by Tim Nichols

Kenny Ebersole, a horseman who galloped Thoroughbreds at Tampa Bay Downs and helped run a family pony business, died on October 9 in Tampa, Florida. He was 52.

Ebersole and his wife of 21 years, Nancy, ran Ebersole Pony Services for 30 years.

“Kenny was well loved and well respected by everyone he crossed paths with,” Nancy Ebersole said. “I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Kenny at all.”

Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Kenny Ebersole started in the horse industry in the 1960s as he galloped racehorses for Kenny Brown. He later galloped at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, West Virginia, and maintained a pony business at Colonial Downs and Tampa Bay Downs. The couple moved to the Tampa Bay area permanently in 1992.

A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. EDT on Saturday at the Ebersoles’ home in Tampa. A larger service will also be held in December at Tampa Bay Downs.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations toward a trust fund for Kenny and Nancy Ebersole’s children—daughter Britney, 20, and son Cody, 13.

For more information, contact Nancy Ebersole at (813) 493-1953.

Tim Nichols is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY assistant editor