As the feature sponsor of the Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tour, Ritchie Industries is again partnering with Downunder Horsemanship for the third year in a row to help non-profit equine organizations raise money for their individual causes.
At each Walkabout Tour stop, a local organization with equine connections is selected to run the Ritchie Charity Ball Toss. Throughout the two-day event, spectators purchase tennis balls from the non-profit organization for $5, and on Sunday afternoon toss them into the arena trying to be the closest to a pre-determined marker.
Those closest to the marker receive Clinton's instructional DVDs and Downunder Horsemanship training tools. All money raised goes straight to the non-profit organization.
Clinton sees the ball toss as a way to give back to the communities he visits and the charity event has become a fan-favorite at tours. “The ball toss is something I love partnering with Ritchie to bring to the crowd. It's a great way to help local organizations raise funds they need to continue to make a difference in their communities,” Clinton says.
Organizations chosen to head up the Ritchie Charity Ball Toss in the past have included equine rescues, therapeutic riding centers for children, adults and military personnel, and 4-H groups.
Thanks to tour spectators’ generosity and Ritchie’s willingness to support the event and often match the monies raised dollar for dollar, the ball toss has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations around the country.
"This weekend was one of those amazing events that demonstrates how powerful an act of kindness is, and what happens when you send it forward,” Rebecca McManus of Leg Up Therapeutic Riding Center, a past organization chosen to run the Ritchie Charity Ball Toss, said after the event. “Leg Up wishes to thank Clinton Anderson, the Downunder Horsemanship organization and Ritchie Industries for creating a fundraising event that supports local equine communities. We were honored to be selected for this fundraising activity and were humbled by the generosity of all the people at that event."
Organizations interested in running a Ritchie Charity Ball Toss at a Walkabout Tour need to fill out an application on the Downunder Horsemanship website:
http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/events/tour_charity.cfm
for consideration.
The Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tour will be making six nationwide stops in 2012:
January 28-29 – Reaves Arena at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, Perry, GA
March 24-25 – Ford Truck Arena at the Tulsa Expo Square, Tulsa, OK
June 16-17 – Jacobson Exhibition Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines, IA
August 4-5 – Save Mart Center at Fresno State University, Fresno, CA
September 8-9 – Majestic Valley Arena, Kalispell, MT
October 27-28 – George Henderson Expo Center, Lufkin, TX
For more information about Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tours, visit
http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/events/events_tour.cfm.