Since 1929, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) has been the leading horse industry advocate within the state of Maryland.

It functions as an informational resource for horse breeders and owners, the media, community and governmental organizations, and the general public.

As a service organization, the MHBA provides industry information, educational opportunities and legislative representation to its nearly 1,000 breeder-owner members, which include Thoroughbred breeders, owners of race horses, steeplechase and hunt enthusiasts, and others with horse involvement.

The main purposes of the MHBA have always been to encourage, promote, protect and improve the horse breeding industry in Maryland. While emphasis traditionally has been placed on the production of Thoroughbred race horses, the MHBA encourages all sports relating to the use of horses.

Maryland : Thoroughbred state

Marylanders have been breeding and racing Thoroughbred horses for more than 250 years. From the famed 18th century race mare and producer Selima (by the Thoroughbred foundation sire the Godolphin Barb) to such 20th century champions as Gallant Fox, Omaha, Native Dancer, Nashua, Kelso, Ruffian, Spectacular Bid and Broad Brush, Maryland-owned Thoroughbreds have been providing both excitement and profits for Free Staters.

The long list of famous Thoroughbred nurseries and training centers in Maryland includes: Alfred Vanderbilt’s Sagamore, William Walden’s Bowling Brook, the Labrot family’s Holly Beach, E.P. Taylor’s Windfields and its modern counterpart Northview Stallion Station, the Pons family’s Country Life, Fair Hill Training Center, etc.

Maryland is birthplace of Raise You, dam of Raise a Native (by Native Dancer), one of the most influential sires of modern times, and two-time Horses of the Year Challedon and Cigar. In addition, the great Northern Dancer stood most of his remarkable stud career in Chesapeake City.

While Maryland’s Subscription Plate was run as early as 1721, organized Thoroughbred racing began with the establishment of the Maryland Jockey Club at Annapolis in 1743. Following the Civil War, this association built Pimlico race course in Baltimore, which opened in 1870 and still operates as America’s second-oldest track.

Today Maryland boasts spring and fall racing at Pimlico, home of the Preakness Stakes (the second jewel in racing’s Triple Crown), and summer, fall and winter racing at beautiful Laurel Park, home to several major stakes races each year, including the Frank J. De Francis Dash. Each summer there are eight days of Thoroughbred racing at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium.

Turf and jumping race programs are held at Fair Hill, the nation’s first pari-mutuel steeplechase course, which also hosts three-phase and driving competitions. In addition, Maryland supports half a dozen point-to-point hunt meets during the spring, evidence of healthy secondary Thoroughbred markets.

Maryland has moderate winters and consistent rainfall, excellent soils, a favorable political climate for the horse business, nearly 150 Thoroughbred stallions, well-managed breeding and boarding farms, incentive programs that award nearly $6 million for Maryland horses and a number of modern, accessible training centers.

Horse breeding : Available agricultural tradition with significant economic impact.

Horse breeding and horse racing have an economic impact on the state that more than triples all other sports combined, and comprised 78 percent of the total estimated annual sports impact of $1.1 billion, according to the latest report by the Governor’s Special Commission on Professional Sports and the Economy.

The overall economic impact of horse breeding and racing in Maryland is estimated to be in excess of $1 billion annually, with the breeding component representative of about half that total; employment in the racing industry is estimated to be about 20,000. This does not include the pleasure horse industry, which involves tens of thousands of participants and more than $600 million in additional economic impact. These figures also do not include the economic impact of the horse industry on tourism and the economic enhancement to real estate values, estimated at $100 million annually.

Horse farms in Maryland occupy over 200,000 acres of farmland, preserving valued green space and serving as a buffer to development. They are a critical element in the maintenance of the state’s agricultural heritage.

Spreading the word : Promoting and supporting Maryland’s horse industry

Since 1936, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association has utilized publications as a means of promoting the horse industry and encouraging horse breeding and participation in horse sports. For many years, the MHBA published the award-winning monthly magazine, The Maryland Horse, which is now a monthly newsletter for members of the association.
Recognizing the growing regionalization of the Thoroughbred industry, the MHBA now publishes Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, a full-color monthly magazine that covers racing and breeding in Maryland and throughout the region and helps reinforce Maryland’s image as the pre-eminent breeding state on the East Coast. The Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred is recognized as the premier monthly Thoroughbred trade publication.

In addition, the MHBA publishes an annual guide to Thoroughbred farms in Maryland, a service directory providing product and service information to the entire horse industry in the state, and various posters, brochures and guides that educate the public about racing and breeding in Maryland.

The MHBA also maintains an extensive equine library at its offices in Timonium. This library, with its collections of books, periodicals and videos, is open to MHBA members and to the general public.

In 1988, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association chartered the Maryland Horse Industry Foundation to serve various educational and charitable needs of the Maryland horse industry. Foundation projects include maintenance and expansion of the MHBA library, assistance to substance abuse programs for farm employees, support for scientific and veterinary research, and special grants for a variety of related causes. The Foundation is nonprofit and tax-exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, so that contributions and gifts are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

In addition, the MHBA has played a key role in the development of the Maryland Horse Council, established in 1984 to serve the common interests of all horse organizations in Maryland. The MHBA continues to be an active member of the MHC and provide support for its various activities.

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