{"id":29779,"date":"2026-05-27T15:34:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=29779"},"modified":"2026-05-27T15:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:34:39","slug":"news-release-2026-maryland-horse-career-program-kicks-off-june-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2026\/05\/27\/news-release-2026-maryland-horse-career-program-kicks-off-june-1\/","title":{"rendered":"NEWS RELEASE: 2026 Maryland Horse Career Program Kicks Off June 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Program will connect emerging leaders with horse industry professionals<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 27, 2026)<\/strong>—The\u00a0Maryland Horse Foundation<\/a>, in partnership with the\u00a0Maryland Horse Industry Board<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0University of Maryland Equine Studies<\/a>, is proud to announce the six participants selected for the 2026\u00a0Maryland Horse Career Program<\/a>\u00a0(MHCP), taking place June 1-5, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

Launched in 2017 as the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program, the newly expanded MHCP is part of the\u00a0Howard & Sondra Bender Educational Series<\/a>, created to introduce emerging young professionals to the wide range of career opportunities available throughout Maryland\u2019s horse industry. Originally focused on the thoroughbred sector, the program now reflects the full breadth of Maryland\u2019s horse ecosystem, including racing, breeding, sport and competition, recreation, veterinary and farrier services, event management, aftercare and equine-assisted services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The highly competitive program brings together motivated individuals from diverse backgrounds for an immersive week of education, networking and hands-on industry experiences. Throughout the week, participants will visit equine operations and businesses across Maryland while engaging in group discussions, professional development sessions and networking opportunities with horse industry leaders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MHCP is designed to increase awareness of equine career pathways, provide workforce education and help address the industry\u2019s ongoing need to attract and retain dedicated professionals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Maryland Horse Career Program continues to provide an incredible opportunity for emerging leaders to experience firsthand the depth and diversity of Maryland\u2019s horse industry,\u201d said Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Foundation. \u201cFrom veterinary medicine and breeding to racing, recreation, education, welfare and business operations, participants gain valuable insight into the many pathways to a career available within this important agricultural and economic sector.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2026 participants were selected through a competitive application and interview process led by the University of Maryland. Throughout the process, applicants demonstrated exceptional passion, professionalism and a strong commitment to pursuing careers within the horse industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their interests reflect the wide diversity of Maryland\u2019s equine community and include agricultural management, equine studies, breeding, farrier work, riding instruction, sports communications and broadcasting, equine event management, equine welfare, equine business management, animal behavior and welfare, and horse health.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe level of curiosity, passion and professionalism shown by this year\u2019s applicants was truly impressive,\u201d said Anne Litz, executive director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board. \u201cThese participants represent the future of the horse industry, and we want them to see firsthand why Maryland is the place for them. Horses are a huge part of Maryland agriculture and partnership programs like this help cultivate the next generation of industry leaders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the week, participants will travel together as a cohort while learning about the interconnected sectors that make up Maryland\u2019s nationally recognized horse industry. Experiences will include exposure to racing, veterinary medicine, breeding and training operations, equine education, agribusiness, equestrian sport, event management, communications and equine welfare.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Graduates of the program remain eligible to apply for the Maryland Horse Foundation\u2019s\u00a0Work Experience Program<\/a>, a one-time financial award that supports additional training, certifications, education and career advancement opportunities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s horse industry contributes approximately $2.9 billion annually to the state\u2019s economy, supports more than 28,000 jobs and plays a significant role in agriculture, tourism, education, recreation and land preservation statewide.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about MHCP, contact Maryland Horse Foundation Executive Director Cricket Goodall at\u00a0cricket@marylandthoroughbred.com<\/a>\u00a0or Maryland Horse Industry Board Executive Director Anne Litz at\u00a0anne.litz@maryland.gov<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Maryland Horse Foundation<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Maryland Horse Foundation was chartered in 1988 by the\u00a0Maryland Horse Breeders Association<\/a>\u00a0to support the educational and charitable needs of Maryland\u2019s horse industry. The Foundation develops and funds statewide equine education programs and oversees the\u00a0Maryland Horse Library & Education Center<\/a>. The organization works collaboratively with industry partners to strengthen Maryland\u2019s equine ecosystem and inspire the next generation of horse industry professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

####<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Program will connect emerging leaders with horse industry professionals ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 27, 2026)—The\u00a0Maryland Horse Foundation, in partnership with the\u00a0Maryland Horse Industry Board\u00a0and\u00a0University of Maryland Equine Studies, is proud to announce the six participants selected for the 2026\u00a0Maryland Horse Career Program\u00a0(MHCP), taking place June 1-5, 2026. Launched in 2017 as the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program,  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"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":[403,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mda-newsroom","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\/29779","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\/251"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29779"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29780,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29779\/revisions\/29780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}