This year's University Seminar Series at Horse
World Expo were some of our best yet! Due to the unfortunate arrival
of blizzard-like conditions on Saturday, several seminars were cancelled
(listed in blue font). Look for those speakers
and topics next year! Most speakers had a Powerpoint presentation that
was made available to attendees - if you were unable to make the Seminar
Series, they have been provided below in PDF format (requires Adobe
Acrobat).
Click
on the speaker's name to get contact information as well as a brief
bio.
Invited
Speakers for the 2005 Horse World Expo's University Seminar Series
Amy Burk, PhD Lecturer/Extension Horse Specialist
Department of Animal and Avian Sciences
1121 Animal Science Center
College Park, MD 20742
Tel.: 301-405-8337; Fx: 301-405-8831
E-mail:
PhD - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2001
Dr. Amy Ordakowski
grew up in Anne Arundel County, riding and competing horses while a
member of the Maryland 4-H and U.S. Pony Club. She received a B.S. in
Biology in 1995 from James Madison University. She completed her graduate
work in Animal and Poultry Sciences as a Pratt Fellow in animal nutrition
at Virginia Tech. She specialized in equine nutrition, earning an M.S.
in 1998, and a PhD in 2001. Her research addressed the digestibility
of various hay and pasture species by horses, as well as folate status
and supplementation in the horse. Her work has been published in the
Journal of Animal Science. Dr. Ordakowski joined the faculty of the
Animal and Avian Sciences Department at the University of Maryland in
August 2001. She has a dual role as a Lecturer, teaching the equine
science and horse management courses, and as a Horse Extension Specialist
with the Maryland Cooperative Extension. Her Extension duties include
providing educational leadership to the youth horse programs in Maryland.
Erin Petersen, MS, PAS Lecturer/Extension Horse Specialist
Institute of Applied Agriculrure
2115 Jull Hall
College Park, MD 20742
Tel.: 301-405-4690; Fx: 301-314-9343
E-mail:
Erin Petersen was
born and raised in Loveland, Colorado. She earned a BA degree in Political
Science from The University of Colorado in 1994. She also holds a BS
degree in Equine Science from Colorado State University (2000). Petersen
remained at Colorado State University, earning an MS degree in Animal
Science in 2001. Her research focus was aimed at investigating nutrition
of the growing horse as it relates to bone development. Ms. Petersen
is a state Extension Horse Specialist and the Program Coordinator for
the 2-year Equine Business Management Program at the Institute of Applied
Agriculture. She teaches courses in Equine Nutrition, Health Management,
Reproduction, Behavior and Pasture Management. Erin is owned by three
cats, one dog (who thinks she's a person) and three horses who like
to occasionally take her on trail rides or practice Dressage.
Timothy S. Barkley,
Sr. is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the
Society of Certified Senior Advisors, professional organizations dedicating
special attention to the needs and concerns of that segment of our population.
He is a Registered Investment Advisor and Registered Representative
of Walnut Street Securities, Inc. and a licensed insurance broker, representing
several life and long-term care insurers. He earned the Juris Doctor
Degree from the Regent University School of Law and is a member of the
Maryland State Bar and the Bar of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is
licensed as an attorney, as principal of The Tim Barkley Law Offices
, providing estate planning and asset-related law.
He strives to meet
client goals and aspirations through integrated, sophisticated wealth
management services. In his legal practice, he emphasizes estate planning,
tax avoidance, and charitable gift planning, and, in his financial practice,
retirement planning and construction of a diversified portfolio using
state-of-the-art financial modeling. He currently serves in the initial
formation, general oversight, and long-term development efforts of local,
regional, and national charities. He seeks to enable farmers and others
with significant family estates to minimize taxation and other forms
of estate shrinkage, and to maximize their estate, passing it relatively
intact to successive generations.
He earned his Associate
in Arts degree with High Honors from Catonsville Community College,
and his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the University
of Maryland. He also holds the Master of Arts degree in Public Policy
from Regent University.
2630 Mas Que Farm Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
Tel.: (410) 268-4115
E-mail:
Lori, former assistant
trainer to Tina Konyot, (two-time Olympic candidate), also spent time
in Germany as assistant trainer with Carla Symader, Grand Prix rider and
trainer. She was a working student for USEF “S” judge J. Ashton
Moore, founder of the “L” judging program and author of the
USDF judging glossary. As a trainer showing in the 2003 Region 9 Championships,
riding two horses, she won the High Point Mare Award, the High Point Oldenberg
Award, and High Point of the day with a 76% from an FEI test of choice.
