HN Takes on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I like how the horses in this photo are just like, “Humans be cray.”

Over the weekend I challenged Team Horse Nation to take on the Ice Bucket Challenge, an ALS awareness campaign that has been sweeping — and drenching! — the nation. They stepped up to the challenge, each in their own unique way. Check it out!

Lorraine Jackson with barn buds Carrie Matteson and Beth Siron of GPH Equestrian:

Nominated: Gemini Farms in Rush Valley, Utah; Becky in Lubbock, Texas; BlackFriar Farm in Nashville, Tennessee and eventer Doug Payne.

Carla Lake:

Nominated: Carla’s “two worst cats of all time.”

Morgane Schmidt and her horse, Woody:

Nominated: Sisters Taylor and Madison and friends Michelle, Jessica and Cindy.

Amanda Ronan:

We’re having a lot of fun with the campaign, of course, but ALS is a serious condition for which there is not a cure. Sally Spickard gives us an in-depth breakdown on the disease, the Challenge and how you can help:

Let’s get a little background on the subject we’re raising awareness for, shall we? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a neurodegenerative disease, meaning that the brain and spinal cord are affected. This disease affects a person’s motor skills with the death of motor neurons needed by the brain to control muscle movement. As the motor neurons deteriorate and, eventually, die, the brain becomes unable to send the necessary signals to muscles to create movement. Muscles will begin to atrophy as a result of their inability to move properly, and patients may eventually become completely paralyzed.

The disease has also been called Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famed New York Yankee who was diagnosed with ALS in 1939. Before Lou made the public announcement about his diagnosis, ALS was virtually unheard of. For a man who had built his life around his exceptional motor skills, the diagnosis came as a devastating blow, and Lou passed away less than two years later.

Today, social media has become a place where ideas (good or bad) quickly become viral. The Ice Bucket Challenge began just a couple of weeks ago, getting a slow start on Twitter but gaining exponential traction as time went on. Soon enough, Facebook news feeds and Twitter timelines were overflowing with people all over the country dunking themselves in ice for a good cause.

How has this affected donations to the cause, you may ask? According to the Wall Street Journal, the ALS Association has been able to raise $7.6M in donations in two weeks from this campaign. Last year, the ALS Association raise $1.4M during the same period. How’s that for making a difference?

So, EN, how can you help? We don’t want to leave you out of the fun, so we would like to nominate YOU to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge. We’d love to be able to post some of your videos, so if you’d like to share yours, email [email protected].

Want to know how to make a donation to the ALS Association? You can find much more information here. Aside from the Ice Bucket Challenge, there are many walks scheduled throughout the country that are available for you to participate in as well. Let’s join in and make a difference!

Go Riding.