The Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB)—a program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture—has awarded $30,000 in grants to 23 organizations that represent a variety of equine groups and disciplines across the state. The committee selected projects from a pool of 33 applicants.

Funding for these grants and the MHIB is provided by the Maryland Feed Fund, which collects $6 on every ton of horse feed sold in the state. Since the fund was established in 2002, the board has awarded over $400,000 in grants to over 300 projects.

This year’s recipients include projects that provide training to help animal control workers in equine welfare cases, purchase a model horse which will be painted to include the equine skeleton and organs, purchase sagittal cross sections of both the fore- and hind limbs of the horse to be used for equine anatomy education, enhance facilities for inner city children to learn about horses and horsemanship, restore historic Maryland horse racing films from the 1920s that have never been seen by the public, and more. Nearly half of this year’s grantees received funding for projects related to 4-H, Pony Club and therapeutic horsemanship programs.

A full list of recipients—including detailed descriptions of each project—is available on the MHIB’s website