Dec 2007 - Remembering Jean King: Never Say
Never
by Stephanie Lawson
Jean King was an extraordinary woman.
The daughter of big band leader Fred Waring was a noted microbiologist who
contracted tuberculosis of the bone in 1976 through her work as a researcher.
Confined to a wheelchair, she founded Independence Dogs to help herself and
others in her plight. Through that work, training and placing dogs to help the
disabled, she touched hundreds of lives. Through her close friendships she
touched many more.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - New Equine Organization Empowers Cancer Patients and Their Families
by Suzanne Bush
Can horses heal broken spirits? Can they lift the troubled souls
of human companions and set them on trails toward peace and
reconciliation? Are horses miracle workers, or are they stoic
teachers that lead humans to unleash the power of their own
imaginations and spirits? If you ask Shiree Sansone of Chester
County, PA, the answers are emphatically yes, yes, yes and yes.
Sansone and her business partner Barbara Rosoff turned their
lifelong love for horses into an opportunity for cancer patients—and
their families—to experience the therapeutic benefits of working
with and riding horses.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - Barn Safety Expert Offers Fire Prevention Tips
by Suzanne Bush
Since the beginning of 2006, hundreds of thousands of animals—horses,
cows, dogs, pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats and sheep—have died in barn fires
in the United States. Nearly 500 of those animals were horses. Laurie
Loveman, an expert in barn safety who is also a firefighter, has dedicated
much of her life to helping people prevent barn fires. Loveman, an avid
horsewoman, is a member of the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA)
Technical Committee on Fire Safety in Animal Housing Facilities.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - Buying Frenzy at Standardbred Sale Generates $70 Million
Standardbred Horse Sales Co. conducted its 69th
Annual Sale at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg November
5-10. A total of 2,041 horses were sold during the six-day event
for $70,579,500, with an average of $34,581. Gross sales
shattered the previous record of $66.7 million set in 2006. The
buying frenzy was supported by slots-enhanced racing and
breeding opportunities in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario,
and by the strength of the Euro and Canadian dollar.
Read full article >>
Dec 2007 - Morans Take the Reins of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup
by Terry Conway
Around Unionville learning the ways of horses is a family affair. The
skills are treasured and honed for generations. Traveling along winding country roads, emerald fields roll away in
every direction, punctuated by naturally wooded creeks and grand,
historic horse farms. Much of the land is dotted with rambling old stone
houses with a horse trailer half-hidden behind a barn.
Read full article >>
Sept 2007 - Take The Reins Supports Melanoma Research
by Nancy Degutis
When an owner loses a battle against her horse's melanoma, it
can seem the odds of finding a cure are the same as they were
for David when, in Biblical times, he took the field against
Goliath.
Melanoma is a slow growing skin cancer that is usually fatal
to its equine victims, most often grays. But one woman used her
misfortune to found an organization that educates about the
isease and is backing research to find a cure for it someday
soon.
Read full article >>
Sept 2007 - Horse Nobody Wanted Wins National Pony Club Eventing Championship
by Stephanie Lawson
Susie Weidman doesn't know much about the
mare she named Leap of Faith. Just that the 16 hand thoroughbred, who may be
in her 20's, got herself kicked out of Linden Hall's lesson program for her
unruly behavior. That she somehow ended up in the barn of Susie's dad's
co-worker, Phil Shober, and his wife Geri, in Reinholds, Lancaster County.
And that Susie wanted her in the worst way.
Read full article >>
Sept 2007 - Horses in the City: Bringing the Country Downtown
by Suzanne Bush
It was a heartbreaking scene in Central Park when one of New York City's most iconic institutions closed on April 29, 2007. Claremont Riding Academy, which had operated in the city since 1892, had reportedly been losing money for years. Owner Paul Novograd, who also operates a riding school in Maryland, told the New York Sun newspaper that the stable was no longer financially viable. Maintenance costs for the 115-year old building, combined with insurance costs and a decrease in the number of Central Park riders forced Novograd's hand.
Read full article >>
July 2007 -
Bonnie Mosser, Heading to Pan Am Games, Realizes Her International Dream
by Nancy Degutis
It's been Bonnie Mosser's dream since childhood to make it into international competition. She almost did it in skiing, her passion as a teenager. This summer, at age 44, she will finally realize her dream when she represents the US, not on a pair of skis but on the back of her own horse.
Read full article >>
July 2007 -
Sheikh Buys Breeding Rights to Hard Spun
by Terry Conway
Thirty seconds after Hard Spun demolished a field of seven in a stakes race at Philadelphia Park last December, Rick Porter's phone rang. His answer tone is the opening notes of the Rocky movie music.
