Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre hosted its annual Hoofbeat Challenge fundraiser on Sept. 27, generating $28,000 to be put towards programs for children and adults with special needs.
As per tradition, the event featured a walk or hike with friends or dogs, followed by a horse ride through the trails of the centre, made all the more enjoyable this year with clear skies and above-seasonal temperatures.
Participants were required to raise a minimum of $50 in pledges and pay a $50 entry fee. In return they received free door prize tickets, lunch, a “goody bag” and T-shirt.
New this year, the walk and ride were organized into a “poker run,” with each participant dealt a five-card hand. The first ten registrations were given an extra card and those who raised $250 more in pledges received two extra cards.
The fun also included a silent auction, bake sale, Starbucks coffee, face painting and the opportunity to have a professional photo taken with one’s dog or horse.
Director Anne Caine said the summer camps offered this year at Sunrise were hugely successful, with anywhere from 50 to 60 children on site daily – and fundraisers like the Hoofbeat Challenge allow this to continue.
The Sunrise centre is located in Puslinch between Guelph and Cambridge. The centre offers therapeutic riding lessons along with programs which are open to children with or without special needs.
