Fundraisers

Part of my job at the therapeutic riding center is planning fundraisers. Since we're a nonprofit, our funding comes mainly from grants and private donors. We're lucky enough to receive money from a local university (we're part of their community outreach program) as well as local public school that send their students to us for lessons. However, the struggling economy has caused foundations to reduce giving and state and federal government cuts have reduced our contract with the schools by $35,000. So this year, it's more important than ever that we have successful fundraisers! I speak for everyone at work when I say we love what we do and we want to continue to serve our special needs riders!

Boots, BBQ, and Boogie, our oldest annual fundraiser, is now in its seventh year! It's held at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is full of good food, great music, and live and silent auctions. This year promises to be better than ever, as Paul Bogart is returning to entertain us, Trail's End BBQ is providing dinner, and we've got a whole slew of wonderful items to auction off. If you'll be in Tulsa on Saturday, June 11, don't miss it! If you'd like to buy tickets, don't hesitate to send me an email.

In August, we're partnering with the Arrowhead Polo Club to put on our first annual Chukkers for Charity! The club will play a match just for us, and there will be barbecue to buy, beers to drink, a champagne toast sponsored by Land Rover, and fun for everyone! And of course, like any good polo match, the halftime divot stomp is a must!!

After such a busy summer, we're planning to relax on our benefit trail ride in October on the beautiful Williams Ranch in Skiatook, Oklahoma. It's a two day ride, with a chuckwagon supper, campfire, and wagon rides on Friday night, and riding and lunch on Saturday. There will also be belt buckles available and lots of door prizes.

I am so excited for all of these fundraisers- not only are they fun events for everyone involved, they're benefiting a great cause! If you're interested in sponsoring, donating, or participating in any of these events, please let me know! You can reach me at prairieprep@gmail.com!

Saturday Snapshot

Yoda

This week's snapshot is of Yoda, the feline staff member of the equestrian center. He's a large gray cat who has lived in the barn as long as anyone can remember. He's friendly and funny- he drinks out of the hose, likes to be petted and picked up, and plays with everything from his tail to the end of a lunge whip. I let him sleep in my office when I'm doing paperwork; he also finds comfort in the back of the Gator. Oh, and his name? I think his ears explain it all.

Review: Sperry Top-Sider Cormorant Rubber Slip On

When I received an offer for the equine job I started yesterday, one of my first thoughts was "I need a new pair of barn boots!" In the past, I've always worn my tall riding boots around the barn; after all, I was almost always out there to ride. A pair of Wellies sufficed on days when I went out to feed or muck stalls. I knew most of my duties would be off-horse, so I started looking for a pair of boots I could wear to work. They needed to be comfortable, weatherproof, warm, and suitable for the occasional short stint on a disobedient animals.

I looked through a variety of brands and selected Sperry Top-Sider's Cormorant Rubber Slip On. I adore my other pair of Sperrys (the Bluefish boat shoe) and these came in the perfect color combination of brown/tattersall. I didn't want something too bright (like pink) but thought that the navy would look weird with jeans. (I have a thing against wearing navy with jeans.) Plus, they were on sale- always a bonus!

I wore them to work for the first time yesterday and was very pleased with them. I was initially concerned because they felt a bit tight (even though I ordered a half size up from my normal size), but the snugness dissipated after a bit  and they felt perfectly formed to my foot. My feet were kept nice and warm in yesterday's 20-degree weather, and snow and water didn't affect these boots at all. I had excellent traction on a variety of surfaces, from gravel to concrete to arena footing.  They looked great with jeans, and I wasn't self-conscious about wearing them into the grocery store on the way home. My only complaint is the laces- I untied one shoe's laces and couldn't get it tied properly again! The laces are coated in some kind of plastic, which makes them very slippery. The pair Sperry tied is perfectly fine and held all day, but the set of laces I adjusted came untied several times. It was very inconvenient, especially since I can't always stop leading a horse around to tie my boot! I managed to double-knot the laces (they were almost too short to do so) and don't plan on untying them ever again.

Overall, I feel like I got an excellent value and a stellar work boot. Stylish and functional, I'm certain these shoes will last me ages.

New Year, New Job!

Today was the first day of my new job with a therapeutic equine program right here in the Tulsa area! I am impossibly excited about it. Horses have always been my passion; I've been riding since I was a very small child (my mom took me on a trail ride when I was just 6 months old and I was given a pony to take riding lessons on at age 4) and have continued my equestrian activities through my life. I competed in three-day events on the weekends in high school and rode my on college's NCAA hunt seat team. Even when I moved to Kansas, I found a way to stay involved through playing polo. Now I've been hired on as an assistant for this program that teaches individuals with disabilities how to care for and ride horses!

I love everything about this job- my superiors are knowledgeable, the horses are wonderful, and the program participants are great. I'm most excited to start working with a Thoroughbred mare that needs to be sold. She's a talented hunter/jumper that really doesn't fit well with the program's needs, but would be fantastic for a competitive rider. Riding horses is my very favorite activity in the entire world, and now I'm getting paid to do it! What a fanastic day.