— first published in the January 2026 issue of The Equiery
We were all deeply saddened by the news that Beverly Raymond lost her battle with endometrial cancer on Saturday, Dec. 6th. She died at home at the age of 85.
We have written a great deal about Bev over the years. Telling her entire story would require a short novel, so instead, we have synthesized our previous articles to focus on her work with MHC and MHIB, together with tributes from our readers and members.
Stable Inspector
Beverly often said that her job as a state stable inspector was a gift. “[T]hese sorts of things never would happen in today’s world.” She had gotten the job because her friend Robin Allison was leaving the position and suggested to Beverly that she interview. “I was the only stable inspector at the time. I did the whole state. Some days I’d spend the whole day at one stable, other days I’d fit in a few,” she explained. Most were hack stables that rented horses by the hour. That steadily changed over the years to become more and more lesson stables. “It has been fun to ride that wave of change!” she enthused.
Beverly knew that her role was to help licensees take care of their horses, not just to enforce rules. “I wanted to help people avoid the same mistakes I made,” she said. She had her own way of doing things, too. “I would drive in and first just take in a general look of the place. When it comes down to it, the horses tell you what the place is like,” she said.
Former MHIB Executive Director Rob Burk said that “Beverly worked with stable owners to improve equine welfare and helped coach them into licensing compliance She saw her role as helping facility operators improve their business.” The job was not always easy. “You need to know how to keep your cool when dealing with difficult people,” Beveraly remarked. Burke said: “She always found a way to break through.
The stables that stick out the most in her memory are the ones who openly took her advice and truly improved their businesses. For licensee who was struggling to make ends meet, “I made a few suggestions about raising her rates and getting rid of the self-care boarders and told her about several conservation funds they were eligible for,” Beverly explained. The following year, she was astounded by what she saw. “They did everything I suggested. It was like ‘wow!’ That kind of thing was really rewarding,” she said, smiling.
The more stables Beverly inspected, the more horse people she met. “I got to know a lot of officials on a first name basis and this was very helpful for inspecting stables,” Beverly said. If a farm was having a drainage problem, she would put them in touch with the right people to help fix it. If a farm was struggling with care issues, she would put them in touch with humane officials to help work through things. “I think I just came across as sincere when I saw an issue and this really made a difference,” she said. “I feel like I’m a problem solver.”
Eventually, the State hired a second stable inspector and added veterinary hospitals to work load.
The Maryland Horse Council
Beverly was a founding member of the Maryland Horse Council (MHC), which was established in 1985 as the industry’s state legislative representative and its trade association.
“We needed an independent, statewide horse organization that would unify all the various and diverse segments of the equestrian community, from racing interests to trail riders. Beverly saw this need and was dedicated to building bridges between government agencies and private citizens,” said Crystal Brumme Pickett, who served as secretary of MHC for 15 years, from 1993-2008, and is now the organization’s Treasurer. Beverly said “the pleasure horse people . . . needed a voice.”
It was Beverly who made it happen. “At first [back in the 80s] it was hard to get people to become members,” Beverly said adding, “my stubbornness just got us through.” Bev was always willing to do what no one else wanted to do. She was the cheerleader when interest waned, the chair and organizer of whatever committee needed her, and the Treasurer for six years under the presidencies of Rich Wilke, Elizabeth Madlener, and Malcolm Commer.
Bev was on the MHC committees that created the brochures for trail etiquette, for the minimum standards of care, and for information on what new horse people you should know before they buy a horse. “I am particularly proud of those brochures because so many people use them still today,” Beverly commented.
Bev also planted the seeds that today have blossomed into such mainstays of the community as the “Maryland Horses With Pride” booth at the State Fair, the Department of Natural Resources Volunteer Mounted Patrols, the Maryland Association of Equine Rescues & Sanctuaries, and—of course—the Maryland Horse Industry Board.
The late Rich Wilcke remembered Bev as:
…the one constant presence throughout the years of the Maryland Horse Council being formed, even as it went through significant changes in its structure and bylaws to become a more effective and representative organization. No one was ever more loyal, more appreciative of everyone who gave his or her time and more trustingly open to different ways to move the organization forward.
