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Pennsylvania Equestrian Honored for Editorial Excellence
Pennsylvania Equestrian received three national awards for editorial excellence at the American Horse Publications (AHP) Annual Awards Program held in New Orleans, LA on June 27.
More than a hundred AHP members participated in the contest for content published in 2008, and 61 were named as finalists. The contest drew 816 entries, which were judged by 25 professional judges who placed the classes and provided constructive critiques for all entries. Since its inception in 1974, AHP has recognized excellence in editorial content and graphic design.
Pennsylvania Equestrian received the following awards for editorial excellence:
● First Place of 28 entries in the News Reporting: Related Feature Story (Print) category for “New Bolton Researcher Cures $17 Million Stallion’s Reluctance to Breed." The article, written by Pennsylvania Equestrian founder, editor and publisher Stephanie Shertzer Lawson, was published in the July 2008 issue.
● Second Place of nine entries in the News Reporting: News Breaking Story (Print) category for “Turning for Home: PTHA Founds a Thoroughbred Horse Rescue with Teeth.” The article appeared in the September, 2008 issue of Pennsylvania Equestrian and was written by contributor Suzanne Bush of Gwynedd Valley, PA.
● Honorable Mention of 28 entries in the Personality Profile, Circulation 10,000 to 20,000 category for “Equine Vet Propels Fair Hill’s Excellence.” Contributor Terry Conway, Wilmington, DE, wrote the article which appeared in the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Pennsylvania Equestrian.
Pennsylvania Equestrian was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in downtown Lancaster, PA. It is published in newspaper format eleven times a year, with a circulation of 10,000 to 23,000 copies depending on the issue. Its parent company, Shertzer/Lawson Marketing and Publishing, also provides public relations and marketing services to regional and national equestrian events, including The Laurels at Landhope International Combined Driving Event and Horse World Expo. For more information visit www.pennsylvaniaequestrian.com or phone (717) 509-9800.
Locally Produced, Star-Studded New Film is the Ultimate Breed Promotion
Sue Rathbone with Kris Kristofferson and Odd Job Bob on location in Georgia
December 2009 By Stephanie Lawson
Most horse owners who want to promote their favorite breed will take their horse to an expo, arrange a demonstration at a horse show, or ride in a parade.
Not Sue Rathbone and Ed Fitts of El Brio Vanners in Chester County, PA. Novices in the film world, their idea of breed promotion is to produce a major independent, star studded, destined-for-theatres, full length movie.
Sue, a lifelong horsewoman, and Ed Fitts own a 200 acre ranch where they breed and sell Gypsy Vanner horses. They put all the pieces in place for a family-oriented comedy, TheGreening of Whitney Brown, which was shot in Georgia for over a month, finishing in mid-November. The stars include Brooke Shields, Kris Kristofferson, Aidan Quinn, Sammi Hanratty and Odd Job Bob, the family’s teenaged Gypsy Vanner gelding.
A videographer who had included their ranch in part of a video promoting the Gypsy Vanner breed approached the couple about financing a screenplay. “We didn’t know anything (about the film business) so we hired producers, who made us realize the screenplay wasn’t right for a theatrical production,” Rathbone said. Instead of using the original screenplay, they hired Gail Gilchrist, screenwriter for the family film My Dog Skip, to write a new one. “She spent a lot of time at our place. Our requirements for the film were that no one dies, life lessons would be learned, and everyone would live happily ever after. And that it be a non-animated kids’ movie.
“We wanted to promote the Gypsy Vanner breed, and the film is an investment for us. We also wanted to produce something that we felt was missing – a non-animated kids’ movie that taught some life lessons and both kids and parents could also enjoy.”
“Bright Hunting Morn” Pays Tribute To Legendary Radnor Hunt
December 2009 By Terry Conway
Andre the Giant strides through the open barn doors, his footfalls almost silent on the peat floor. One of Collin McNeil’s hunters, Andre is a Belgian-Clydesdale cross that stands 18-hands tall. McNeill has recently returned to his Chester Springs home from an early morning “cubbing” session that teaches puppies to hunt with the pack of foxhounds of the famed Radnor Hunt.
When McNeil purchased this glorious farm six years ago he converted the farm’s machine shed into a small barn. Adjacent to it is the main barn, a cozy home for McNeil and his wife Nia’s classy horses and two ponies. Sir Galahad, a purebred Irish draft horse and the star of the barn, and a few others graze contentedly in pastures that stretch up a nearby hill.
Inside the comfortable fieldstone home we sit in an expansive living room decorated in a splendid foxhunting theme. A dozen exquisite prints cover the center walls, while propped up on a corner mahogany table sits a collection of 20 copper hunting horns in all sizes and shapes. Nearby there is a jumble of old fashion pillboxes, thimbles and snuffboxes. A pair of stuffed foxes peers contently out the room’s windows bathed in the light of the morning sun.
A large oil painting dominates a far wall. It is an image of McNeil’s wife Nia’s champion show jumper Flying Dutchman. In early 2007 Nia suffered a broken back at the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) and a broken ankle at Lake Placid (N.Y.). After extensive rehabilitation and time off from riding, Nia and Flying Dutchman returned to competition in October at the Washington International, where the duo took home the top prize in the $10,000 WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Championship.
