ASPCA Celebrates Rescued Horses with Parade at Alltech National Horse Show

Equine Welfare Ambassadors and World Class Riders Will Take Center Ring on November 6

LEXINGTON, KY — Sunday, November 6 has been officially designated as “ASPCA Day” at the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, Ky. and to celebrate, the ASPCA is holding a parade of rescued horses that will be highlighted in the competition arena preceding the finals of the prestigious ASPCA Maclay National Championship competition.

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will run November 2-6, 2011, in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Horses from the Kentucky Horse Park Mustang Troup will begin the parade. These mustangs were once completely wild on the plains of North Dakota and were later rounded up and removed from their native land. Rescuers have since worked to rehabilitate and train them, and they are now much more accustomed to humans and have become trustworthy riding and performance horses.

The second half of the parade will feature four Thoroughbred former racehorses from the Kentucky Equine Humane Center’s Thoroughbred Re-training Program, which is sponsored by the ASPCA’s Rescuing Racers Initiative, a part of the ASPCA Equine Fund. This program retrains Thoroughbred race horses to give them a chance at having a second career as pleasure or show horses, and works to finds them new homes. Every horse featured in the ring from this program is available for adoption. Two of the rescued racers will be hand-walked into the ring, while the other two will be ridden.  The two “Rescue Riders” will be 18-year-old Hayley Barnhill, the 2010 ASPCA Maclay National Champion and ASPCA Equine Welfare Ambassador, and Julie Cooper, the head trainer of Kentucky Equine Humane Center’s Thoroughbred Retraining Program. The rescued horses also will be joined by officials from the Kentucky Horse Park, Kentucky Equine Humane Center, the ASPCA, and ASPCA Equine Welfare Ambassador and world class rider Georgina Bloomberg.

Representatives on hand from the ASPCA will include the coordinator of the event, Valerie Angeli, senior director of equine and special projects; Nancy Perry, senior vice president of government relations; Jacque Schultz, senior director of the ASPCA’s Equine Fund; Sherry Rout, legislative liaison and Tawnya Mosgrove, legislative and events manager.  Joining them will be officials from the Kentucky Equine Humane Center, including Tanya Stalion, executive director and Julie Cooper, head trainer of the Rescued Racers Initiative and Kathy Hopkins, director of equine operations for the Kentucky Horse Park, along with volunteers who have worked tirelessly to protect and find loving homes for these horses.

“This year is the ASPCA’s 145th anniversary of protecting horses, and there is no better way to celebrate than to be here in Kentucky at the most prestigious horse show in the country,” said the ASPCA’s Valerie Angeli. “The National Horse Show is a great opportunity to showcase these rescued horses who are lucky enough to have a second chance at a good life.  The Kentucky Horse Park and Kentucky Equine Humane Center have worked to give a voice to these animals and we are proud to be collaborating with them. At-risk horses everywhere are in need of our support, and we are grateful to the National Horse Show for giving us a platform to champion the cause of equine welfare.”

In addition to the parade, the ASPCA will be stationed on the grounds at an information and advocacy center in the education area of the Alltech arena from November 3 to 6.  Equine experts will be on site to discuss equine welfare, the history of horse advocacy, and how attendees can help protect horses across the country. Representatives from the ASPCA Equine Fund, which provides life-saving grants to horse rescue groups across the country, also will be on site to provide information to rescue groups on the grant application process, and how attendees can donate directly to the ASPCA Equine Fund.

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National Horse Show Association’s primary activity is the annual production of the National Horse Show and all ancillary events. Over the years, the National Horse Show has provided financial aid to many worthwhile charities.

For more information on the National Horse Show Association of America, Limited, please visit www.nhs.org.

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