SUPPORT TALL IN THE SADDLE

TIS-FECTA: A Fundraising Horse Race to Sustain Tall in the Saddle

TIS-FECTA is Tall in the Saddle's spring horse race fundraiser to raise funds to pay for program operating costs such as liability and equipment insurance for 2011. Our financial target is: $2500 with additional fundraising required.

Riders and volunteers collect donations for their favorite horse/pony for the race. The horse/pony with the highest total wins and will be crowned at our horse show on Sat, June 4. Please help bring them all to the finish!

Our fundraising subcommittee will also be kicking off a letter campaign to seek financial support from area businesses, each will be recognized on our web site and at our horse show.

History: Tall in the Saddle is entirely supported and run by volunteers and relies on donations and fundraising to cover the cost of program insurance, horse health care, necessary equipment (helmets, saddles, bridles, etc.) and miscellaneous expenses.

Our program provides a weekly riding class for 20 full-time students in Spring and Fall Sessions (usually eight weeks in length) along with up to five "wait list" riders that fill-in when there are openings.

The estimated cost per full-time student for 2011 is approximately $400 and Tall in the Saddle does not charge students or their families a fee for service.

While the cost of program insurance (liability for instructors, facility and private horse owners, and volunteers) has not increased in the last year, the cost of providing health care for our four program horses has. Horse health care involves: annual vaccinations to protect against disease, deworming for parasites, dental care, farrier services (trimming hooves) and emergency care if the horse/pony is injured.

Our estimated cost per horse for health care in 2011 is $950, which does not cover feed and board, those are provided by the foster families that generously keep our program animals.