Currently coached by baroque horse-enthusiast, Sabine Schut-Kery of
Proud Meadow Friesians, she also has attended clinics with Michelle
Gibson, and teaches clinics herself from Texas to New York. With teaching
skills enhanced by a Masters Degree in Education, she utilizes multiple
learning techniques in her instruction programs. Her enthusiasm, good
humor, and outgoing personality are enhanced by her focus on classical
training with an emphasis on correct position, proper use of the seat,
and light hands.
Eric Birks, DVM, PhD Assistant Professor, Exercise Physiology
Sports Medicine New
Bolton Center
University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School
382 West Street Rd.
Kennet Square, Pennsylvania 19348
Tel.: (610) 925-6197
Fax: (610) 925-8131
E-mail: milosout@yahoo.com
Joseph L. Bishop Insurance Agent/Broker
Nationwide Insurance Company
16829 York Rd.
Monkton, Maryland 21111
Tel.: (410) 329-6550 or (410) 357-8300
E-mail: bishopj@nationwide.com
Joseph L. "Lee"
Bishop is a Monkton resident and owner of the Hereford Insurance Agency.
He attended the University of Baltimore, majroing in business and in
1969, he began his thirty-six year career as a Nationwide Insurance
agent specializing in property/casualty insurance and financial products.
He has served on
the Baltimore County Farm Bureau board of directors since 1992 and has
recently been appointed a director of the new Baltimore County Agricultural
Center. He has served as president of the Greater Sparks-Glencoe Community
Council since 2001 and has participated in the formation of North County
Preservation, a 501c3 organization whos objective is to preserve farmland
in northern Baltimore County.
Allie Conrad is the Executive
Director for CANTER Mid Atlantic . As a hobby she owns and trains several
ex-racers in Hunters, Jumpers, Eventing, Foxchasing and Pleasure Riding.
She has been involved in horses most of her life and involved in retraining
thoroughbreds for the last 10 years.
Equestrian Services,
LLC, a company based in Annapolis, Maryland that caters to the various
needs of the equestrian community is the brain child of Michael M. Donovan,
a former award winning landscape designer and contractor, and his wife
Jennifer Donovan, a life-long horse owner and competitive dressage rider.
Although the company was officially launched in the year 2000, it has
been evolving since the couple met in California over a decade ago.
Michael's first
"horse project", the Albert Court Ltd. Linda Allen Grand Prix
course (completed prior to the 1992 Volvo World Cup in Del Mar, California),
was connected to the complete landscaping of the farm he did while Vice-President
of RBM Enterprises in San Diego. He realized, while working on the Grand
Prix course that many of the same landscaping principals applied: the
grading, compaction and stabilization of soils, working with the site
specific drainage considerations, and achieving a balance between the
aesthetics and functionality of the elements in a project. A Master's
Degree in Chemistry and his training as a scientist has proven helpful
time and again for problem solving. All of his expertise as a scientist,
a landscape designer and contractor as well as his marriage to Jennifer,
have pulled him exclusively into equestrian projects.
Castle Rock Farm
Unionville, Pennsylvania
Tel.: (610) 739-9887
E-mail:
Peter Giangiulio
is the owner and operator of Castle Rock Farm, one of Pennsylvania's
top Thoroughbred breeding farms. Under his leadership, Castle Rock Farm
has stood some of Pennsylvania's top stallions over the past three decades
and produced top racehorses, such as FOXY J.G. and POWER BY FAR.
A licensed attorney,
Peter has served three terms on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania
Horse Breeders Association, and is the current Vice-President of that
organization. He was instrumental in the passage of Pennsylvania's slots
bill in 2004.
Eric Hines Conservation Planner
Carroll County Soil Conservation District
Eric Hines is a Conservation Planner in Carroll County Maryland with USDA/NRCS.
In 1995 he earned a BS from the University of Maryland in Agronomy, Soil
and Water Conservation. He served for 2.5 years in West Africa as a Sustainable
Agricultural Extension Agent with the United States Peace Corps. Since
1999 he has work as a Conservation and Agricultural Planner in Howard,
Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Carroll Counties where he has been assisting
landowners and agricultural producers, including many equine operations,
to plan, design, and install Conservation Best Management Practices to
help improve soil and water quality. As a Conservation Planner Eric works
regularly with many of the Federal, State, and Local conservation cost
share programs that are available to agricultural operations and landowners.