Read full article >>
July 2007 -
Carriage Trade: Paul Martin Drives 'Em, Sells 'Em and Succeeds at Both
by Nancy Degutis
While some people are said to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth, Paul Z. Martin Jr. was figuratively born with reins in one hand and a holly driving whip in the other. "When I was a young lad in the 50's and 60's, my father was well known in the horse and pony business. He used to run the largest pony and horse sales on the East Coast in Blue Ball and New Holland," said Martin, now the president of Martin Auctioneers Inc., the business his father founded. Memories abound of those days, ones that included times "when (the late) Jim and Gaye Robinson of Westchester brought their coach and four to dad's farm in Blue Ball to hook up and drive around Lancaster County. That always stuck in my mind," recalled Martin, 57.
Read full article >>
April 2007 -
Is There a Doctor in the House?
Experts Say "Maybe Not for Long"
by Suzanne Bush
"Call the vet." "Ask the vet." "Get the vet to look at it."
Because horses are often clumsy, and because they're far more fragile than one
might think—given their size and apparent strength—vets are integral partners in
equine activities. Horses injure themselves while chasing each other in the
pasture. They colic. They roll in the mud and inadvertently cut themselves on
exposed branches or sharp rocks. They get colds and fevers and all sorts of
ailments that can seem deadly but are usually resolved easily. Calling the vet
is prudent when horses get hurt or sick. But what would happen if there were no
vet to call? What would happen to a beloved horse in need of emergency care?
That question is being asked more frequently as America confronts a looming
shortage of large animal vets.
Read full article >>
April 2007 -
USDA Considers Instituting Private Quarantine Facilities
by Suzanne Bush
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced
amendments to regulations concerning importing horses. The objective is to
develop standards for establishing permanent, privately-owned quarantine
facilities. Currently there are three quarantine facilities operated by the
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), but these facilities,
widely dispersed geographically, are being stretched by rising imports that have
dramatically increased demand for the quarantine services. APHIS quarantine
facilities are located in Newburgh, NY, Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA.
Read full article >>
Feb 2007 -
Switching Teams: Phillip Dutton Becomes US Citizen
by Marcella Peyre-Ferry
The United States Eventing Association's (USEA) Leading
Rider Award for 2006 went to Phillip Dutton, plus his mount Tru Luck (owned
by Annie Jones and Shannon Stimson) was the USEA's 2006 Horse of the Year.
That is not surprising news, since Dutton took the USEA
Leading Rider of the Year title in 1998, and 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
and 2005 as well as being the 2005 number one FEI World Event Rider. What
makes this year's award different is that it comes just as the successful
rider changes his nationality from Australian to American.
"There's no one reason. It seemed like a good time while I
still had some good effort to give," he said. Dutton attributes his change
of nationality to a variety of factors. "I've been here nearly 15 years.
This country's been pretty good to me. I feel closer to the events here and
I do have a lot of students here."
Read full article >>
July 2006 -
Harrah's Chester returns harness racing to the Delaware Valley
by Terry Conway
As a kid Brian Roland remembers the thrill of traveling to the Brandywine
Raceway with his father, a standardbred trainer.
"There would be 15,000 people on a Saturday night," recalled Roland, now a
trainer and resident of Jennersville, Pa. "They had terrific horses, large
purses. It was a fun place to be. Then it all vanished."
The sport disappeared in the Delaware Valley when first Liberty Bell, then
Brandywine and finally Garden State Park were shuttered over the past 20
years.
Read full article >>
July 2006 -
The Jacksons Still Counting Their Blessings
by Terry Conway
On an Indian summer October morning, the splendor of their Lael Farm unfolds
all around. Seated at a table at the rear of the house near West Grove, Pa.
Gretchen Jackson gazes out at a dozen sheep, most dozing under a spreading tree.
High on a distant ridge, a string of Jonathan Sheppard's horses are put
through their paces. Storm Cat (the world's most expensive stallion at $500,000
a session) and steeplechase champion Flatterer were tutored on that turf by the
Hall of Fame trainer in the early 1980s.
Read full article >>
July 2006 -
Son Remembers Dad's Dedication to Training Horses in an Era of Racism
by Suzanne Bush
You might think the story of Thomas Downing is a story of unrequited love.
But you'd be wrong.
