Equine

HAVRE DE GRACE -- As a man who's spent a good part of his life on the fringes of the Maryland race-horse business, and who still makes a few dollars out of it in a good year, I really have to hand it to the Maryland legislature -- and then hope the legislature will hand some back to me.The legislature, like that mysterious fellow on the backstretch who always seems to be dodging around the corner while carrying a hypodermic needle, is preparing to perform...

Priscilla Fuller Menzies, an equine painter whose subjects included the fabled thoroughbreds Native Dancer and Secretariat, died of complications from a stroke Aug. 24 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The former Butler resident was 94. Born in Baltimore and raised in Pikesville and Upperco, she was the daughter of Perry Wade Fuller, a stamp and coin dealer, and Anita Sherwood Fuller, a sports enthusiast. She was a 1938 graduate of Garrison Forest School. She earned a bachelor's degree at what is now the Maryland Institute College of Art and studied with Jacques Maroger, a French-born painter who explored the own paint medium using old techniques and had been on the staff of the Louvre.

Looking for a horse-themed gift? Maybe want to learn more about equine law and liability? Perhaps looking for some horse-riding techniques? Or just interested in seeing a parade of breeds? You'll find it all at the Horse World Expo at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium today through Sunday. The ninth annual expo features horse demonstrations and lectures, more than 100 seminars, exhibits, clinics and plenty of shopping at some 490 vendor booths. "It's a great family event," says Denise Parsons, president of Equestrian Promotions, the company producing the event.

For longer than the U.S. has been a nation, Marylanders have been horse people. George Washington raced thoroughbred horses in Annapolis in the 1750s, 100 years after the animals were first introduced to the area. A statue of Casimir Pulaski, a Polish soldier who assisted in the founding of the American cavalry during the Revolutionary War, stands in Patterson Park. The Preakness Stakes has been run since 1875. In the 1900s, lifeguards patrolled the shores of Ocean City on horseback, looking for shipwrecks and lost swimmers.

Monty Roberts, better known as The Man Who Listens to Horses, has a simple philosophy about his fascination and famous rapport with the equine species."

Eleven-year-old Caitlin Ray may not know everything about horses, but she knows about the love many people have for them. "Having a horse teaches you to be responsible," she said yesterday, while attending the eighth annual Horse World Expo in Timonium. "You can love them, and they will love you back." Hundreds of people were lured by love and interest in all things equine as the four-day event concluded at the state fairgrounds. "It's all horse people," said Brenda Herzog, a former competition rider who has worked on the expo staff every year and owns a farm in Upperco.

THE QUESTION: How many horses are there in Howard County? The 2002 Maryland equine census found 5,190 horses, ponies, donkeys, mules and burros in Howard County. According to the survey, which was coordinated by the Maryland Horse Industry Board, Howard has the most equine animals per square mile of any county in Maryland. In the county, 11,200 acres are being used to breed, raise, board and ride horses.

Equine conference to be held Nov. 19 University of Maryland Cooperative Extension will sponsor its first conference on horses from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at Carroll Community College, 1601 Washington Road, Westminster. Keynote speaker Temple Grandin will discuss equine behavior and welfare at 1:30 p.m. The event will include vendor displays and workshop sessions. Topics will include pastures, health care, financial assistance for conservation, horse farm safety, equine nutrition, liability issues, hay quality and selection, feeding and care of the older horse, and writing a business plan for your farm.

The Maryland Hay Bank, an operation of the Mount Airy-based Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, was among 15 organizations awarded a piece of $21,000 in grants this week from the Maryland Horse Industry Board. The Maryland Hay Bank assists private horse owners who are experiencing a financial hardship or a personal crisis with free hay for their horses for 30 days, up to a maximum of 100 total bales. The Maryland Hay Bank is donation driven, and hay is provided at no cost to recipients.

Horse books were important to me as a child. When I headed off to school, I stocked up on books that would keep alive my love for my horses.One of the books that was most important to me as a child, though, wasn't about horses at all -- it was about words.In this book, a kingdom of little creatures was about to meet its doom. They could be saved only by finding two words that meant exactly the same thing.The little creatures brought many pairs of words to their king, who patiently explained the nuances that distinguished them.

