Category Archives: Community/Charity

Peter Leone’s Lionshare Farm Wins Classic Equine Stall and Tack Room Award at 2011 Winter Equestrian Festival

Wellington, FL (January 25, 2011) – Thanks to a “classic” look of green draperies, tiled floors, potted plants and framed photos – as well as a few extras such as snaffle bits holding back the curtains – Peter Leone’s Lionshare Farm took home the Classic Equine Stall and Tack Room Award during the second week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. Sponsored by Classic Equine Equipment, a nationally recognized leader in quality horse stall systems and stable accessories, Lionshare won a teak braiding stool from Classic Equine Equipment and Idlewild Furnishing, Classic Equine’s South Florida distributor.

Leone was thrilled to win the Classic Equine Stall and Tack Room Award and said he was proud of his team that helped make it possible. “Our stabling area at WEF is the same location that George Morris had with his famed Hunterdon when they competed in Wellington, so we are very proud to have this spot,” Leone said. “Another interesting thing about our stabling area is that our colors are green, burgundy and yellow and some of our actual equipment is from the original Still Meadows Farm. They owned the Gold Medal Olympic horse, Calypso, ridden by Melanie Smith.”

Lionshare, a full horse show and sale facility, hails from Greenwich, Connecticut, but Leone said they look forward to their time in Florida every year. “The Winter Equestrian Festival is the best competition of the year,” he said. “The best riders from North and South America and Europe come here to compete.”

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Take the Reins with Rate My Horse PRO Trial Membership

Virginia Beach, Virginia (January 24, 2011) – It’s time to take the reins and rate your horse professionals. Rate My Horse PRO is offering a 24-Hour No Risk Trial Membership. This limited time offer is to celebrate the site’s upcoming Grand Launch when ratings go live.

Beginning Monday, January 24, 2011 guests can register for full site access to add and rate their PROs. If new members are not happy with what their $5 identity verification fee provides, they have the opportunity to cancel within 24 hours of registering and receive a full refund. Rate My Horse PRO Media Relations Coordinator Debbie Hanson says, “We have had many requests for a trial period. We’re proud to be able to extend this limited time offer without compromising the validity of the ratings or the security of our members.”

The $5 fee members pay is for identity verification. Rate My Horse PRO is the first company to introduce this feature to the online ratings world. The process ensures the validity of the ratings by prohibiting users from being able to manipulate the ratings. It is also one of several security features in place to protect the site’s professional members who are being rated.

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NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #3, by Claire Dorotik

NO SECRET SO CLOSE is the story of a the most unthinkable betrayal humanly possible — at only 24 years old, Claire Dorotik’s father has been murdered, her mother arrested, and now, in a sinister twist of fate, Claire’s mother points the finger at Claire, accusing her of killing her own father. Battling the feelings of loss, abandonment, terror, and dissociation, and also learning about them, Claire struggles to stay in her master’s program for psychotherapy. However, when Claire’s brothers also betray her and side with her mother, Claire is left all alone to care for the 18 horses she and her mother owned. As the story unfolds, what is revealed is the horses’ amazing capacity for empathy in the face of human trauma, and the almost psychic ability to provide the author with what had been taken from her. Arising from these horrifying circumstances, the most unthinkable heroes — the horses — show Claire that life is still worth living.

Excerpt #3 from NO SECRET SO CLOSE:

But I wanted to believe that my mother was kind and loving. I’d see her with my brother’s friends, and think that she was a great mom. They’d all talk to her about what was going on with them, in a way every parent hopes their teenager will talk to them.  She’d sit and listen for hours. And they’d all say that they wished they could talk to their own parents this way. I’d watch, just sitting around the edges, wondering why not me? Why can’t I be listened to like that? But maybe Dad was right; maybe I was the source of the family’s financial strain. Maybe we would’ve been better off without the horses.

