Lexington, KY (December 7th, 2011)—The popular helmet awareness campaign, Riders4Helmets, is on a mission to raise money for 2008 US Olympian Courtney King-Dye’s Medical Fund. Riders4Helmets will operate an eBay store for one week commencing December 12th, 2011. King-Dye suffered a traumatic brain injury in March 2012 following an accident while riding without a helmet, and is now an avid supporter of the Riders4Helmets campaign, having been vocal in support of helmet wearing since her accident. A moving video of the Olympian opened the 2nd Riders4Helmets Safety Symposium this past July at the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY. The video which is available at www.youtube.com/riders4helmets has received over 40,000 views to date.
While King-Dye does have medical insurance, her out-of-pocket medical expenses since her accident have been substantial. King-Dye requires over 200 sessions of Physical and Occupational Therapy annually and her insurance only cover 60 of these visits, leaving her to find a way to pay for the remainder. While King-Dye is extremely appreciative of the support that she has received to date, she faces a long journey on the road to recovery, and every dollar counts.
“Thank you so much for continuing to support me through all this time. It's been a year and a half since my accident, and I'm looking at years more of necessary therapies” said King-Dye. “I have big goals which I can only achieve with continued therapy, which is only made possible through the incredible support of people like you. I can't thank you enough, and I try to give what I can back to the community that gives so much to me. Thank you.”
Riders4Helmets is currently accepting donations of items for the eBay store. Any individual or company interested in donating an item should email [email protected]. Items have already been generously donated by SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program, Autographed posters by HorseSportsPhotography.com, Purina Horse Feed, a GPA helmet certificate and Riders4Helmets logo wear items. Selected items of pottery by King-Dye will also be up for grabs. To make a purchase from the eBay store the week of December 12th, please visit http://stores.ebay.com/CourtneyKingDyeMedicalFund.
The goal of the Riders4Helmets Campaign is to educate equestrians on the benefits of wearing a properly fitted and secured, certified helmet. For further information please visit www.riders4helmets.com. You can also follow the campaign at www.facebook.com/riders4helmets and http://twitter.com/riders4helmets.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is proud to announce the first class of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Judges have completed their certifications through the YEH New Judge Education Program, which was led by YEH faculty member, Marilyn Payne.
Nazila Hejazi and her 20-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, Tessa, may have made for an unconventional pair at the USEA Area VI Championships, held in October at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) but they didn’t let that hold them back. It’s uncommon to see a horse in their twenties still competing in eventing, and even more rare for a gaited horse to compete in a jumping sport.
Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.