EN Today: Horse Stars Hall of Fame created

Honoring horses for their athletic achievements is no new concept, but what about honoring horses for their service contributions? Kate Samuels explains.

Top photo: Horses like Neville are prime candidates for the new Hall of Fame

From Kate:

The USEF is teaming up with the Equus Foundation to create a whole new way to honor amazing horses that touch the lives of people everywhere. They have established a Horse Stars Hall of Fame, which is to “celebrate the extraordinary talent of horses and the magical and powerful bond between horses and people”. The Equus Foundation is an organization created to empower horse charities all across America.

[Equus Foundation Website]

While the USEF is well known for their Horse of the Year program, which Neville jointly won in 2011, this is a whole new category for horses outside of the sporting world as well as those within it. This joint program intends to honor the contributions of horses that have excelled in sport as well as careers in serving the public, such as police horses or therapeutic horses. They hope to showcase incredible stories of both athletic and humanitarian feats.

“We are thrilled to form this new partnership with the Federation and to be able to honor the talent, spirit and courage of exceptional horses in the sport and public sectors,” said Jenny Belknap Kees, chairman of the board of the Equus Foundation. “Horses enrich the lives of millions of people every day. We hope that the Horse Stars Hall of Fame will be a lasting legacy to share with the generations to come and a resource for the public to reflect on the horse’s extraordinary athletic ability and unique ability to empower, teach, and heal.”

The Equus Foundation is currently seeking nominees for the induction of horses that have had or are having a life-changing impact in the field of equine assisted activities and therapies or other public service areas. Candidates for consideration also include horses that have excelled or are excelling in sport or public service after overcoming significant hardship. The nomination deadline is January 15, 2013.

If you have a horse in mind that y0u would like to nominate, visit the Equus website, or simply click the nomination link below.

[Nominate a Horse]

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