Sponsors

So I met with a very nice lady today in the Civic Engagement center at my school. The main thing we talked about was sponsors. One thing she said that has stuck with me is that, in looking for sponsors, you want to be as narrow as possible but also as broad as possible.

I think the first place to begin searching is horse-related companies. Such as, Jeffers, State Line Tack, Circle Y, Breyer, racetracks, etc. Who am I missing?

Another suggestion about sponsors was high-profile individuals who love horses. I know that Sheryl Crow has horses, and I believe that she is into charity work, so I will see about contacting her. Someone on another site suggested calling the Martha Stewart show, as Mrs. Stewart is a horse-lover. You learn something new everyday I guess!

I will post responses here as I receive them. Have a great Halloween!

Some More Ruminations

According to Wikipedia, horses walk at about 4 miles an hour. For 1250 miles, this is 312.5 hours.

How many hours can I ride a day? At least 8-10. So we have a trip time of about 32-40 days. In other words I need campsites about 30-35 miles apart.

From Laramie, WY to Louisville, KY is almost exactly 1200 miles. (See new map here: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Laramie&1s=WY&2c=Louisville&2s=KY&2pn=churchill+downs#a/maps/l:::Laramie:WY::US:41.311401:-105.590599:city:Albany+County/l:Churchill+Downs+Inc:700+Central+Ave:Louisville:KY:40208:US:38.205653:-85.770549:address:/m::3:39.737043:-95.668456:0::/io:1:::::f:::/e)

So WHERE can I ride? In the country this shouldn’t be a problem, as I can ride alongside roads. The cities however might be harder. I’ll need to circumnavigate them, or else get permission from the city to ride through.

To further complicate things, I need to find stops every 40 miles or so along the route. This need can be fulfilled either by actual campsites or kind souls who’ll let me and my horse squat on their farm for a night.

Any more considerations/suggestions?

Want to help?

Read my initial post and want to contribute to this cause? There are many ways!

PLAN

Right now, I am tying to lay out my route. I am a Southern kid, and know almost nothing about the midwest. I want to end my ride at Churchill Downs, and it seems that the easiest way to do that without passing through giant metropolises is to start somewhere in Wyoming, head through Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and end in Louisville. See a map here starting at Cheyenne, Wyoming: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Cheyenne&1s=WY&2qn=Churchill+Downs+Inc&2c=Louisville&2s=KY&2a=700+Central+Ave&2z=40208&2y=US&2l=38.205653&2g=-85.770549&2v=ADDRESS&r=s

I need to figure out a route to ride along, what is legal, what is illegal, etc. People from those states I mentioned who trail ride would be wonderful to ask about where I can ride. I want to pass through some towns, but not constantly. I know how to camp out and plan on it.

Any suggestions are welcome!

DECIDE

This is a big point: who do I give the money to when it is raised? Ideally, I’d like it to go to multiple, reputable Thoroughbred rescue/rehoming operations, such as CANTER, New Vocations, TB Friends, Old Friends, etc. I know there are many more! I would love to find an industry expert to manage the funds for this operation. If you know someone OR have the knowhow to do it yourself, let me know!

RIDE

If you want to take a summer off and do this ride with me, you are most welcome! And since I doubt everyone will have the time/resources to pull that off, feel free to come along for 1, 10, or 100 miles! Get some corporate sponsors to pledge money for each mile and help me raise money for racehorses!

1000 Kentucky Derbies

The Kentucky Derby is run the 1st Saturday of May, when 20 of the best 3 yr olds in the nation gather to contest this 1 and 1/4 mile race and gain that garland of roses. It is one of the high points of the sport of horse racing. Of the 30,000 some Thoroughbred foals born each year in the USA, a few of them make it to the starting gate.

Most of them don’t. And of those who don’t (and even a few of those who do) some will go on to slaughter at the end of their racing days. That is an end no equine athlete deserves.

What can I, an 18 year old college freshman, do about this? It breaks my heart to know that these horses are dying. I worked at Colonial Downs racetrack this past summer and fell even deeper in love with the Thoroughbred breed than I was previously. One of the horses I worked with will be coming home to my farm when he’s done with his racing career.

So I saved one… which certainly matters to him, but does not make much of a difference in the scheme of things. What else can I do? I don’t have much extra money, but I can donate a few hundred bucks to a Thoroughbred charity. That’ll buy some sacks of grain, pay part of a vet bill, shoe two horses. Again, a noble gesture, but not much all things considered.

What can I do to make a real difference?

This is the question that has haunted me for months. Until, this very week, the answer came to me in a flash of inspiration.

I can saddle up my horse and ride. I can ride the distance of 1000 Kentucky Derbies, which comes out to 1250 miles. I can take a summer and devote it to this. I can get corporations to pledge money for each mile. I can donate that money to Thoroughbred retirement charities all over the country.

This is an announcement: on June 1st, 2009, myself and my horse will be departing on this epic adventure.

Who’s with me?