Dale Johnson Regional Extension Specialist-Farm Management
Western Maryland Research and Education Center
Mark is an equity
member in the Accounting and Business Services division of Naden/Lean,
LLC. He provides accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services to
clients in a variety of industries including insurance, not-for-profits,
thoroughbred horse breeders, and others. He specializes in accounting
and statutory compliance matters for property and casualty insurers,
and directs those activities for the firm. Consulting services provided
to insurance clients have included representation during regulatory
examinations, business planning services, development of financial forecast
models, systems conversions, and Risk Based Capital planning. Mark also
serves as the professional development coordinator for the firm, directing
the technical development and continuing education activities of our
team members.
In addition to
her freezing responsibilities, Emily manages the Select Breeders Services
Maryland lab. Emily is also the team leader for the affiliate lab quality
control program. She is a graduate of Colorado State University with
a M.S. in Reproductive Physiology. Emily has been part of SBS since
2001.
The SBS network is comprised of veterinarians and reproductive
physiologists who share a commitment to provide the highest level of
customer service, quality control and leading edge technology for their
customers. Formally launched in 2000, the Affiliate Laboratory Program
brings SBS semen freezing and related reproductive services to breeders
throughout the United States, Europe and Australasia.
Each affiliate
offers a wide range of stallion services including evaluating, freezing
for domestic and international use, as well as the industry's most comprehensive
storage and distribution program. In addition to traditional mare reproductive
services, embryo transfers and embryo freezing are also available at
many locations. Recognizing the need to provide on-farm services, several
affiliates have fully equipped mobile laboratories.
Roger Legg Past President
Delaware Park Horseman's Association
Tel.:
E-mail:
Roger E. Legg is a retired attorney. He has had horses that have raced
throughout the mid-Atlantic region since 1982. Almost all of his 30+ racehorses
have been homebreds. Mr. Legg's home track is Delaware Park where he has
been a member of the Delaware Park Horsemen's Association (DPHA) since
its founding in 1990. He served as a board member for the DPHA from 1990
- 1999 and was President of DPHA for two terms of six years, including
the three years immediately following the startup of slots at Delaware
Park.
John McKee Board Member
West Virginia Breeders Association
West Virginia Horsemen's Association
Government Office Building
7320 Ritchie Highway, Suite 210
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
Tel.: 410-222-6759
E-mail: myersrd@umd.edu
Dave has been a
lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, and currently is the agricultural
Extension Educator for both Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties.
Prior to assuming the University of Maryland Extension position in December
1997 Dave was the agronomist for the U.S. Naval Academy Dairy Farm,
where he was employed from 1980 to 1997. While working at the Naval
Academy Dairy, Dave earned in 1983 a BS degree in Agronomy, Crop Science
and in 1996 a MS degree in Agronomy, Weed Science from the University
of Maryland. His Extension responsibilities include all field crop and
livestock agriculture with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable production
and marketing. Dave currently conducts fruit and vegetable research
trials at the University of Maryland Upper Marlboro Research and Education
Center.
3800 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Dr. Parsons received acupuncture
certification in 2004 through the American Academy of Veterinary Medical
Acupuncture, at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colo. Acupuncture, a
three-thousand-year-old medical practice, has been used to successfully
treat arthritis, asthma, skin conditions, diarrhea, and other conditions
in people and animals. Acupuncture points are located over nerves and
blood vessels. Stimulation of the acupuncture point with a thin needle
brings about local and systemic reactions after the release of opioids,
endorphins, and chemical neurotransmitters, which can increase blood
circulation, decrease pain, and improve immune function.
Born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania USA, Anne received a degree from the University of Massachusetts
at Amherst in Animal Science, and has worked in various capacities in
the thoroughbred industry since graduating in 1979. After a 15-year
hiatus, she has returned to being the Seasons and Matings Advisor for
Three Chimneys
Farm, current home to Smarty Jones and former home of Triple Crown
Winner, Seattle Slew. Anne is also a freelance pedigree consultant.
She is co-author, with Alan Porter, of the book Patterns of Greatness
II: The Americans. Anne's articles have appeared in the Mid-Atlantic
Thoroughbred, The Blood-Horse, The Blood-Horse's MarketWatch, The Thoroughbred
Record, Highflyer Journal and Owner•Breeder International. Former
editor of the pedigree newsletter Highflyer Journal, Anne was past editor
of the website Pedigree Post and the monthly industry magazine Owner•Breeder
International. Anne is also a partner, with Patricia Erigero, of the
website, Thoroughbred
Heritage. She owns one broodmare and lives in Versailles, Kentucky.
