Two Whidbey Island Non-Profits Have Something to Giddie-Up About
Whidbey Dressage Society Presents Checks to Benefit HOPE Therapeutic Riding Center and WIRE Horse Rescue
COUPEVILLE, Wash .-- Sept. 10, 2009 -- HOPE Therapeutic Riding Center (HOPE) and Whidbey Island Rescue for Equines (WIRE) were presented with three thousand dollars each in donations raised from the Festival of Freestyles dressage benefit and silent auction held recently in Coupeville, WA. Pat Lamont, Lisa Boyer and Tom Foster of Whidbey Dressage Society, recently presented the checks to Karen Newman of HOPE and Tammy Kelly of WIRE.
One of the beneficiaries, HOPE Therapeutic Riding Center, has served the community for 23 years helping to improve the lives of children and adults facing physical and/or developmental challenges. HOPE’s equine-assisted therapeutic program helps to build balance, muscle strength, hand/eye coordination, self-confidence, social skills, and the ability to overcome fears. At the dressage event, HOPE presented two kids, 7 and 9 years old, overcoming the special challenges of Tourettes and Hypo-sensory/low muscle tone disorders. Both young girls wore smiles while demonstrating yoga exercises on the backs of specially trained therapy horses under the guidance of HOPE’s Head Instructor, Melissa Jacobe. “HOPE is very thankful to the Whidbey Dressage Society, to the generous business sponsors and spectators, and to the tireless volunteers for coming together on behalf of HOPE and the many families gaining from HOPE’s program,” said Karen Newman, Executive Director at HOPE. “Dressage is all about making control look easy, and the money from this benefit will be used to help some very special kids gain a sense of control for their very first time.”
WIRE, another Whidbey 501(c)(3) nonprofit, also took part in the dressage show debuting a rescue horse, Starlight, who displayed an amazing talent for fancy footwork and an even more amazing transformation in health and appearance from the time of WIRE’s rescue. WIRE, based in Oak Harbor, WA, rescues, rehabilitates and finds new homes for abused and abandoned horses. “Sadly, when hit with economic hard times, our equine friends are often among the first to take the brunt of that hit,” said Becky Montanya, Founder and President at WIRE. “It takes a great deal of patience, perseverance and vet care to ready a horse like Starlight for a new home and WIRE couldn’t be more thankful to this generous community for caring about these wonderful animals.”
The vision behind the benefit came from the Whidbey Dressage Society, who also produced the event. “We wanted a dressage affair to benefit non-profits serving our community,” said Pat Lamont. “Both HOPE and WIRE strive to better the lives of people and equines in our community, and our club members and community stepped up with a lot of ‘hoofspa’ to help them fulfill their missions here on Whidbey Island.” The benefit brought together a host of local businesses sponsoring advertising, donating services, products and items for a silent auction held immediately after the show. The August 9 Festival of Freestyles was held at the Whidbey Equestrian Center in Coupeville, thanks to the generosity of its owner Helen St. Amand, and drew over 200 spectators who were treated to a close-up view of some of the most beautiful and talented horse and rider dressage pairs in the Northwest. Freestyle Dressage, a deceivingly strenuous sport, demonstrates a rider's ability to maneuver a horse through a series of precise movements set to music while appearing to be doing little more than taking a leisurely ”dance” around a ring.
For more information about HOPE, contact Karen Newman, (360) 221-7656 hopeexecdirector@whidbey.com
For more information about WIRE, contact Becky Montanya, (360) 675-9252 montanya@whidbey.net
For more information about Whidbey Dressage Society, contact Pat Lamont, (360) 675-1938 tjlamont@gte.net
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HOPE Students Meet The “World Famous” Lipizzaners
On a beautiful Saturday in May 2007, 65 students, volunteers, and family members went to the Everett Events Center for a fabulous afternoon of watching the “World Famous” Lipizzaners perform their amazing feats on and above the ground!! By special request, we were treated to a meeting with 2 of the riders and 1 of the gorgeous Lipizzaner stallions prior to the regular performance. Cool! The professional riders demonstrated horse care and answered questions about the training that both riders and horses must go through. Then we got to see the Lipizzaners AND their stunning Andalusian ancestors perform their graceful, powerful movements.
