America's Favorite Equestrian Campaign Launched

Wednesday December 22 2010

Tucson, AZ

United States Equestrian Foundation (USEF) and The EQUUS Foundation have launched America's Favorite Equestrian campaign.

Designed as an interactive fundraising effort, the unique program is designed to raise funds for equestrian sport on an annual basis. It relies on donations made via mobile texting through any cellphone or handheld mobile device. Each $5 donation made between December 15, 2010 and February 28, 2011 is considered a vote. A minimum of $10,000 in sport welfare grants will be awarded based on the donations made via this campaign, and an additional $5,000 grant will be made to the equestrian discilpline that generates the most votes.

Eight equestrian disciplines are listed, and within each discipline, between six and eight people are vying for your vote. The disciplines are dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, jumping, para-dressage, reining, and vaulting. Each of these disciplines were represented at the recent World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky.

EasyCare is well represented in the Endurance discipline. 2009 AERC Hall of Fame Recipient Dave Rabe and EasyCare's own President & CEO, Garrett Ford, are two of the eight nominees. "I'm humbled to be in the company of such fine ambassadors of our sport. To be included in a list of equestrians that includes Julie Suhr and Becky Grand Hart is a great honor," said Ford. "I'm obviously delighted that two of the eight Endurance nominees are representing Easyboot, but this also represents an opportunity for the broader sport of endurance to receive new funds regardless of the representative you vote for."

“It is our goal to bring recognition to all the equestrian disciplines and breeds, and to inspire all equestrians to support our overall efforts on behalf of horses. We hope this program will generate excitement and involvement for horse lovers everywhere,” said Lynn Coakley, President of The EQUUS Foundation.

The EQUUS Foundation is dedicated to securing homes and useful lives for all horses - competitively, recreationally and therapeutically - and to educating the public on the important role horses have in our everyday lives. In the short time since the Foundation’s establishment, over $1.5 million in grants has been awarded to horse and equestrian charities across the United States.

How To Vote
Visit the link at http://www.equusfoundation.org/afe.php. Select your favorite equestrian listed under each discipline and follow the instructions provided. After texting your vote, you must reply YES to confirm your vote/$5 donation. Each donation is 100% tax deductible.

If you want to cast more than six $5 votes in a single month ($30), simply follow the instructions listed on each equestrian profile. A credit card is required.

How It Works
Fans can vote for their favorite equestrians from among a slate of international athletes until Februray 28, 2011.

Winner Selections
The winners will be the athletes from each discipline with the most votes. The winners will be announced in March, 2011.

America's Favorite Equestrians
To Vote and Make a $5 Donation, text VOTE + (space) + (Equestrian's Number Below) to 85944:

Dressage
Courtney King-Dye (57)
Debbie McDonald (58)
Guenter Seidel (59)
Katharine Bateson-Chandler (60)
Leslie Morse (61)
Steffen Peters (62)
Tina Konyot (63)
Todd Flettrich (64)

Driving
Chester Weber (1)
Fred Merriam (2)
Lisa Singer (3)
Rochelle Temple (4)
Suzy Stafford (5)
Tucker Johnson (6)

Endurance
Becky Hart (41)
Bill Wilson (42)
Dave Rabe (43)
Earle Baxter (44)
Garrett Ford (45)
Julie Suhr (46)
Robert Ribley (47)
Valerie Kanavy (48)

Eventing
Boyd Martin (9)
Bruce Davidson (10)
David O'Connor (11)
James C. Wofford (12)
Karen O'Connor (13)
Kimberly Severson (14)
Phillip Dutton (15)
Tiana Coudray (16)

Jumping
Anne Kursinski (17)
Beezie Madden (18)
George H. Morris (19)
Joe Fargis (20)
Laura Kraut (21)
Margie Engle (22)
McLain Ward (23)
Peter Wylde (24)

Para-Dressage
Jennifer Baker (49)
Jonathan Wentz (50)
Laura Goldman (51)
Mary Jordan (52)
Rebecca Hart (53)
Robin Brueckmann (54)
Susan Treabess (55)
Wendy Fryke (56)

Reining
Andrea Fappani (25)
Casey Deary (26)
Craig Schmersal (27)
Matthew Palmer (28)
Randy Paul (29)
Shawn Flarida (30)
Tim McQuay (31)
Tom McCutcheon (32)

Vaulting
Ali Divita (33)
Devon Maitozo (34)
Katherine Wick (35)
Kenny Geisler (36)
Kristian Roberts (37)
Mary McCormick (38)
Megan Benjamin (39)
Todd Griffiths (40)

For more information on America's Favorite Equestrian Campaign, contact The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., at 168 Long Lots Road, Westport, CT 06880 (203) 259-1550, equus@equusfoundation.org, website: www.equusfoundation.org.


For more information on Easyboots, please see the EasyCare website at http://easycareinc.com and the EasyCare blog at http://blog.easycareinc.com . For all additional questions, contact Kevin Myers, Director of Marketing at kmyers@easycareinc.com.