342 C North Aurora Street • E
P.O. Box 519
Easton, Maryland
Forest Hill, Maryland 21601
Tel.: (410) 822-1244
E-mail: spotter@umd.edu
Shannon Potter
grew up on the Eastern Shore in Queen Anne's County. There she was very
active in 4-H and FFA with the horse and pony project, judging, bowl
and livestock. Upon graduation she moved to Wyoming and attended the
University of Wyoming, receiving a BS in Agriculture Business and an
MS in Agriculture Economics. There she competed on the Intercollegiate
Horse Show Team for five years in the hunt and stock seat divisions.
She is currently employed by the University of Maryland Cooperative
Extension in Talbot County as the Agriculture and Natural Resource Educator. As well as agriculture
production workshops Shannon also holds equine seminars for horse owners
on the Eastern Shore.
Mike Riter has been involved with trails since his early years as a
boy scout. Throughout his adult life Mike has been determined to give
something back to the great outdoors, a place that has given him many
hours of peace and recreation.
Mike spent his
youth riding horses on his parent’s farm in OH. Along the way
he became familiar with what type of trail was interesting from a horseback
perspective. In 1992, Mike started working as a volunteer with various
mountain bike organizations. By doing this, he learned more about the
basics of maintaining and constructing shared use trails. It was at
this point that he started to notice the effects erosion had on different
types of trail design..
1996 brought the
Olympic games to Atlanta, GA and the first ever Olympic Mountain Bike
race. The event was held at the Georgia International Horse Park in
Conyers, GA a suburb of Atlanta. Once the race was over, Mike approached
the park in hopes of allowing continued use of the trails. Permission
was granted and he became the first Trail Coordinator at this historic
site. With the help of the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (SORBA),
the battered course was rebuilt and what was once used as an Olympic
mountain bike course was now open to the public.
1997 brought an
invitation from the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) to
start a trails education program to travel all over the US and help
solve common trail problems such as erosion, user conflict and overuse.
Hence, the IMBA/Subaru Trail Care Crew program was born. During the
first year on the road, Mike and his wife Jan realized different soil
types had a direct affect on impacts and erosion. Listening carefully
to knowledgeable locals, they soon started to gather the clues that
would give them answers in the quest for, "a better way."
With time to devote
to learning and improving current trail design and maintenance standards,
they developed two important truths. First, most erosion and impact
problems could be directly attributed to trail design not use. Second,
when maintaining trails, it is imperative you work with the natural
surroundings rather than trying to control them. A better way was developing.
In 1998, Mike and
Jan started the first trail school devoted exclusively to the design
construction and maintenance of natural surface trails and later the
same year were awarded the Advancements in Trail Technology award from
the American Trails Association for new innovations that helped bring
trail design into modern times.
Three years on
the road had taken them to every state in the continental United States,
Canada, and several European countries where they worked on trails or
taught others what they knew. In 1999, they decided it was time to retire
and started their own trail consulting business while continuing research
on the "better way." Mike was also hired as Georgia’s
Trails Education Specialist through a Recreational Trails Program grant
that was written by the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association. This
position has allowed him to continue educating (and learning from) others
so they too can start to see "a better way."
Kim Severson and "Winsome Adante" after
after taking first place at the 2004 Rolex Kentucky Three Day
Event.
Photo courtesy of Pennfield Feeds.
Kim Severson (formerly
Vinoski) 1999
- Won Rolex Kentucky CCI*** on Over The Limit (Jake)
- Qualified
for the US Equestrian Teams’ Pan American Games Eventing Squad—though
a stone bruise kept Jake and her from competing
- Finished
second with Jake at Britain’s Blenheim Petplan International CCI***
While touring on a USET grant
- Won Pennsylvania
Radnor Hunt International CCI** with Silent Partner (Mars)
2002
- Won Rolex Kentucky CCI*** with Windsome Adante (Dan)
- Member
of the Gold-Medal World Championship Eventing Squad
- Member
of the Gold-Medal Olympic Eventing Team
2003
- A broken leg just before Rolex kept Kim from Competing
- Dan had colic surgery in late summer while preparing in England for
the Burghley CCI***
2004
- Won Rolex Kentucky CCI*** on Windsome Adante
- Individual Silver and Team Bronze at the Olympics in Athens
- Second place finish at Fair Hill International CCI*** on Royal Venture
- Kim’s finish was good enough to give her the U.S. Equestrian
Federation (USEF) Three-Star Fall Championship as the top-placing U.S.
rider.
