(Reisterstown, MD – July 25, 2023) As the third installment of the newly-launched Howard & Sondra Bender Educational Series, a partnership with University of Maryland Extension, the Maryland Horse Foundation will be hosting a seminar on equine sports turfgrass management August 30th at the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center. The event will feature Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance members Logan Freeman and Geoffrey Rinehart as speakers.

Geoffrey Rinehart (University of Maryland Turfgrass Management) will speak about the five primary cultural practices of turfgrass (mowing, fertilizing, irrigation, cultivation, and pest management) as they pertain to equestrian surfaces. Species and variety selection will also be covered. Logan Freeman, Senior Sports Turf Consultant for the Maryland Jockey Club, will speak about how he utilizes the five primary cultural practices within the turfgrass track maintenance programs at both Laurel Park and Pimlico and the new science-based tools being implemented to help in the process.

Following the presentations there will be open discussion about turfgrass management in equine sports.

The event will be held at 5:30pm on August 30th. A live video link is available upon request. Attendance is free. Visit www.MarylandHorse.com/Turfgrass to learn more and register.

For more information, contact Becky Remsberg at bremsberg@marylandthoroughbred.com or 410-252-2100.

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About the Howard & Sondra Bender Educational Series

The Howard & Sondra Bender Educational Series is the newest addition to the slate of existing educational programs produced by the Maryland Horse Foundation. The series, hosted at the Maryland Horse Library & Education Center, utilizes the facility’s resources to offer an educational series of in-person gatherings covering a wide range of topics for people involved in and/or interested in learning more about the Maryland horse and/or agricultural industries. These sessions are recorded and available for public viewing as an on-demand resource. The Maryland Horse Foundation has partnered with University of Maryland Extension to deliver a set of 4 seminars over the course of 2023, following a general theme of sustainability.

About the Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance

The Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance, (ESTA) is a recently formed group of university and industry turfgrass experts. ESTA as an organization is dedicated to conducting research and providing education about turfgrass surfaces for racetrack, eventing, polo and other-use equine surfaces. ESTA looks to take advantage of any educational opportunities available to communicate with horse owners, trainers and equine facility managers in order to provide information on how to better manage turfgrass systems. It is the goal of ESTA to bring science-backed maintenance practices to the forefront of equine turfgrass management.