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Lynn Coakley knows firsthand the majesty and power of horses. She owns them and she and her children have been show jumping for many years. Anyone who's never seen these masterful animals in action should stop by The Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show that Lynn is organizing on June 22-26. The six hundred horses with riders of all ages and abilities competing will make you a believer. The show is free for spectators, as well as exciting entertainment: on its final day, June 26, world class riders and horses fight the clock to make jumps over five feet high. Prizes include a $25,000 Grand Prix.
Lynn's longtime experience with horses shifted eight years ago into a mission. That's when she helped start the Westport-based EQUUS Foundation. A few of us got together and decided to create a non-profit to raise funds through the horse show to hand out money to organizations, she says. The foundation is the Hunt Club horse show's primary beneficiary. With its revenue and donations, EQUUS has awarded $1.3 million in grants to organizations supporting the use of horses to help us learn and broaden our experience. Groups offering equine assisted therapy, for instance, are some of the beneficiaries. This therapy is now considered an important aid for people with developmental disabilities, ADHD, the elderly and injured veterans among others.
EQUUS awards its grants to three categories of organizations: those promoting horses' benefit to the public, those dedicated to horse welfare and those promoting horsemanship. In its eight years, EQUUS grants have criss-crossed the country, from Massachusetts-based City to Saddle, which gives inner city kids access to horsemanship programs, to a Maryland group that finds new jobs for retired racehorses, to a Florida organization offering financial support to Equestrians facing critical medical or other life crises. EQUUS's financial support is clearly felt in the horse world.
And for kids, hanging out with horses can leave a lasting impression. Horses add the dimension of empowerment. We have a program in Watts and the kids are very deprived. In that program, they get to go to a horse camp and they learn how to manage something and it gives them the idea that they can take on new challenges, Lynn explains. As Winston Churchill wrote, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." The EQUUS Foundation is completely on the same page. For information on the Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show, visit its website. And information on the EQUUS Foundation, is available here.
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