Heroes For Horses Program Will Provide Educational Awards, Trips to Youth Seminar and Youth World Show

AQHA Publicity

The American Quarter Horse Youth Association Heroes for Horses campaign will be brought to the national spotlight, thanks to a generous donation.

The Heroes for Horses campaign is a joint project between AQHYA and the American Quarter Horse Foundation that couples community service and fundraising projects to support the important equine research studies that take place at veterinary schools across the country.

Thanks to funding by Deborah Hearst and Angela Wade, the Heroes for Horses campaign will now have educational awards as well as trips to the Bank of America Youth Excellence Seminar and the Built Ford Tough AQHYA World Championship Show, which are generously underwritten by Hearst and Wade.

“In addition to having many youth members out volunteering and raising funds for equine research, we have received a donation toward our campaign efforts,” said Robin Alden, manager of AQHYA and youth development. “This additional funding will enable us to pay for our national award winners to attend the Bank of America Youth Excellence Seminar this June in College Station, Texas, and the Built Ford Tough AQHYA Youth World Championship Show in July in Oklahoma City where these grant recipients will be recognized for their hard work in supporting the future of equine health.”

The most exciting part of the campaign is that participating youth who meet the eligibility requirements have the opportunity to receive more than $12,000 in cash awards toward their education.

“We greatly appreciate the support of Deborah and Angela,” said Chris Sitz, senior director of the American Quarter Horse Foundation. “Their passion for horses and generosity contribute to the success of this nation-wide community service and fundraising project.”

The Foundation-funded equine research projects cover a diverse range of research related to the health, welfare and utility of the horse. For example, current projects focus on controlling and treating laminitis, the study of immunizations and vaccinations for infectious diseases, as well as genetic and musculoskeletal injury treatment.

The goal is to build awareness nationally, regionally and through local affiliates of the importance of research, the need for funding and to introduce young people to a career in the field of equine research.

Additional support for educational awards is made possible by the Burns Family Foundation.

To learn more about Heroes for Horses, visit www.aqha.com/heroesforhorses.

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHAnews on Twitter, watch the AQHA Newscast and visit www.aqha.com/news.