Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding: Hooves Across America

Today, we salute an organized ride for charity.

This week’s honoree:

On September 26, 2015, riders will be saddling up to give back to the larger community, fundraising for The National Hospice Foundation. With goals of creating a nation-wide event to continue to give back to multiple good causes, the Cheshire Horse Council created Hooves Across America and are working hard to continue spreading the word and help interested equestrians get involved. Jennifer Anderson, a member of the Cheshire Horse Council and lead member of the Hooves Across America team, kindly answered our questions about the organized fundraiser ride.

What inspired the creation of Hooves Across America?

This effort holds personal meaning to us. In 2014 our Council President Bob Larosa’s brother Victor spent his final days in the loving care of a local hospice, VITAS of Waterbury, CT. Bob was so touched by the extraordinary care and compassion shown to Victor that our organization, the Cheshire Horse Council, decided to dedicate a trail ride to raise funds for VITAS. The success of that ride surpassed our goals, and inspired us to think bigger. Hooves Across America was created to unite the horse community to ride together for an important cause.

Last year’s fundraiser ride, which inspired the national-level effort in 2015.

How does the fundraiser work?

Riders across the country will join Hooves Across America in a fundraising ride on September 26, 2015. Groups will ride at local spots of their choosing, and will encourage friends and family to support the ride with donations. Funds will support The National Hospice Foundation, whose work benefits hospices around the country.

How do interested riders get involved?

It is easy! All horsey folk are welcome to start or find a local ride by checking out the tools and suggestions on our webpage.  Everything you need is there to make the ride simple and fun! Additionally, donations can be made to The National Hospice Foundation directly from our site: 100% of donations made on our website will go directly to The National Hospice Foundation.

Last year’s fundraiser ride, which inspired the national-level effort in 2015.

Do you hope to make this an annual event?

We are very excited for the September 26 ride!  We plan to have a Hooves Across America fundraising ride every September, and build success year over year.  There are so many important and worthy causes in need of support, and we are eager for the opportunity to focus on additional causes in future years.

Anything else important readers should know?

We are proud to support the important work done by The National Hospice Foundation.  But we’re also excited to rally the horse community together!  We’ve seen the power and results when other communities come together for a cause – the biking community, the running community … why not us horsey folk?

Last year’s fundraiser ride, which inspired the national-level effort in 2015.

We encourage readers who are interested in learning more, joining a ride near them or organizing their own ride to visit the Hooves Across America website. For updates, follow the Cheshire Horse Council group on Facebook.

Many thanks thanks to Ovation Riding for their support of both Horse Nation and individuals and organizations that are doing good work in the horse world. If you know someone who deserves a Standing Ovation, we would love to recognize them in a future post. Email the name of the person or organization along with a message about the good work they do to [email protected]. Photos/videos are always welcome, and include a link to their website if applicable.