by Kimberly K. Egan, MHC President (first published in the October 2024 Equiery)

October is Horse Month here in Maryland and, as in years past, our calendar is overflowing with an embarrassment of riches. This month our state will host two international 5* competitions, one national championship, two regional championships, one state championship, two national competitions, and a $1 million day of racing at Laurel Park, along with dozens more sanctioned competitions, schooling competitions, trail events, and hunter paces. Our state may be small in size but we pack a lot in!

If you are a horse person visiting Maryland this month, you are in for a treat. Our horse industry is large. Indeed, it is the largest sector of Maryland’s agriculture industry, which is the largest commercial industry in the state. There are more horses per square mile (7.5 horses/square mile) in Maryland than in any other state in the country, and over a third of Maryland households contain at least one horse-enthusiast. We have over 800 licensed lesson and boarding stables and over 200 equine organizations state-wide. We have 58 licensed rescues and sanctuaries and 67 therapeutic riding centers, including over a dozen veterans’ programs. We have over 100 miles of equestrian trails. Our official state sport is jousting.

Our large horse industry generates a $2.9 billion impact on the Maryland economy every year. It supports over 28,000 jobs and generates $1.1 billion in wages. At least 88,000 equine acres are preserved in perpetuity as farmland. The recreational riding sector alone generates $421 million annually. The competition sector supports over 4,154 jobs in Maryland and has a $370 million annual economic impact on the state’s economy. Over 38,000 Marylanders volunteer each year to help care for our over 100,000 horses and to help run our plethora of competitions.

Our large horse industry is also diverse. We are home to 40 breeds of horses and 35 different equestrian disciplines, including: barrel racing, competitive trail riding, cowboy mounted shooting, cutting, dressage, draft horse pulling, driving, endurance, eventing, fox chasing, harness racing, hunter/jumpers, jousting, mule jumping, polo, polocrosse, ranch riding, reining, rodeo, show jumping, side saddle, steeplechasing, therapeutic riding, Thoroughbred racing, vaulting, western dressage, western equitation, and working western, as well as several others.

Our equestrian sports alone generate at least $1 billion in economic activity. We have five international competition venues in the state – Pimlico Race Course (host of the Preakness States), the Fair Hill Special Event Zone (host of the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill), the Prince George’s Equestrian Center (host of the Capital Challenge Horse Show and the Washington International Horse Show), Laurel Park (host of the Maryland Million), and Loch Moy Farm (host of the Maryland International CCI4/3/2/1-S horse trials, the Young Rider National Eventing Championship, and the Area II Eventing Championships). And we are an easy drive to two others – Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, Virginia, and Plantation Fields in Coatesville, Pennsylvania (host of the Plantation Fields International Horse Trials).

Maryland punches well above its weight, particularly in the discipline of eventing. There are more international level eventing competitions in Maryland than anywhere else in North America. And there are more national competitions licensed by the US Equestrian Federation in Maryland (19 events) than in any state other than Florida (21) and California (20) — both of which are significantly larger than Maryland. We have 50 licensed eventing barns and 31 pony clubs with eventing programs. 3,000 Marylanders participate in the sport.

Maryland also stands out in the Mid-Atlantic for its unusually high number of riding schools that have large and well-developed lesson programs. Our unusually large number of riding schools and our ability to attract competitors from the highest levels of the sport – Olympic-level and up – means our competition sector grows every year. Indeed, it is the fastest growing sector of our industry.

Our large horse industry has something for everyone. Maryland truly is horse country.

Marquee Events in October
The highlights of October Horse Month include the following marquee events, In chronological order:

  • Capital Challenge Horse Show (September 26-October 4) at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, which is the biggest horse show of its kind east of the Mississippi River
  • Maryland State Jousting Championship at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds (October 5)
  • Area II Eventing Championships at Loch Moy Farm (October 5-6)
  • Jim McKay Maryland Million Day at Laurel Park (October 12)
  • National Jousting Championship at Petersville Farmers Woods in Knoxville (October 12)
  • Young Event Horse East Coast Championship at the Fair Hill Special Event Zone (October 17-18)
  • MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill (October 16-20)
  • Washington International Horse Show at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro (October 21-17)