Collin McNeil has been a devoted member of the Radnor Hunt for the past decade that followed a 24- year stint with the Pickering Hunt in Chester Springs, Pa. He is the son of Robert. L. McNeil who began his career as research chemist in 1936, ultimately serving as chairman of the board of McNeil Laboratories.
Collin’s professional career included a six-year stint as a reporter/anchor at WPVI-TV6 in Philadelphia and for most of the last decade, McNeil’s love of history has served him well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1824 in Philadelphia, the Historical Society is home to some 600,000 printed items and more than 19 million manuscript and graphic items. McNeil spearheaded a recent decision to digitize their vast holdings.
Next Level Horsemanship Proves Effective in Extreme Mustang Makeover
Brooke Myers, age 9, was reserve youth champion with her yearling Mustang, Jacuzzi
December 2009 By Christine Stewart
A group of Port Matilda women are changing the perception of wild Mustangs, proving that while horses can be tamed, their free spirits can remain unbroken.
What began as a government effort through the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to control wild horse populations out West has turned into a national movement called Extreme Mustang Makeover. The ultimate goal of the program is to make Mustangs more adoptable by those unable to gentle them.
Equestrians apply to participate; those accepted are given a horse to train for 100 days before participating in a four-phase competition that shows their training and skills. Afterward, there is an auction where spectators and trainers can purchase the newly tamed mounts.
Suzanne Myers, a faculty member at Penn State who also runs a training and boarding facility, participated in the first ever Mustang Challenge in January, 2008. She and her mount, a Mustang named Jazz, competed and won the event held in Madison, Wisc. Her involvement with the program came at the suggestion of a friend.
“A friend of mine saw the competition online. He knew we were trying to get involved in something different, for fun, and were looking for a program to validate our training program. When he ran across this, we thought ‘wouldn’t this be the perfect thing?’” Myers said.
The training program at Myers Stables, called Next Level Horsemanship, is different than many, as the best interests and natural spirit of the animal are always first. The relationship and level of trust between horse and trainer is of the utmost importance.
“I always say that our program allows us to bring out the best in partnership and performance. Everyone wants effective training methods, but what’s different about us is that we take the time to accomplish our goals in training without blowing the horse’s mind,” she explained. “We do things in a way that really builds the relationship and keeps that spirit alive. When they leave our facility, those horses are still happy.”
There are people who can look at a horse standing in a field and see nothing but a horse standing in a field. Others look at that same horse and see a way of life. For many reasons, a horse is never just a horse to people who own horses, ride them and love them. There’s not exactly a chasm separating these two camps. It’s more like a point of view. Or maybe a thousand points of view. Because horses fill so many niches, from hobbies, to companions, avocations and obsessions.
This is not a new development. Throughout history, the horse has been a central feature of human progress. More than 30,000 years ago humans used colored stones and paints to create pictures of horses in caves. Some philosophers and historians trying to divine the meaning of the horse drawings conclude that the animals depicted on cave walls were shamans’ attempts to channel magical forces into the daily grind of hunting for the next meal.
The little kid on her first pony ride is unaware of how horse and man have been linked for millennia. But she does know that something magical is happening. The gravitational pull horses exert on children is indisputable, and it only grows stronger as children grow into adults and their understanding and appreciation of horses deepens. Bill and Sharon Stoner witnessed the dawn of what they hope to be a lifelong attachment to equines, when they introduced their grandchildren, Cody and Devan to a bunch of rambunctious minis.
“We’ve pretty much always been involved with horses,” Bill Stoner says. “It got to the point where I couldn’t do a whole lot of riding anymore, and we did not want to get out of horses completely.” Stoner and his wife live on a small farm near State College. For years they had kept and shown Quarter Horses. They gave up most of their horses about five years ago, but didn’t give up the idea of horses. “I wanted to keep in the horse business. First thing you know, we end up with seven minis. We kept two of the larger horses, a paint and a Quarter Horse mare,” he says. “We have them here, just to have them.”
Purses Decrease Under New State Budget, But Breeding Skyrockets
December 2009 By Terry Conway
The goose that laid the golden egg has gotten goosed.
Less than three years into slot machine gambling at the state’s racetracks, Pennsylvania lawmakers are using part of the horseracing industry's windfall to help close a $3.2 billion deficit.
When Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law a budget for Pennsylvania in October, the legislation whacked the share of revenue horse racing gets from slot machines by about 17% over four years. The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PBHA) reported that reduction in slots revenue means purses will be trimmed from 12 percent to 10 percent of gross gaming revenue under the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. The PHBA projected the thoroughbred breeding fund will lose about $2.7 million a year for four years.
Horsemen fear there could be a reduction in racing dates and cuts in stakes purses.
"We are going to have to make some difficult choices and cuts to make up that cut in funding," said Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen Association (PTHA) executive director Mike Ballezzi. PTHA is a statewide organization representing owners and trainers at Philadelphia Park Racetrack in Bensalem, Pa..
