Giving Back: The Horse World's Favourite Charities

The big guns pitch in

Spruce Meadows is no stranger to promoting charitable causes, and 2014 marked the launch of a new initiative in support of the non-profit organizations who helped rebuild the lives and communities devastated by the floods of southern Alberta in 2013. The project, Horses Jump to Give a Leg Up, was presented in association with ConocoPhillips and the Calgary Sun. Twenty non-profit organizations were provided with a life-sized fibreglass horse and given free rein to decorate it. The figures were subsequently displayed on Spruce Meadows’ grounds and sold through an online silent auction, with proceeds from the sale of each horse going directly to the organization responsible for their decoration. When the auction closed during the final weekend of the Spruce Meadows Masters, a total of $138,300 had been raised. The auction attracted bids from across Canada, with an average price of just over $2,100 per horse. The highest bid was $6,000, with proceeds going to CanLearn Society.

In the four years that they have been raising funds for JustWorld International’s People Improvement Organization, Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC, has consistently been their leading supporting horse show. Thunderbird’s team of volunteers and staff have raised well over $60,000 for the PIO, which funds construction and supports the operational costs of two schools. Feature classes supporting their ‘adopted’ Cambodian initiatives – the PIO School Nurse Program and Family Rice Program – include a Family Extravaganza, Horseless Horse Show, Tug-o-War, Dunk Tank, silent and live auctions, sponsor contributions, and the Dianne Tidball Legacy Grand Prix benefitting JustWorld. Jane Tidball, president of Thunderbird Show Park, has seen first-hand the effect of the fundraising. “Last year, after visiting Cambodia and seeing the huge impact that the Rice for Families Program had on the children and families of Phnom Penh, I am more committed than ever to support this amazingly worthwhile cause through JustWorld International,” she explains. “Education is truly the way to break the cycle of poverty and it was so gratifying to see school graduates who have benefitted from the JustWorld programs coming back to the PIO schools and orphanages as mentors and teachers.”

Horse Sport magazine established the Horse Sport Young Riders’ Scholarship in 1998 as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations. For the next 11 years, 43 top Canadian eventers, show jumpers and dressage riders aged 16-21 – many whom went on to become members of the Canadian Equestrian Team – were awarded a cash prize toward their educational and riding pursuits. The scholarship format was revamped in 2010 and now rewards a single deserving Canadian young rider with a $5,000 scholarship based on criteria including their commitment, level of competition and success, volunteer work, and future goals.

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In 2013, Tipperary Equestrian launched a “Got Pink” campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research through the release of limited edition pink products. With every member of Tipperary’s staff having lost someone they loved to the disease, the effects of breast cancer hit close to home for the company. “Tipperary chose to support Breast Cancer Research because of how many employees have been personally affected by this disease, and of course in general it is a very worthwhile cause,” explains Tipperary’s sales and marketing coordinator Emmylou Ecclestone. “We hope that our contribution will help aid future generations in finding a cure.” A portion of the sales from the pink Sportage helmet and pink Eventer vest were donated to breast cancer research at the Women’s College Hospital Foundation in Toronto, ON.

Caledon Equestrian Park, host venue for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, maintains a long-standing relationship with the Children’s Wish Foundation. The Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, a week-long tournament held at the venue, has over the years offered a number of fundraising events to support the foundation and grants wishes for horse-crazy children with life-threatening illnesses. Over $15,000 was raised in 2013, and while they took a hiatus in 2014, they plan to return in 2015.