Visit John Williams
and Kim Severson at the Pennfield Booth (# 835 & 836) after their
talk on Saturday!
Rebecca Splan, PhD, PAS Assistant Professor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dr. Splan is an Assistant
Professor of Equine Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University. Her responsibilities include teaching Equine Science courses,
conducting research and coaching the Virginia Tech Horse Judging Team.
Research interests focus primarily on genetic evaluation and selection
procedures for performance horses, equine conformation and biomechanics,
and conservation of genetic diversity in rare breeds of horses and cattle.
She received a B.S. in Animal Science from Michigan State University
and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska in Animal
Breeding and Genetics. She has been involved with many facets of the
horse industry, and currently campaigns her half-Arabian mare in dressage
and sporthorse divisions. She is an open horse show judge, USDF L graduate
and is certified in equine appraisal, specializing in hunter and sport
horses. In 2005, Dr. Splan serves on the Boards of both the Southwest
Virginia Dressage Association and American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Corinne Sweeney, DVM, Dipl.
ACVIM Professor of Medicine
Vice Chair- Department of Clinical Studies
University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Medicine New Bolton
Center
382 West Street Rd.
Kennet Square, Pennsylvania 19348
Tel.: (610) 925-6413
Dr. Corinne Sweeney grew
up in Monkton, Maryland, riding and competing with horses as a member
of the Elkridge Harford Pony Club and the local 4-H Club. She received
her B.S. from the University of Delaware and her DVM in 1978 from the
University of Georgia, School of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation,
Dr. Sweeney completed an internship and residency in Large Animal Medicine
at the University of Pennsylvania- New Bolton Center.
Dr. Sweeney is currently
a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, School of
Veterinary Medicine and Vice Chair of the Department of Clinical Studies
at New Bolton Center. She is an equine internal medicine specialist
(A.C.V.I.M. diplomate) with clinical and research interests in respiratory
and neurological problems of the horse. Research investigations have
focused on diagnostic testing for lung conditions, exercise-induced
pulmonary hemorrhage in racehorses, Streptococcal respiratory infections
in the horse, diagnostic testing for neurological conditions and equine
protozoal myeloencephalitis. As an invited speaker at international
meetings she has spoken in widely throughout Europe, and in Australia,
Canada, the Middle East and Japan.
Dr. Sweeney has
been the recipient of numerous awards including the Norden Distinguished
Teaching Award, the National Academies of Practice Distinguished Practitioner
Award, the Veterinary Medical Student Government Outstanding Faculty
Member Award, Penn's Executive Board of Alumni's Excellence in Teaching
Award, the Veterinary Medical Student Government Commendation Award
and the University of Pennsylvania Lindback Award for Distinguished
Teaching
Dr. Sweeney has been an
active member in national organizations including the American Association
of Equine Practitioners, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine,
Comparative Respiratory Society, the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary
Education Equivalence, and the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians
serving as president of the Comparative Respiratory Society and the
American Association of Veterinary Clinicians.
Barbara Tury, M.A.,
NCC, LPC is Psychotherapist and Neurofeedback Practitioner in Private
Practice at Neurofeedback and Counseling Connection in Chester County,
PA.
Barb offers a special program to riders called Peak Performance Training.
Every rider has succumbed to misgivings or panic at one time or another.
When mental issues take over riders may forget what is second nature
to them at home. Anxiety, fear of failure or inability to focus can
have a direct and unfavorable impact on the athletes coordination and
timing and cause a rider to choke. Peak Performance Training helps riders
in overcoming the emotional and mental roadblocks and frees riders to
truly enjoy the horses without the self limiting phobias. Peak Performance
Training retrains the brain so that a rider can focus on the right things
and get into the “zone” while letting go of negative distractions.
Peak Performance utilizes Neurofeedback (EEG Biofeedback) in the process
as well as visualization, coaching and relaxation techniques. Peak Performance
enhances critical thinking skills, and the bonus is that the program
spills over into every day life to promote a sense of well being and
confidence throughout daily life.
Carey A. Williams, Ph.D., is the Equine Extension Specialist and Assistant
Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Rutgers University.
Her research focus is in equine nutrition and exercise physiology, specifically
antioxidant supplementation and oxidative stress of the equine athlete.