The Maryland Horse Industry Board—From Idea to Action
Since its founding, MHC had been under tremendous pressure from the equestrian community to act not only as a lobbying force but also as a marketing and promotional force to grow and develop the horse industry. MHC had neither the funds nor the internal structure to market the industry effectively, so MHC began looking at existing models for agricultural promotion. The most effective models were commodity boards.
Beverly proposed that we expand the mission of the existing State Board of Inspection of Horse Riding Stables, move it to the Department of Agriculture, and change its name to the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB).
MHC went to work. MHC’s first try at legislation to create the commodity board failed. MHC hired a lobbyist and tried again. In 1998, the General Assembly passed the legislation that created the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) and gave it the charge of inspecting stables, and also marketing and growing the industry in Maryland, and preserving and promoting the historical and cultural significance of horses in Maryland.
The legislature did not, however, appropriate any money to staff the new agency. MHC went to work again, to find a funding source, and Beverly got busy running the new organization as a volunteer, in addition to inspecting stables. She organized all the meetings and took the minutes for each of them, she staffed promotional booths at the Maryland State Fair and elsewhere, and she worked on an array of policy issues. Bev helped county Soil Conservation Districts (SCDs) create brochures to “help people identify a problem and then provide a solution,” she stated. “This all improves their property value, which is good for everyone involved.” She helped revise the nutrient management regulations for equine operations. She worked to get equine operations included in the definition of “agriculture.”
“If it were not for Beverly, there would be no Maryland Horse Council and no Maryland Horse Industry Board today. Period.” — Crystal Brumme Pickett, MHC Board Member and founder of The Equiery.
A Force for Equine Welfare Change
Beverly was a founding member of the Maryland Association for Equine Rescues and Sanctuaries (MARES), which started as a subcommittee of the Maryland Horse Council. She helped raise the acceptable standards of care provided by rescues and sanctuaries, and she helped bring them into the state stable licensing program.
She also helped to codify MHC’s interpretation, now used in courts throughout Maryland, of Maryland state law requirements for the minimum standards of care for equines. Bev brought the issue before MHC and after a year’s worth of debate, over 30 horse organizations, representing almost every conceivable sport and breed, agreed to and ratified the industry’s interpretation.
Beverly helped pass the legislation that made malicious cruelty to animals a felony, rather than a misdemeanor. She helped secure better conditions not just for school horses, but also for a wide variety of working horses.
She helped improve the equine education of animal control officers in all of Maryland. Nicky Ratliff of the Carroll County Humane Society. said: “She came to every meeting. She would give our concerns to MDA and helped us with all kinds of issues. She was right there with the people making the changes,” she added.
Former MHC President Wilcke said: “The public awareness of animal welfare related to horses has risen dramatically since MHC and MHIB were founded, as has the involvement of both private groups and state governments. Instances of tensions and accusations have also grown in proportion. In my view, Bev has been the model of how individuals in this field can be compassionate, knowledgeable and reasonable.”
Honors and Accolades
MHC recognized Bev Raymond’s contributions, early and often. In 1999, we presented her with the Maryland Horse Council Horse Woman of the Year award (for an outstanding career in the industry), and in 2011, we awarded her our Anne Pumphrey Unsung Hero Memorial Award (for her behind the scenes contributions). We also nominated Beverly for the the American Horse Council’s Van Ness Award, which is given every year to a person who has shown leadership and service to the horse community in her state. It is given in memory of Mrs. Marjorie Van Ness, one of the founders of the New Jersey Horse Council and of the AHC’s Coalition of State Horse Councils. Bev won the award in 2013.
“Everything in the Maryland horse industry has Beverly’s fingerprints on it.” — Rob Burk, former MHIB Executive Director and current CEO of US Eventing.