Like all really good love stories, Downing's has a complex texture, along
with a memorable cast of characters and poignant reminders of the power of love
in the face of injustice. Even though Downing himself is gone, his story is not
over. In fact, it has become something Downing probably never imagined. It has
become his son's compelling memoir of craftsmanship, dignity, grace and love.
Read full article >>
July 2006 -
Reading Teen Finishes
Chemo, Competes at Devon Next Day
by Marcella Peyre-Ferry
Sometimes, an accident can be a blessing in disguise. Treating a minor injury
after a fall, doctors for then seventeen-year-old Nicole Lakin of Reading
discovered a cancer that might have otherwise gone undetected until it was much
further along. Thanks to a minor tumble, the disease was found and treated,
while Nicole kept riding and showing her horses throughout the course of her
chemotherapy.
Read full article >>
July 2006 -
Coming Soon to Your Farm: National Animal ID
by Suzanne Bush
Some see the apocalypse. Others scoff at apocryphal stories about bogeyman
federal agents controlling little kids' ponies. In our security-obsessed,
post-September 11 world, a gigantic government bureaucracy is, some fear,
springing to life for the sole purpose of controlling how and where
individuals ride their horses. Or, others believe, a useful system of
identifying horses in a disaster and dealing with contagious disease is on the
horizon.
Read full article >>
July 2006 -
Nobodaddy Farm Rises from Ashes to
Teach Corporate Team Building
by Suzanne Bush
Corporations are rife with treacherous shoals and eddies that can shipwreck
even the most experienced sailor faster than you can say "great idea, boss." The
business of conducting business has a language and a set of customs and behavior
patterns that could keep legions of anthropologists occupied—and confused—for
decades. People say things they think they mean, but they don't really mean what
they say. Others say what they think, and what they think is really mean.
Read
full article >>
July 2006 -
Barbaro's Injury in Preakness Touches
Millions, Raises Questions
by Suzanne Bush
In the midst of the hype and media scrutiny that erupted after Barbaro's
rousing victory in the Kentucky Derby, Matz, Barbaro's trainer, remained
non-committal and reserved. This year, for a few glorious weeks in early spring,
Barbaro was the horse of the moment. His owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson of
West Grove, were living the impossible dream. The future for their beloved horse
was brimming with possibilities. And then in the blink of an eye, everything
changed. One tragic misstep erased the dreams and the promise and the joy of
what had been a splendid spring.
Read full article >>
April 2006 -
Chester County Horses Hit Derby Trail Once More
by Terry Conway
They have some big shoes to fill.
Following in the storied hoof prints of Chester County alumna
Smarty Jones, Aflleet Alex and Barbaro, a crop of stellar prospects with strong
Chester County connections have mapped out their paths to Kentucky Derby 133 on
Saturday, May 5.
Read full article >>
February 2006 -
New Broodmare Residency Requirements
Will Pump PA's Horse Economy
by Suzanne Bush
The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) recently announced
changes in residency requirements for Pennsylvania-bred foals. The PHBA
administers the state's Breeding Fund for Thoroughbred racehorses, and
maintains the official registry of Pennsylvania-bred racehorses and
stallions. The Breeding Fund was designed to support live racing at the
state's racetracks, and to provide incentives for breeders to race their
horses at Pennsylvania's racetracks.
Read full article >>
February 2006 -
Saddled With Debt—and Too Many
Saddles—Teets Becomes an Ebay Phenomenon
by Suzanne Bush
Remember the eBay ad featuring the hairy guy in the wedding dress?
For people who were only marginally aware of the breadth of the eBay
marketplace, it was an eye-opener—in many ways. For the cognoscenti, the
ad merely confirmed the staggering reach of eBay, the online auction
site. After more than six million hits, extensive media coverage,
including an appearance on NBC's Today Show, and the kind of buzz that
professional marketing wizards only dream about, Larry Star sold his
ex-wife's wedding dress for $3,850.
Read full article >>
February 2006 -
After 16 Years, the
PEC's Equine Liability Bill Becomes Law
by Stephanie Lawson
Governor Rendell signed SB 618, the Equine Activities Liability Act (EALA)
proposed and supported by the Pennsylvania Equine Council, into law on December
23. Now known as Act 93, it will take effect February 23.
Read full article >>
January 2006 -
Pegasus Award to Suzanne Bush for PA
Equestrian Article
Pennsylvania Equestrian contributor Suzanne Bush won an inaugral US
Equestrian Federation Pegasus award for her article, "Eighteen-Year-Old on
$700 Horse Beats the Greats at Old Dominion," which appeared in the July, 2005
issue of Pennsylvania Equestrian.
Read full article >>
