History

In the year 1998, the UM Equestrian Club was started at the University of Maryland, College Park. In the beginning days of the club, there was a total of 4 horses and only a dozen members, much smaller than the 60 or so members currently active in today's UM Equestrian Club.

At the time, the University Cavalry had just come folded, so there was no future for classes with the horses on campus so, the early members worked to at least keep them exercised. The original focus for what is now known as UMEC was caring for the animals, although there were also plans for a lesson program.

Back then, there was leftover cavalry equipment, but the saddles were old and not very good. The early members worked hard to raise enough money to buy new saddles and tack. In fact, they had to raise enough money to buy horses for the university when club membership began to expand. The first donation horse, Amber, came when Dr. Burk arrived in 2001.

Dr. Hartsock, the "Pig Man" was the adviser and helped work out the legalities of horse donations. Jordan, the Farm Manager at the time, helped the club with guidance and assistance with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) and the Animal Science department.

In its short history, with the hard work of all the members and the directors, the UM Equestrian Club has become a fully functioning, member-run equestrian club. We have developed an extensive horse training program, an educational herd health system, as well as an interactive lesson program.

Mission

The mission of UM Equestrian Club is to enhance horsemanship on all levels and promote all aspects of horse knowledge through diverse hands on experiences from different riding styles and training techniques to daily horse maintenance. The UM Equestrian Club also aspires to maintain a happy and healthy horse herd and a welcoming and supportive community atmosphere among members, so that everyone may learn from each other's talents and strengths.