Tributes from Former MHC Presidents
“To her very core Beverly loved the horses. She loved to smell them, be around them, champion them, and she knew more about them than most people, even those horse people who present themselves as the “experts.” — Elizabeth Madlener, USEF “S” judge, Grand Prix rider, trainer & Instructor, former president & CEO of Maryland Horse Center, and former MHC President,
“The MDA, MHC, and horse rescues would not have accomplished as much as they have had Beverly Raymond not lent her entire being to this horse world.” – LuAnne Levens, owner of Perriwinkle Farm and former MHC President
“Beverly always showed a genuine concern for the horses as well as the people who loved and cared for them. She was knowledgeable about the issues and challenges facing the horse industry, but she never lost her optimism and good humor. She has been a strong and steady advocate with the grace of a lady. She is most deserving of our gratitude.” – Mike Erskine, DVM, DABVP, Director of the Equine Medical Center at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and former MHC President
“Bev was one of those people who always made you feel that you were the only other person in the room; like she had been waiting all day just to see you.” – Jane Seigler, owner of Dressage at Sundown and former MHC President
“Bev Raymond may have devoted more cumulative hours over the years to nurturing and promoting the Maryland horse industry than anyone ever. She stayed positive and stayed strong through ups and downs and always held all of us accountable. We will miss her.” — Steuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive, founder of the Retired Racehorse Project, and former MHC President
“Bev Raymond set the standard for volunteerism in the horse industry. She was a true model for living.” — Kim Egan, founder of Horse Sport Maryland and former MHC President
Tributes from Colleagues
“As a non-native to Maryland, I was overwhelmed by the sheer scope of Bev’s knowledge of the Maryland horse industry and of the many stable operators within it. She approached her work as the State Stable Inspector and Veterinary Hospital Inspector with compassion and care. Bev kept journal upon journal on every stable, and the entire licensing tracking system depended on her books. Without Bev, there was no Maryland Horse Industry Board and no true industry connection to Maryland state government. When Beverly told me she was going to retire, I couldn’t imagine how the Board, or the Maryland Department of Agriculture, could function without her. That’s when she said something I have repeated many times over the past 23 years: ‘Rob, you will be fine. You will hire someone who isn’t as good as me at some things, and better at others.’ That was Beverly, wonderful, smart, humble, and a mentor to everyone she met. I will forever miss Beverly Raymond, but the memories she left me will last a lifetime. — Rob Burk, first MHIB Executive Director
“Bev always had a cheery and upbeat attitude, which is so important these days. She carried that attitude everywhere with her, and it was contagious. Bev spent many years as a public servant and as public servants we all can honor her memory and legacy by remembering to keep that disposition toward the people we serve, even in difficult circumstances and when working difficult cases.” — Travis Gorleski, Equine Conservationist, Montgomery County Office of Agriculture
“I consider Bev Raymond to be a “founding mother” of the Maryland Horse Council. Bev always came to the MHC meetings with dinner for everyone — for some, it was the reason they went, She was such an asset to the Horse Council because she was always able to see both sides of an issue, even while maintaining her own opinion. Bev was practical, helpful, and insightful. Whether she was working with a titan of industry or a horse owner who was down on her luck, Bev was always Bev. She was not impressed by money, nor scornful of penury. She recognized that horses didn’t need the bells and whistles of a fancy barn, and that bells and whistles didn’t aren’t the same as good care. She believed in educating, rather than chastising. Bev was warm and gracious and had a wicked sense of humor. She was willing to put herself out to make people smile. Her Halloween costumes were stuff of legend-once even going as Dolly Parton. Bev will be greatly missed. ” — Tracy McKenna, Associate Publisher of The Equiery
“How fortunate I was to have 25 years of her friendship and mentoring. We shared our love of horses, dogs, nature, gardening, cooking, history, and art. While on the MHIB board, she willingly took me with her on inspections so I could learn the process. Her experience with horses, her training as a veterinarian tech, and her willingness to help others improve their knowledge and skills made her an exemplary inspector of the horse farms (and veterinarian clinics) for 35+ years! After she retired from inspections, we (MHIB) were fortunate she joined the board as the Representative for Animal Control & Humane Societies. Bev also wanted children with limited exposure to horses to have the opportunity to enjoy these magnificent creatures. Her husband, Bob, and I hope that others will consider contributing in this manner for years to come, and hopefully, we can establish a scholarship in her name! There will certainly be a huge missing part in the heart of the horse industry with her gone. But I know those who were fortunate to know her, if only through inspections, will carry on her legacy. Missing you every day, my friend.” — Kathleen J.P. Tabor
