors to the state,” said\u00a0Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director of the Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism and Film<\/strong>. “Drive along the Horses & Hounds Scenic Byway to explore our beautiful countryside also famous for producing Thoroughbreds that have raced on major tracks across America.\u201d<\/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, #CapitalChallenge, #MDMillion and #WIHS2023 #FEIWorldCup #TimeTo Beat.<\/span><\/p>\n

For additional travel information, please visit\u00a0marylandhorse.com\/maryland-horse-month<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0visitmaryland.org<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

About the Maryland Horse Industry Board<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/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.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Maryland Office of Tourism is an agency within the Maryland Department of Commerce.
\nVisitors to the state spent $20.5 billion on travel-related expenses in 2023. The Maryland
\ntourism industry also generated $2.4 billion in state and local taxes, essentially saving each
\nMaryland household $1,027 in state and local taxes, and providing 190,660 jobs. For more
\ninformation, go to\u00a0www.visitmaryland.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 4, 2024)\u2014Governor Wes Moore\u00a0has once again\u00a0proclaimed\u00a0October\u00a0as\u00a0Maryland Horse Month\u00a0in celebration of the Maryland horse industry. The month-long celebration will showcase the many ways the State is enriched by it, from the economic benefits to the recreational and therapeutic benefits.\u00a0 In celebration of Maryland Horse Month, the\u00a0Maryland Horse Industry Board\u00a0and its industry partners are  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"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-28548","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\/28548","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\/222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28548"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28553,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28548\/revisions\/28553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}