On February 26th 2017, Equine-Assisted Therapies of South Florida held their charity event at Day at the Races at Gulfstream Park. An event which the Florida HBPA was a proud co-sponsor.
This article is meant to provide a summary of events in words, pictures and even video. It is also to thank all of the horsemen who participated in this wonderful event whether in person, as a volunteer, or monetarily.
According to Equine-Assisted Therapies Executive Director Molly Murphy, “The day was beyond any of our expectations. This was our very first-time doing an event like this, and we had just over 100 guests including volunteers and our program riders. Not only was it a great Sunday afternoon for our guests, but allowed them to learn a little more about programming and actually be able to meet the students receiving the therapy, which was a plus for everyone.”
“We had a fund raising event called Helping the Herd,” she continued, “each horse in our program had a board of items that guests could donate back to each of them. For example, a vet visit, a visit from the dentist, and even a bale of hay for $12. Within the Helping the Herd program we raised about $7,500. A donation that size, especially to our 12 four-legged friends is fantastic, and definitely not something we could capture in an everyday ask.”
A great gift from Gulfstream, came in the form of a live auction of four Florida Derby tickets, including airfare and hotel, guests will enjoy seating, wagering, dinner and fantastic views of all the action in the Ten Palms Restaurant.
Watch Jerry Bailey hit it out of the ballpark as Auctioneer getting a hefty bid for this world-class racing getaway. (video footage provided by Chester Bishop):
The next big event for Equine-Assisted Therapies of South Florida will be their Signature Fall event called Horse Shoe Hoe Down to be held at their facilities.
As always for more information please contact
Equine-Assisted Therapies of South Florida at 954-974-2007