The power of one

Time can be just as valuable as money when helping to raise funds and awareness. Donated lessons and clinics can help support a cause. “I think that we as professionals may not always have the ability to donate a significant amount of our income,” explains Canadian show jumper Ainsley Vince, “but I donate my time and services whenever possible to try and raise funds for causes I believe in. If we do what we can to bring some public awareness and funding to charities, it’s always a good thing. We are lucky to be able to do what we love, and not everyone is so fortunate.” Vince regularly donates to the SPCA and local Humane Society, and has donated to Cause for Paws, a program which helps animals through the adoption process, promotes spay and neuter programs, and provides veterinary care when animals are received at shelters. Start2Finish, whose mission is to break the cycle of child poverty by providing ongoing educational support to Canada’s at-risk children through their school years, is another she supports. “You can’t mandate responsibility, but I would hope that people who have the ability would choose to try and make a difference,” Vince says. “For me, these charities hit close to home, because we work with kids and animals every day.”

The Mulligan family were faced with the unimaginable tragedy of losing their son, Matthew Mulligan, after a long battle with brain cancer at the young age of 25. Matthew, a two-time bronze medalist at the North American Young Riders’ Championships, was on the brink of a promising professional career. “Matthew was an incredible young talent,” remembers his mother, Lois, who, along with her husband, Peter, operates Stoney Fields Farm in Schomberg, ON. “The loss of Matthew has left a void in our lives, but he was so strong and determined that I felt I had to do something in his honour. I realized that we were not the only people who had lost someone and shifted my energy to include all of those who had lost their battle or were fighting all kinds of cancer.” For the last ten years, Mulligan’s main focus has been the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, a 12-hour team walk. Their team, whose slogan is “Jumping Great Heights to Beat Cancer,” has raised over $100,000 through the years. Mulligan is doing her part to ensure those lost are never forgotten. “I have had so much response and have been shown so much generosity through the equestrian community,” she says. “I think by including faces and stories of people in our community, it reminds people that so much is still needed to be done. I think we need to keep everyone remembering that we have lost too many people and we all have to keep fighting.”

The year 2009 changed everything for Canadian dressage rider Shannon Dueck. After learning that her mother had been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and her aunt had advanced stage breast cancer, she received the shock of her life when at just 46 she was also given a breast cancer diagnosis. Dueck’s mother, Jacqueline Oldham, a noted dressage competitor, official, and coach for 60 years in the industry, died in 2010. After undergoing a double mastectomy, Dueck devoted much of her time to raising awareness of the importance of early screening. “It’s important that we all know how to detect breast cancers, and also I think it’s important for people to know where to turn for treatment and education if they are affected by a diagnosis,” she explains. “The more we get this into the mainstream conversation, the better the outcomes. Early detection means much higher survival rates.” Dueck regularly takes part in three annual charity events: Challenge of the Americas, a night of grand prix dressage quadrilles in Wellington, FL, in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation; PVDA Ride For Life in Washington, DC, that has to date raised over $550,000 for the John Hopkins Breast Centre; and the Susan B Komen Race for the Cure, a worldwide walk/run fundraiser. “It is both inspiring and humbling to see so many people who have been affected by this disease,” Dueck says. “I would love to see more education and better preventative measure and treatment options for women in lower income brackets, particularly where health insurance is not universal.”

Young Rider Makes Inspiring Donation

Eleven-year-old Ellah Dubeau Kielty of Burlington, ON, became a media sensation in 2013 when, with a little of her own money saved up, she asked friends and family to give her donations instead of gifts for Christmas. She raised $390 for Transitions Thoroughbreds, a rescue and rehabilitation organization in Cumberland, ON. This was a pleasant surprise for owner Mindy Lovell, who said, “It is absolutely outstanding when a child of that age takes a stand to help these horses. Her parents are to be commended for raising a child with such principles.”

Kielty explained that when she heard about Lovell’s efforts to raise funds to feed the 40+ horses in her care, she wanted to help because, “As a show kid, I know how hard these animals work for us, and in the end they just want our love and care. Mindy gives them a second chance, and I wanted to help with that.

“I see people buying horse treats and paying for shows and fancy riding stuff, and I was thinking, if we can all find the money for that, then maybe we can all chip in a little and help feed the animals that mean so much to us. It just made sense to me.”