On January 28, 2013 The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) and the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) joined forces to help the over 700 rescues listed with the UHC. "ACTHA will facilitate rides for as many rescues that want them and donate all the net proceeds to the rescue and the UHC to continue their valuable work," stated Tom Scrima of ACTHA.
Trail riding benefits for horse rescues
The UHC and ACTHA trail ride fund raising effort is planned to go on for the year 2013 with hundreds of horse rescues participating.
And it looks like the rescues are ready! With only 12 days into the effort preliminary interest from the rescues is high. "We're getting about a 20% return from our initial contacts within a small test sector of the rescues.
Rides are being scheduled almost every day since the original announcement. We've added staff to help with the phones and have dedicated our top trainers to make sure the rides are a success," says Robin Tilghman, Director of Special Projects for ACTHA.
The effort is planned to go on for the year 2013. ACTHA and the UHC are planning on hundreds of rescues to take them up on the offer which not only supplies funding in the short term but also acts as a funding fishing pole. This results from the rides being repeatable whenever there is a need.
Initial responses indicate 500 rides with over 15,000 horses!
With the initial responses it would seem to indicate that up to 500 rides with over 15,000 horse and riders partaking is likely. All made possible by thousands volunteers from Coast to Coast, and ACTHA.
"We need sponsors interested in being a part of this cause. There will be a lot of eyes on the effort," said Scrima.
For more information see www.actha.us or contact Tom Scrima at 830-693-2065 (tom@actha.us)
The UHC is a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the umbrella of the American Horse Council to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety, and responsible care and disposition of these horses.
For more information about the UHC or unwanted horses, please visit the UHC website at www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org or contact Ericka Caslin at ecaslin@horsecouncil.org (phone: (202) 296-4031). The UHC website has a list of facilities that accept horses, additional assistance for horse owners in need, free downloadable materials about unwanted horses, and information about owning responsibly.
The Unwanted Horse Coalition
The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses.
The UHC grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2005. The summit was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the unwanted horse in America. Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address the issue. In June 2006, the UHC was folded into the AHC and now operates under its auspices.
ACTHA
The mission of the American Competitive Trail Horse Association is;
- To create an enjoyable venue showcasing the wonderful attributes of the great American trail horse and granting them the recognition they so richly deserve.
- To create a registry open to all breeds and a point designation system which will stay with each horse for its lifetime, thereby adding to their value and distinction.
- To create and enable humane treatment options for horses in need.