Photo courtesy of Alena Weida.

Wellington, Fla. – May 15, 2017 – Alena Weida is the kind of girl who has always gotten back on the horse.

She began taking western riding lessons when she was 10 and rounded out her high school years as a 4-H-er, barrel racer and rodeo queen. Determined to work her way through college, Alena took a job as an animal technician in the theater industry, where her can-do spirit landed her jobs with everything from horses to zebras and camels.

This same spirit also landed her in the emergency room – twice. In 2012, she ended up underneath a hot mare she was warming up and was kicked several times in the chest and head. After a brief recovery, she continued to ride and attend school but was plagued with headaches and mental fogginess. As she lagged behind in her schoolwork, she faulted herself for not being able to tough out her symptoms and just “shake it off.”

Less than a later, a horse she was mounting spooked in a gravel parking lot, and once again, Alena ended up underneath. This accident resulted in a seizure, and it was then that doctors diagnosed her with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The more Alena learned about TBI, the more she was able to understand her condition, and the more she began to feel like herself again.

With this diagnosis, though, came rules for recovery – no riding, no screen time, no reading for long periods of time – that have stopped Alena’s plans for the future in their tracks. Unable to ride or complete her academic goals at a steady clip, Alena suffers from anxiety and depression issues that affect both her professional and personal life.

Alena is not sure of her prognosis at this point, but with the help of the Equestrian Aid Foundation, she will be able to afford specialized therapies known to benefit people with TBI. She is confident this is the leg up she needs to get back to her former self, and thanks to our generous donors, Alena remains hopeful for a bright future.

The Equestrian Aid Foundation® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that assists people from all corners of the horse world who are coping with life-changing injury or illness and financial crisis. Since its inception 21 years ago, the Foundation has granted over $2.7 million in direct financial aid to equestrians facing adversity. Our needs-based support provides assistance with basic living and rehabilitative expenses to riders, trainers, farriers, grooms, horse farm owners and other equestrians who need a helping hand to get back on their feet. For more information, please visit EquestrianAidFoundation.org.

Wellington, Fla. – May 8, 2017 – The Equestrian Aid Foundation announced their new horse show program, Show You Care. The organization provides financial assistance to members of the horse community who suffer from catastrophic illness and injury and they are reaching out to horse show managers across the country to help them with their mission.

“Linda Andrisani, a well-respected US Equestrian “R” judge, and other Foundation board members convinced us to launch this horse show program,” said Louise Smith, executive director of the Equestrian Aid Foundation. “The concept is aligned with our goals to spread awareness of the organization, gain support and help more horse people in need.”

Andrisani faced the unknown when she and her lifelong partner, Jack Stedding, had to downsize their top show hunter business due to illness. “The EAF came in and supplemented the loss of my income and helped me get back on my feet,” Andrisani said. “I had never really been aware of the depth of the work that they did for so many of the horse people.”

The Show You Care program is a simple way for horse show managers to support the Equestrian Aid Foundation’s mission of helping critically ill and injured horse people – from riders and grooms to judges and ground crew; the very people who populate show grounds day after day.

How the program works is simple and straight-forward. Show managers designate a warmup or schooling class in the hunter and jumper divisions as a Show You Care class. Then the show managers choose a percentage of each entry fee, from 5 to 50 percent, per designated class to donate to the Equestrian Aid Foundation at the end of the show. Because the Equestrian Aid Foundation is a 501(c)(3), donations are tax deductible. Show managers control the depth of their contribution by their selection of the classes and the percentage of contribution.

Caring about seriously injured or ill members of the equestrian community is a great message for show managers to send, and the Equestrian Aid Foundation will promote your support in the press, on the web, in email marketing and in our social media.

Upon completing their rounds in the Show You Care class, competitors will receive a green Show You Care lapel ribbon, provided by the Equestrian Aid Foundation. Riders are encouraged to wear their ribbons throughout the show and share their photos on social media (hashtags #ShowYouCare and #EquestrianAidFoundation). Winners of a monthly Show You Care social media photo contest will win a prize.

Show managers may sign up now for the Show You Care program for their 2017 summer and fall horse shows. Contact Emily Cleland at Emily@EquestrianAid.org.

EquestrianAidFoundation.org

An equestrian’s life can change in an instant. Accidents happen, illness strikes. Even those with insurance can risk losing everything when things go wrong. This may happen to a friend or rider in your barn. Your trainer, groom or farrier. Any of us.

Thanks to your compassion, the Equestrian Aid Foundation® has been there in times of need for over 20 years. Your support has made it possible to help horse people in over 30 states across America to keep a roof over their heads, obtain medication, and receive therapeutic treatment to improve their lives.

Together, we have provided over $2.6 million in direct financial assistance to critically injured or ill horse people in need of a helping hand.

One of these equestrians is Laurietta, a determined para-equestrian who has beaten two different forms of cancer. Yet she still suffers from progressively debilitating auto-immune diseases that significantly affect her health. Today, Laurietta can only walk short distances using braces – otherwise, she relies on a motorized wheelchair. “I live life as good as I can,” she says. “If it wasn’t for Equestrian Aid helping me pay my rent, I would probably be on the streets. People have the option of helping people – and when they help, it is really meaningful.”

You have been with Equestrian Aid grant recipients like Laurietta every step of the way.  Thank you! But with healthcare costs and living expenses on the rise, fellow equestrians who are coping with medical and financial crises need you more than ever.

Please send a tax deductible gift of healing today to those in our equestrian community who need it most. Every contribution will make a difference in a suffering horse person’s life.

You are Equestrian Aid. Please help to keep hope alive.

To see firsthand how your generous gift helps, please visit EquestrianAidFoundation.org.

Equestrian Aid Foundation
11924 West Forest Hill Blvd
Suite 10A-377
Wellington, FL 33414
800-792-6068
EquestrianAidFoundation.org