Continue reading NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #3, by Claire Dorotik

Great Charity Challenge Ticket Sales Update: Danny and Ron’s rescue wins 2011 bye! Caridad wins 2012 bye!

Wellington, FL – January 23, 2010 – With 512 tickets sold, Danny and Ron’s Rescue became the 30th selection of the 2011 Great Charity Challenge (GCC).  Caridad, with 535 tickets sold, received a bye for the 2012 GCC. Yesterday, over 2,600 tickets and $55,000 dollars were raised for the event.

A summary of the 2011 Bye Candidates and the count of sales is below:

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Mason Phelps Joins Robert Dover on the Radio

Robert Dover

Show airs on WBZT (1230 AM) each Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Wellington, FL – January 24, 2011 – – Mason Phelps, Jr. the President of America’s leading equestrian public relations firm, Phelps Media Group, has been tabbed to be a weekly contributor and guest on the popular radio program hosted by Robert Dover that airs at 6 p.m. on WBZT, AM 1230, a Clear Channel station in South Florida.

Phelps also heads up the highly acclaimed and innovative equestrian news website, www.PhelpsSports.com.

A former Olympic equestrian, and one of the horse industry’s most important insiders, Phelps brings to the airwaves a vast, inside knowledge of everything equestrian, especially in South Florida.

The host of the program, Robert Dover, has earned more honors than any other U.S. Dressage rider in history, competing in six consecutive Olympic Games for the United States Equestrian Team, as well as four World Championship Teams and seven World Cup Finals.

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Charles Owen, Inc. Announces 100th Anniversary Sponsorships at FTI WEF

Charles Owen Inc. Managing Director Roy Burek presents a Charles Owen helmet to 1.35m Jumper winner Laura Chapot. Photo copyright Sportfot

January 22, 2011 – WELLINGTON, FL — Charles Owen, Inc. announced this week the company will kick off its 100th Anniversary extravaganza at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, WEF annually attracts world-class competition, showcasing the best in show jumping and show hunters.

During the 12 weeks of competition, eight new promotional posters featuring top Charles Owen sponsored riders will be featured throughout the WEF show grounds. In addition to sponsoring the International Riders’ Lounge, conveniently located outside the International Ring adjacent to the warm up area, Charles Owen is sponsoring the $2,500 1.35m Charles Owen Jumper Series, held throughout the winter circuit. On February 5, 2011 the company will serve as presenting sponsor of the International Club Cocktail Party, held prior to the Battle of the Sexes, where top jumper riders compete against each other in match race and 6 bar contests.

Tack shops at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival that are regular stockists of Charles Owen products will be participating in the much-anticipated Bring A Friend promotion. Customers who purchase a Charles Owen riding helmet can take a friend back to that store and, when that friend purchases a Charles Owen riding helmet of their own, both will receive a free Charles Owen hat bag.

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Caroline Roffman Kicks Off New Year by Competing In and Winning Young Rider Grand Prix

Caroline Roffman competed in and won her first Grand Prix on her Danish horse Lux Stensvang at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge I Show. (Photo courtesy of HorseSportsPhoto .com)

Wellington, FL (January 18, 2011) – Dressage rider Caroline Roffman kicked off the New Year by competing in and winning the Young Rider Grand Prix on Lux Stensvang at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge I Show. Roffman, who was named the 2010 FEI Rising Star by the International Equestrian Federation, won the FEI or Equivalent Test of Choice Open on Lux with a score of 68.605% and also rode Pie to the win in the FEI or Equivalent Test of Choice Open with a 72.105%.

“It was only mine and Lux’s second time riding the Young Rider Grand Prix,” Roffman said. “I purchased Lux, who is nine years old, from Blue Horse Stud in Denmark through my trainer Lars Petersen. He is a Danish gelding by Lobster, and I’ve owned him for about a year and a half. We rode the Young Rider Grand Prix for the first time at the Wellington Classic Dressage Holiday Challenge in December, and it went really well.  But I was also really nervous. So nervous, in fact, I forgot to salute at the end!  But at this past show, our second time showing the Young Rider Grand Prix, things went much smoother and our scores are steadily improving.”