Had it not been for the generosity of so many in our communities, many families could not have afforded to go. One family of 11 mentioned how this was the first time in the past 4 years that they had ever left Whidbey Island for something other than a doctor's appointment and what a treat it was! The majority of our students had never even heard of Lipizzans or seen such precise, choreographed riding. They now want to ride on white horses! HOPE ... we're more than just a pony ride!
HOPE Poker Ride at M-C
May 26 th turned out to be a nice day for a ride! HOPE held a Poker Rider fundraiser at the
M-C ranch in Freeland with 34 riders participating. The riders appreciated not having to deal with the ferry lines on a busy Memorial Day weekend. Afterwards, everybody caught up on news and enjoyed lunch prepared by the M-C staff.
HOPE Wins Big at Pat Flynn Memorial Horseshow!
Talk about early! Our 5 riders, volunteers, families AND 2 horses had to catch the 5:30AM ferry from Whidbey Island to Mukilteo in order to get to the show on time!!! In June, we headed to the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Woodinville to compete against about 70 other therapeutic riders from Washington , as well as Alaska and British Columbia at the annual Pat Flynn Memorial Horseshow. This was the first time in several years that HOPE had sent riders to a horseshow and we were NOT disappointed!! The HOPE riders, aged from 4 to 9, competed in both the Obstacle and Equitation classes for their age groups. Each rider received either First or Second place and one rider was even the Obstacle High Point Champion for her age division! Way to go, Team HOPE !!!
This is what our Head Instructor said about the riders, “Everything about the show day was a test for our students. Not only did they have to get up super early, they went to a place they never had been before, talked with people they never had met before, and some even rode on horses that were new to them, PLUS the stress that competition naturally brings. Yet each and every one of them maintained their focus and emotional control, determination, and of course, accomplished all the tasks that the judges asked of them. Having worked with them and knowing their backgrounds, I knew they could do it, but they ‘blew me away' with how great they handled that entire day!”
At the end of the day, we all enjoyed music and a complementary BBQ hosted by Little Bit. By the time we got back to the island and put riders & horses to bed, we were tired but still smiling from an awesome day of ‘forever memories.'
Horse Around Days
Ever want to be able to see in one place every horse that ever exists!!! Well that's pretty much what we found at the Horse Around Days (HAD) extravaganza held 21-22 July at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mt. Vernon . Our HOPE booth was right in the center of the activity (until a nasty storm turned our tent inside out overnight) so that our volunteers manning the booth could see the arena demonstrations and watch all the gorgeous horses, ponies, mules and donkeys going by. We were right between the Gypsy Vanner horses and the Missouri Fox Trotters and across from the music stage. Darn the luck!! J Even our friends from the Warm Beach Vaulters were there!
The HAD organizers were happy to make room for us at the show, since they did not have any other representatives of Therapeutic Riding present. What a great opportunity to promote what we do!! We had lots of people stop by wanting to know more and we were happy to share information about HOPE and the other therapeutic riding programs in the area. We even had a very popular activity table where children could color pictures of horses. Being able to share the day with the HAD organizers was great, too, because the proceeds from the event went to help violence and abuse victims in Skagit county.
HOPE 's Autumn Classic Horseshow and Open House
No wind, rain, cold or soupy arena could keep the HOPE riders from competing in our first-ever in-house Autumn Classic Horseshow on Saturday, 6 October at the Island County Fair grounds in Langley, WA. In conjunction with the show, we also held our annual Open House and were rewarded with visits from our hearty, fellow northwesterners that don't let little squalls keep them at home. These visitors were in turn rewarded to see not only 30 HOPE students competing in Obstacle and Equitation classes, but also enjoyed demonstrations by our very own HOPE driving ponies and an amazing exhibition by the Warm Beach Vaulters. Needless to say, we had a great time!
Without the generous donations by businesses and individuals, we could not have put on such a classy show and open house. In addition, dozens of volunteers helped decorate, set up the arenas, and of course, helped our riders achieve their best. THANK YOU ALL for making such a wonderful, memorable day possible!!
If you missed out on this year's events, then you'll not want to miss the next one. Check our Calendar for 2009 activities.
