From left to right, #118 Blazing Terp stands proudly with Caroline Spieker, Dr. Amy Burk, Aubrey Lowrey, Allison Pedro, Katie Brooks, Margaret Hines and Maddie Alliger.
Image Credit: Lydia A. Williams
Last weekend, AGNR’s beloved yearlings, Maryland’s Miracle and Blazing Terp, said goodbye to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and hello to new owners at the Midlantic Winter Mixed Fasig-Tipton Sale.
“This year was big for us because the last two years we put horses in with a professional seller,” Dr. Amy Burk, associate professor of the equine studies program, said. “After two years of watching him, we thought we could do it on our own this year as our students are trained to do this job that the professionals typically do.”
Thankfully, Burk was not mistaken. AGNR students Caroline Spieker, Margaret Hines, Aubrey Lowrey, Madeline Alliger, Esha Tariq, and Katie Brooks prepped, trained and showed the horses on Saturday, leading to their Sunday sale at Maryland’s State Fairgrounds in Lutherville-Timonium.
“The biggest thing that the students had to learn was how to show a young Thoroughbred in-hand,” Burk explained. “You have to put in a special bit, walk them with a new chain, show them how to walk in an athletic fashion and be prepared to position the horse appropriately when the buyers view the horse from different angles.”
This was AGNR’s third year attending the sale, and the $9,500 grossed is considered very good for the sale of two yearlings. Blazing Terp ranked in the top 10 for all yearlings sold.
“The students looked just as good as any professional handling an 800 pound horse and I’m very pleased with how this sale turned out,” Burk concluded.
While we say goodbye to two of our equine own, we anxiously await the arrival of our next two foals at the end of March.
Looks like these new horses have some big hooves to fill!