Marilyn Little grew up with horses. "Horses were my playmates in the afternoon," said the Frederick native. "I was really lucky to have that. … It's served me well. " As a competitor on the international equestrian scene, Little is making the most of her experience. She's compiled a formidable resume: first-place Grand Prix finishes, a European tour as the youngest rider to represent the U.S. Equestrian Team and appearances at competitions around the world. The latest addition is a second-place finish for Little, 32, and RF Demeter, a 12-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Raylyn Farms and Team Demeter, at The Fork International Horse Trials CIC3*, a three-day event in Norwood, N.C., last weekend.

A case of Eastern equine encephalitis was confirmed in Worcester County, state health officials said Friday. The disease is rare in humans, but officials with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene used the incident to warn residents to take precautions to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. The last confirmed human case in Maryland was in 1989 and the last confirmed case in a horse was in 2009. The horse in Worcester County had not been vaccinated, officials said.

Stable Options LLC will be hosting a part-one certification training in the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association Model of EAP and EAL at Hunting Ground Farm, 2002 Whiteford Road, Whiteford, from Oct. 10 to 12. Stable Options is owned by Michelle Sayre, LCSW-C and EAGALA certified mental health provider. Equine assisted psychotherapy (EAP ) is a growing experiential modality which incorporates horses for emotional growth and learning. Each session is a collaborative effort facilitated by a mental health professional and equine specialist.

Deputy Cpl. Charles B. Licato, a 14-year veteran of the sheriff's office was killed in a single vehicle accident near Darlington. Black bunting adorned the three Harford County Sheriff's Office buildings in Bel Air, Edgewood and Jarrettsville. Harford County Executive David Craig ordered that all Harford County flags be flown at half-staff in honor of Cpl Licato until sunset the day of this funeral. Cpl. Licato is the third member of the sheriff"s office to be killed in the line of duty in the history of the Sheriff's Office.

Kentucky has the Derby. Maryland, of course, is home to the Preakness Stakes. And Pennsylvania boasts the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, an annual celebration of all things equestrian that dates back well over a century. "It started as a one-day horse show in 1896," says Leonard A. King, Jr., 80, a longtime leader in the equestrian community who chairs the event. "We're now in the 116th year, and we'll go for 11 days. Over the years, we've had presidents, celebrities and visitors from across the country, and foreign countries, in attendance.

Larry Jones poured his heart into his hockey career as a young boy growing up in Alberta, Canada, skating on frozen parking lots for what seemed like days at a time. "My mom pretty much had to call 911 to get me away from the arena," he said from the barns at Pimlico, where he is helping care for Kentucky Derby winnerI'll Have Another. The end of Jones' hockey career helped him find what would be next. He played two years in the WHL, one of Canada's elite junior leagues, until a back injury slowed his development.

Did you ever sit on a hobbyhorse as a child and play cowboys and Indians? Did you read Misty of Chincoteague and dream of one day having a horse like that? Have you ever watched the Preakness and wondered how those horses run so fast? Chances are, at some point in your life, you've thought about horses in some way. Maybe you or someone you know owns one of the 87,000 horses, ponies, donkeys, mules or burros counted in Maryland in last November's equine census. Or maybe you're thinking of learning to ride a horse or buy one. Whatever your interest, from today through Sunday you have the chance to learn more than you can imagine about horses - riding them, buying them, training them, caring for them.

Mike Repole is the kind of guy who doesn't mind a little attention from the media, but he admitted Thursday he'd definitely prefer to be answering questions this week about how good it feels to have the Kentucky Derby favorite as opposed to questions about whether or not, his horse, Uncle Mo, will even run. Repole took questions from reporters for nearly 15 minutes outside trainer Todd Pletcher's barn Thursday morning, but we still don't know whether...

The Maryland Hay Bank, an operation of the Mount Airy-based Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, was among 15 organizations awarded a piece of $21,000 in grants this week from the Maryland Horse Industry Board. The Maryland Hay Bank assists private horse owners who are experiencing a financial hardship or a personal crisis with free hay for their horses for 30 days, up to a maximum of 100 total bales. The Maryland Hay Bank is donation driven, and hay is provided at no cost to recipients.

Mike Repole is the kind of guy who doesn't mind a little attention from the media, but he admitted Thursday he'd definitely prefer to be answering questions this week about how good it feels to have the Kentucky Derby favorite as opposed to questions about whether or not, his horse, Uncle Mo, will even run. Repole took questions from reporters for nearly 15 minutes outside trainer Todd Pletcher's barn Thursday morning, but we still don't know whether...