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Dressage Rider & Bestseller Tami Hoag Unveils New Novel to Wellington Horse Community

Tami Hoag is joined by her longtime friend and dressage trainer Betsy Steiner during Hoag’s book signing at the Wellington dressage boutique. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (January 18, 2011) – Dressage rider and New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag knows how to write a spine-tingling murder mystery and she also knows how to bring in a standing-room only crowd when unveiling a new novel. Hoag did just that recently, when she unveiled her newest novel Secrets to the Grave to the Wellington horse community while on a book tour that had her stopping at the Wellington dressage boutique Sho Clothes and their monthly “Shop Talk” gathering.

Hoag, who has 15 New York Times bestsellers to her name, shared the secrets behind Secrets to the Grave and also signed her novels after her talk. While Hoag has fans all over the world, she makes her home in Wellington and is well known in the equestrian community as both a writer and a rider.

“It was an impressive crowd and a lot of fun,” Hoag said, about her evening at Sho Clothes. “My longtime trainer Betsy Steiner came to the book signing, as well as many old and new friends. It is always good to catch up with all my riding buddies.”

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More Equestrian Leaders Signed On to Speak at Canadian Women’s Horse Industry Conference

The Canadian Women’s Horse Industry has announced more speakers for their conference March 4-5, 2011 in Toronto. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel and is open to all equine professionals. Equine Wellness Magazine is a sponsor of the event participating as the official Platinum Media Sponsor.

The BUSINESS OF HORSES panel on March 4, 2011 has added Melanie Prosser, the REACH Huron – Director, Program Services. Prosser has a lifetime’s involvement in the horse industry starting from age five. Her experience includes working in the Standardbred industry on broodmare farms and at Yearling Sales, and making training videos for educational courses with the University of Guelph. Melanie was a faculty member at Fairview College, in northern Alberta (now a N.A.I.T. campus). She owned and operated her own business, Fieldstones Equestrian Centre, providing lessons, boarding and training, as well as riding lessons and classroom teaching to working students, in addition to operating a tack store at her facility.  Upon her return to Ontario she accepted the position of Program Manager for the Office of Open Learning at the University of Guelph. Her portfolio included the award winning Equine Science Certificate online program. She helped develop the online Equine Science Diploma and the Equine Business Management Certificate. Melanie was a course developer and instructor for some of the courses, most notably the Equine Business Management course. Currently Melanie is working for the Regional Equine & Agricultural Centre of Huron Inc. (REACH Huron) as the Director, Program Services where she is developing a wide variety of courses, programs and clinics for the horse industry and local community. She is also the Lead Instructor for the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus Performance Horse Handler Certificate which is delivered at REACH Huron.

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ESP Announces Fundraising Goal of $1 Million for the 2011 FTI Great Charity Challenge

Wellington, FL – January 15, 2011 – The first annual FTI Great Charity Challenge galloped out of the gates in 2010 with huge momentum, raising over $560,000 for 24 non-profit charities. The success of the inaugural event inspired Equestrian Sport Productions to set a fundraising goal of $1 million for the 2011 FTI Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments, which is a featured event of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival.

The Great Charity Challenge (GCC) is a relay style jumping competition that is scheduled to take place at 6:00 p.m. on February 19, 2011 in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Thirty relay teams will be formed, consisting of two junior/amateur riders and one professional rider. Each equestrian team is assigned a charity to represent, and the charity matched with the winning team will win over $100,000!

The event will also host the Equestrian Aid Foundation Carnival, where children can enjoy carnival games, a dunk tank, a moon bounce, and more. In the true spirit of giving, the EAF will contribute half of the proceeds received from the Carnival to the total prize money awarded to the 30 charities participating in the GCC. The other half of the proceeds will be contributed to the Equestrian Aid Foundation.

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