"Purse cuts and breeders award reductions will slow or stop the growth in Pennsylvania racing and breeding by eliminating the major incentives for horsemen to race in our state or for breeders to bring their mares to the state.”
There also could be 17%-20% cuts in benefits for horsemen’s pension and health-care plans at Philadelphia Park, according to Ballezzi. On the racing side, he said the purse for the grade II Pennsylvania Derby could plummet from $1 million to $250,000, and the $750,000 Cotillion Stakes (gr. II) could be dropped from the schedule.
“Let’s face it our industry is an easy target,” he said. “It’s such a short sighted plan of action by the state legislature. There has been tremendous growth in the purchases of horse farms in the state and buying PA-breds at auction, and now we could see it dissipate.”
Shortage of Veterinarians Alarms Federal, State Officials
December 2009 By Suzanne Bush
A recent report by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) highlighted a critical gap in our nation’s defense: a shortage of veterinarians. While most people understand the crucial roles veterinarians play in the health of dogs, cats, hamsters and horses, the scope of veterinary science is much broader than that. Not every American owns a pet, but every American eats, and therefore has a stake in the safety of our nation’s food supply.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians are pivotal to the protection of livestock and poultry, through diagnosis and control of the diseases that affect them. Additionally, through inspections at slaughter plants in the U.S. and abroad, they prevent diseased animals from slipping into the food supply.Veterinarians are central in the research aimed at solving potentially catastrophic agricultural problems such as avian influenza. They, and the animals on our farms—the sentinels that alert veterinarians to diseases—form the first line of defense against food-borne diseases, regardless of origin.
Veterinarians are also involved in programs in the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior. In short, veterinarians protect humans as well as animals. From farms, to our nation’s forests, rivers and streams, veterinarians are engaged in identifying, and preventing the spread of diseases that affect animals and that can spread from animals to humans.
For ten years, from 1993 to 2003, the Horse Farms Open House was a popular springtime tradition for thousands of horse lovers. The event allowed the public to visit horse farms in their area to learn more about lessons, training, boarding, horses for sale, and all that is involved in horse ownership and care.
The event spawned Pennsylvania Equestrian – the first eight page issue, with hand-drawn maps and type pasted into columns, was printed to promote the participating farms and provide directions for visitors. The Open House each year drew thousands of people to stables, which added to their rosters of training clients, students and boarders, sold horses from foals to seasoned campaigners, and realized immediate income by charging for pony rides and introductory mini lessons, renting space to vendors, and more. At many stables youth groups raised money by selling refreshments or coordinating a tack sale. And many current horse owners got involved with horses through an Open House visit.
Fifteen years later, technology has made the process of promoting the participating stables a whole different ballgame. No longer do we need to print maps and long descriptions of how to find the stables – now there are mapquest.com and GPS. We don’t have to spend the weekend answering the phone and trying to guide lost visitors – all the information they need can be listed on our web site, www.pennsylvaniaequestrian.com, which they can access from a mobile phone. (Hard sometimes to believe so much has changed in so short a time!)
So we’re resurrecting the Horse Farms Open House. The event will be held the weekend of April 24 and 25. Stables will welcome visitors Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.
The 75th running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races, Sun., Nov. 1 in Unionville, was more notable for the number of horses that did not finish than for the victory by Paddy Young on Magelen O. Bryant’s Erin Go Bragh. Out of the eight horses that started the race, just three were in the pack by the time they had jumped twenty of the 22 timber fences on the four mile course, and Erin Go Bragh was the only one to make it to the finish line.
Heavy rains in the days before the races made for slow going, but the course was not sloppy. There were rider falls early on by George Hundt on Music To My Ears, Russell Haynes on Shady Valley and Will Haynes on Won Wild Bird. As the race wore on, Carl Rafter on Inca Magic and James Slater on Twill Do pulled up as three horses distanced themselves from the others. Irish Prince, Patriot’s Path and Erin Go Bragh ran together, keeping to an easy pace, but by the time they made it to the final fences the horses were tiring.
Jody Petty had led much of the race with Augustin Stables’ Irish Prince, but fell at the next to last fence. Darren Nagle on Irvin Naylor’s Patriot’s Path and Erin Go Bragh were close together when Patriot's Path tumbled over the final jump, going head first into the ground, throwing Nagle clear.
Erin Go Bragh cantered on to the wire alone, finishing in a time of 10:01:4/5, the second slowest time in race records.
While everyone waited for the results to be declared official, the crowd focused their attention on Patriot's Path, who lay where he had fallen, and was quickly blocked from the spectators’ view by a screen while the equine ambulance pulled up. After some time had passed, Patriot's Path got up and was able to walk off the course to the cheers of the race fans lining the stretch.
“Patriot’s Path either tried for a big one and slipped or put in a short one but he flipped and fell head first over the jump,” owner Irv Naylor said. “They thought his neck was broken, and someone was sitting on his head. After some time he threw the guy in the air, jumped up and he seems to be fine. The only injury was a hematoma on left knee. He’s retired for the year, out in his pasture eating grass.” Patriot’s Path topped the NSA timber horse of the year standings and Naylor stands at the top of the owner, money won – timber standings for 2009.
