Boulder, Colo. – A Home for Every Horse and the Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance is less than one month away from the Equine Comeback Challenge at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo. The challenge highlights 22 rescues horses from the Rocky Mountain Region after 90 days of training in a one-of-a-kind event. The event will include three primary classes: Ranch Riding, Working Cattle Class and a Trail Class. Then the top ten will compete in a freestyle finals competition to showcase the ability of rescue horses.
Schedule:
Ranch Riding: Friday, March 11, 2016; 8:00am to 10:00am
Working Cattle Class: Friday, March 11, 2016; 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Trail Class: Saturday, March 12, 2016; 8:00am to 10:00am
Select Sale: Saturday, March 12, 2016; 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Freestyle: Sunday, March 13, 2016; 11:00am to 1:30pm
Not only is the 2016 Rocky Mountain Equine Comeback Challenge a large showcase of rescue horses and their trainability, but it will also feature $10,000 in prize money to be awarded to the top five trainers competing in the challenge.
Following the event at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo, the rescue horses will be available at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo Auction to pre-approved bidders only. The horses will all start at a minimum bid of $1,000. Following the sale, the trainer and rescue will split the sale profits to allow rescues and trainers to bring in another horse and find forever homes for all of the Equine Comeback Challenge horses.
The Equine Comeback Challenge includes rescue horses from many different backgrounds. This includes a large seizure out of Texas of over 40 Mustangs, Arabians, and Off-The-Track Thoroughbreds. All of the competing horses are between the ages of 3 to 15 years old. The Equine Comeback Challenge strives to promote the trainability of rescue horses across the country by adding value to horses that were previously listed as unwanted.
A Home for Every Horse was founded in 2011 as a way for Equine.com—the World’s Largest Equine Marketplace—to develop a lasting partnership with equine rescues all over the country. Equine.com was then able to use their resources to help find forever homes for the more than 170,000 unwanted horses. At the beginning of 2014, Mariah Hammerschmidt, the Project Coordinator for A Home for Every Horse, realized there was a growing need to assist rescue organizations in their efforts.
After years of helping rescues find homes for horses previously listed as unwanted, A Home for Every Horse took rescue horses to a new level with the Equine Comeback Challenge. This event showcases the ability of rescue horses all over the country, with the help of trainers willing to donate their time and experience to a rescue horse for 90 days. The Equine Comeback Challenge has been able to showcase rescue horses as willing and competitive equine companions.
A Home for Every Horse’s generous partners are on board to help with the Rocky Mountain Equine Comeback Challenge in a big way. Purina, Tractor Supply Company, Zoetis, WeatherBeeta, and Electrobraid will continue to support the training and placing of rescue horses.
Equine.com and the Active Interest Media Equine Network have joined forces with the American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition to launch A Home for Every Horse Project. If you want more information on rescue horses or you want to locate a rescue near you, please check out AHomeforEveryHorse.com.
This project helps find homes for America’s 170,000 to 200,000 horses in need of care and shelter. Here’s how it works: Begin the search for your next equine partner at Equine.com. You can search horses waiting for homes at nonprofit shelters across the country. Browse by rescue horse, or find a rescue organization in your area.
· Visit the site’s “services” section to learn about your local rescue organizations. Find out how you can volunteer, donate, or simply spread the word.
· Look for upcoming stories on AHomeforEveryHorse.com related to horse rescue.
If your 501(c)(3) rescue organization would like to join the A Home for Every Horse project please fill out the online application at AHomeforEveryHorse.com/join. Equine.com is part of the Active Interest Media Equine Network.
About the Equine Network
The Equine Network provides, creates, and distributes relevant content and services to passionate horse enthusiasts while connecting them to each other and the marketplace. The Equine Network is the publisher of award-winning magazines: Horse&Rider, EQUUS, Dressage Today, The Trail Rider, Spin to Win Rodeo, American Cowboy, and Practical Horseman. The Equine Network also publishes a proprietary line of books and DVDs for sale through its store, HorseBooksEtc.com. The Equine Network also provides emergency roadside assistance through USRider, and is home to several websites including: EquiSearch.com, Equine.com, MyHorseDaily.com, DiscoverHorses.com, AmericanCowboy.com, and Horse-Journal.com.