Dr. Williams completed her bachelor degree in Equine Science at Colorado
State University (1998), and graduated with her master's (2000) and
doctorate (2003) degrees in Equine Nutrition from Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, where she was awarded the John Lee Pratt
Fellowship in Animal Nutrition. She is a member of various national
organizations and presented at their research symposia including Equine
Nutrition and Physiology Society, American Society of Animal Science,
and American Association of Veterinary Nutritionists. As a hobby she
trains and ompetes her young Thoroughbred mare at various Dressage shows
and Horse Trials.
John has been involved
in Three Day Eventing for over 20 years. In 1983 he earned his "A"
rating from the U.S. Pony Club. While completing his Bachelor of Fine
Arts in Woodworking and Furniture Design at the Rochester Institute
of Technology in 1987, he began competing at the National Level. By
1988, he was the National Intermediate Champion; and by 1991 had been
named to the United States Equestrian Team as a member of the team for
the Pan American Games.
From that point,
John became a force in U.S. Eventing at the Advanced and International
levels. The next ten years were spent developing a score of young horses,
bringing most to the highest levels of the sport. He and his horses
were consistently in the ribbons at the major Three Day Events in North
America, including Rolex Kentucky, Fair Hill International, Checkmate,
Radnor Hunt and the Beaulieu Classic. The horses won numerous National
High Point awards and John was often in the yearly North American Top
Ten Riders of the Year rankings.
In 1993, John had
his first tests of International travel when he became part of a USET
squad chosen to compete at the Burleigh CCI**** in England, one of the
most prestigious competitions in the world. In 1999, he and his horse
"Carrick" were selected by the USET to travel to Australia
to compete in the Olympic Test Event in Sydney. The pair went on to
represent the U.S. at Burghley in 2001 and in 2002 were named to the
U.S. Team at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain. There they
led the team to their first Gold Medal in twenty-eight years, finishing
fourth individually in the World.
In the midst of
this busy career, John has built a reputation as one of the premier
Cross Country Course designers in the United States. He is one of only
a handful of recognized at the National Level, and one of an elite few
qualified to design at the International Level. Beginning as a builder
to support his riding, John has been able to develop and refine his
design skills; he brings unusual insight into his designs through his
International riding experience combined with his woodworking and construction
skills.
John has accomplished
this through his own tenacity and hard work, without major sponsorship
or financial backing. He has developed and trained his own horses, and
continues to search for new prospects as well as competing his own Advanced
Level horses. He is involved with the development and governing of the
sport as a member of the U.S. Equestrian and Eventing Association Committees,
as well as the development of young riders through clinics and the U.S.
Pony Club.
In 2002, the "Chronicle
of the Horse" recognized John's achievements by naming him their
"Overall Horseman of the Year." 2004 has been a continuation
of John's International success; he traveled to England to compete his
own "Carrick" and "Sloopy" at the Burghley CCI****,
where they placed 4th and 18th, respectively. This helped earn them
a place on the USET's Winter Training List, a key step towards the 2004
Olympics in Athens, where he was part of the Bronze Medal-winning US
Eventing Team.
John and his wife,
Ellen, his groom of the past 12 years, live near Middleburg, Virginia.
They share their home and live with six horses, three cats, one dog
and one chicken.
Visit John Williams
and Kim Severson at the Pennfield Booth (# 835 & 836) after their
talk on Saturday!
Merlin has been
a farm labor specialist for the State of Maryland for 22 years. He is
currently responsible for administrating the agricultural foreign labor
program, farm labor housing and agricultural wage surveys.
Keith Wills is an
account executive for MidAtlantic Farm Credit, one of the largest ag and
rural lenders in the mid-Atlantic region. He works in MidAtlantic’s
Bel Air office, and focuses on loans to the equine industry.
Keith Wills has been involved in the equine community for almost fifteen
years. In November, he was appointed by Governor Robert L. Ehrlich,
Jr. to the Maryland Horse Industry Board, a group created to promote
the horse industry in Maryland. He is also a board member of Baltimore
County Farm Bureau, the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, and the Maryland
Horse Council. He serves as treasurer of the following organizations:
Baltimore County Farm Bureau Agricultural Education Foundation, Baltimore
County Extension Advisory Council, and Baltimore County Agricultural
Resource Center.
MidAtlantic Farm
Credit has fifteen offices throughout central Maryland, the Eastern
Shore of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, as well as southeastern Pennsylvania.
John Zawitoski Montgomery County Department of Economic Development
In
addition to the tremendous help Equestrian Promotions, LLC provides,
we would like to thank the sponsors for this year's event - without
your generous support, we wouldn't have the quality speakers we have
this year:
Members
of the HWE University Seminar Series Committee include:
