The Sixth Annual SAFE Benefit Horse Show is over…and what a weekend, what a show! We had record attendance, beautiful weather, and most everyone went home happy, including yours truly, your faithful Show Manager Bonnie Hammond. I’ve taken the past three days off to catch up on sleep, recover my strength, and rehydrate, and I have returned to work feeling considerably better!
There are so many people that I need to thank and acknowledge for their contributions to this year’s show. I’d like to start by thanking all of the competitors and their beautiful horses who braved high temperatures to come out and support SAFE in the show ring. We had over 175 horse & rider teams in this year’s show, representing eight different equestrian disciplines. Some of you were seasoned show veterans and some were trying something new, but you all displayed great sportsmanship and great love & appreciation for your wonderful horses. We can’t wait to see you again next year!
To the members of the Horse Show Planning Committee, we really knocked one out of the park this year. It’s a difficult undertaking to put on a show of this size, but everyone worked so hard to make it as efficient and professional as possible. Every year it gets a little easier, and every year we reach a little higher. Together we have created a stellar annual event and I could not be prouder of what we’ve accomplished.
My ring managers are to be commended for how hard they worked this year…Lynn Mazer in the Main Arena, Michelle Ogle in the Dressage Ring, Crystal Vore in the Trails Arena, and Eileen Carrell in the Hunter Ring…magnificent work, all of you! You had a LOT of horses and riders to take care of this past weekend — many more than you were probably expecting when you signed up for the job — and you handled them brilliantly. Thank you so much for withstanding the heat and chaos, and making us look like horse show pros!
I’d like to say a special thank you to Volunteer Coordinator Debi Shatos for her masterful work in staffing the show with such wonderful volunteers and for keeping them happy and hydrated over the course of the weekend. I know you approached the job with some trepidation, but you have so much to be proud of. Thank you for making things run so smoothly and thank you, as always, for treating our volunteers with such kindness, making everyone feel welcome and appreciated, and for introducing so many new people to SAFE, its mission, and its horse show.
To my show office crew…Victoria Guy, Emily Bullard, Megan Powell, Diane Gallegos, and Whitney Wiggins…thank you for all your hard work, for keeping things fun and keeping our competitors happy. Another big thank you to Meranda Scott, Gael Gable, and Glenna Winter for directing our competitors to their stalls and being the first to welcome many of them to this event.
To Jeannette Parrett and Constance Barkey, thank you for the wonderful Silent Auction and Dinner that you put on, great work! I know just how much work is involved in putting together an event like that, and you handled it all brilliantly. People seemed to really enjoy themselves, and I’m really excited about the money you raised for SAFE’s trailer! Great work, thank you so much!
SAFE’s resident trainer Heather Roe works with our horses five days a week at SAFE Harbor Stables, giving them regular work and handling, teaching them new skills, and enhancing their opportunities to find their forever home. The value of this work was made crystal clear at this year’s horse show, as all of the SAFE horses performed like superstars in the show ring. So thank you, Heather…thank you for giving so much of yourself to these horses and thank you for working so hard not just to get them ready for the show, but to get them ready for their new lives.
To the SAFE Riders and all of the SAFE horses, amazing show! Allison Sheka, Chelsey Braswell, Lara Brantingham, Amy Hagstrom, and Heather Roe did a great job with the SAFE Harbor Crew, and Brittney Stewart, Helga Roberts, Kyle Putman, and Sandy Grimes brought SAFE foster horses to the show too. To all you , thank you for the hard work and thank you for making our horses look so good. We’re pretty proud of them…and when each of these horses find their person and their home, remember that you made that happen.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the stories we have to share…we have photos, show results, financials and many more people to thank as we dig our way out from under the piles of work and paperwork! So stay tuned to this website for much more to come! And if you played any part in this year’s show, THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS on a job well done!!
Read on! Thank you for an incredible show (part 2)
Special thanks to TD Suzi Puckett: Keeping things SAFE at the SAFE show