By JudithAnn Hartman
Secret Escort, owned and bred by Barbara Chappell, was the overall Champion
The 2018 Maryland Pony Breeders Yearling Futurity was held on July 14 at The Equestrian Center of Harford County. The weather was perfect and the ponies were groomed to perfection. Twenty-four ponies were nominated for this year’s futurity, with 17 arriving to compete.
Secret Escort, owned and bred by Barbara Chappell, was the overall Champion while Shenandoah Silver Tone, owned and bred by Hetty Abeles, was the Reserve Champion. Full results can be seen on the Maryland Pony Breeders website (marylandponybreeders.org).
This year the MPB annual Futurity was supported by a grant from the Maryland Horse Industry Board, which paid for an out-of-state judge and enhanced prizes. In particular, the top Maryland-bred ponies in all divisions were given a $100 cash prize and all other Maryland-bred ponies who received ribbons were given $50.
Shenandoah Silver Tone, owned and bred by Hetty Abeles, was the Reserve Champion
The top Maryland-bred awards were won by Loafers Lodge Montgomery (Welsh Section A bred by John Almond), Loafers Lodge Georgette (Welsh Section B bred by John Almond), Loafers Lodge Miss Pink (Hunter Breeder Filly bred by John Almond), and Westwood Alleluia (Hunter Breeder Colt bred by Shawn Bigley).
The Maryland Horse Industry Board supported the Futurity because the future of the Maryland Horse Industry starts with ponies and the future of Maryland ponies start with our breeders. Maryland Pony Breeders invites everyone to nominate their 2018 pony foals for next year’s Futurity. As of press time, 9 yearlings have been nominated for the 2019 Yearling Futurity.
Entry forms can be found on the MPB website and if you mention that you saw this article, the pony will be eligible for the pre-July 31 early bird entry fee.
