Ride for the Rescues will benefit Mustang adoption

UPDATE May 19, 2011: Due to concerns about the EHV-1 outbreak in western states, the Ride for the Rescues has been postponed from its original date of June 4 to September 10, 2011.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: After setting a Guinness World Record for establishing the Largest Competitive Trail Ride, the American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) has announced that its Ride for the Rescues will be an annual event.

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On June 13, 2010, 1,700 horse-and-rider teams around the country participated in the inaugural benefit ride, raising around $70,000 for various horse charities and rescues. On September 10, 2011, equestrians will get back in the saddle to collect money for the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF), a nonprofit organization that works to facilitate adoptions of wild Mustangs and burros.

“We really support [the MHF’s] vision in assisting in the adoption of the wild horses,” says Pam Campbell, coordinator of the Ride for the Rescues. “We believe in their mission and are thrilled to do our part to help them help the Mustangs. We encourage everyone to be a part of this special event.”

Anyone can participate in the Ride for the Rescues by hosting, riding in or volunteering at an event. Riders will cover six miles of trail consisting of six obstacles, which can normally be selected by the host but on this day must be the same at each event in order to be considered for a world record. Those who don’t want to negotiate the obstacles can register as “buddy riders.”

“This is casual competition,” says Campbell. “If you trail ride, you can do this. It’s just a nice trail ride with your friends and a good time with your horse.”

To date, the ACTHA has raised more than $350,000 for equine charities and rescues in its mission to recognize the American trail horse, maintain a registry for all breeds, and promote the humane treatment of horses in need. For more information about the 2011 Ride for the Rescues, visit /redirect.php?location=www.actha.us.

14 years ago

Kim Klimek

Kim Abbott Klimek first got involved with horses as a junior in high school, then went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in equine studies with a concentration in communications from Centenary College in Hackettstown, N.J., in 2005. After college, Kim worked for model horse company Breyer Animal Creations, writing copy for products and helping to write and edit for Just About Horses magazine. In the fall of 2007, she joined the Horse Illustrated team.

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anonymous says:
April 8, 2011 at 7:00 am
i participated in the ride last year, and im planning to participate in the ride again this year. even tho i have to drive over 2 hrs to get there. (diesel isnt cheap!) it was interesting and all, but staying with the group of riders just moved a little slow for my taste and my horse's. im going to ask if i can go first ahead of the group, so if i want to increase speed here and there it wont upset anyone.
one thing that actha doesnt mention in all their advertising for their rides are the prices, of course. for those of you who are interested in participating in an actha ride and havent checked out their site, here are the prices. you must be a current member of actha to participate in any ride. which is $35 to be an individual member (1 rider/1 horse). $50 for family of 2 membership (2 riders/2 horses). $85 for family of 4 membership (4 riders/4 horses). $10 to add extra rider, $10 to add extra horse. plus the cost/fee of the "division" you will be in. open & pleasure divisions are $58, junior division is $25, and the buddy division is $40. plus the cost of any camping/stall fees and not to mention your tons of fuel money since fuel is like $30 a gal. also, once you participate in an actha ride your scores and standings will be kept on their website, and if you dont automatically renew your membership each year, your account will automatically close at the end of your membership, and you wont be able to reopen the account. all your points, prizes, and scores will be locked. so if you want to keep your scores and standings, you must renew whether you want to or not. sounds a little dirty of them to me. anyways, if you're not use to paying to trail ride like me, which im sure there are lots of those who dont out there, you might be frowning upon that. it's steep prices in my opinion, and i wouldnt want to pay those prices on a regular basis (once or twice a month) by going to lots of actha rides. but going to this ride for the rescues once a year isnt too bad. the charity the money is going to is what my main focus is. call me cheap if you want, but the price of living and horsecare keeps going up, and i can set up obstacles on trails i use on my property and my friends property and ride for more than 6 miles, for free.
s says:
April 8, 2011 at 7:47 pm
wow. you participated. amazing
Galadriel says:
April 8, 2011 at 11:55 pm
Sounds great.
horse racing lover! says:
May 25, 2011 at 8:15 am
i wish it was near IL!