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Letter to the editor

Saddle up to help riding club and animals

By SANDEE DAVIES, Times Staff Writer
Published September 4, 2007

The nonprofit Saddle Up Riding Club teaches proper horse care, riding techniques and responsible horse ownership. The benefits include barn time, and trail time for qualified riders for a reasonable monthly fee.
	[Handout]

ADVERTISEMENT Olivia Fisher, 4, the little girl that collected door to door. [Handout]

A love of horses has spurred kids in one local riding club to raise money for a group of neglected horses that were removed from a home in mid Pinellas last month.

Members of the nonprofit Saddle Up Riding Club were moved by the plight of the five emaciated horses and one donkey and wanted to help the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which recently took possession of the animals.

"We were planning on doing a fundraiser for the club, but after I sent out an e-mail to all the kids in the riding club and 4H club, I was bombarded with e-mails from the kids wanting to do something to help the horses," club founder Kellie Sipos said.

The equines were seized Aug. 10 from a home on Donegan Road in Largo after a tipster directed authorities to dirty pens with no food or water. The horses, wild mustangs that were in the process of being adopted through a federal program, were underweight, thirsty and had suffered extensive hair loss, according to authorities.

The case remains under investigation, but the donkey and horses, now in the care of the SPCA and private veterinarians, have made significant improvements, SPCA public relations manager Marissa Weeks said last week.

"They're gaining weight, they look a lot better and you can't see their ribs anymore," she said.

In response to news of the seizure, one 4-year-old girl in the Saddle Up Riding Club went door to door to collect money for the neglected animals. She raised $22.

The evening, scheduled for Saturday, will feature horseback rides for $5, a silent auction, balloons, face painting, and hot dogs, popcorn and snow cones.

A therapist from the Magic Beans Village therapeutic horseback riding program will give a demonstration.

The club teaches proper horse care, riding techniques and responsible horse ownership. The benefits include barn time, and trail time for qualified riders for a reasonable monthly fee.

The club, which rents space at a stable in Pinellas Park, also offers riding lessons for those who don't want to participate in club activities.

The riding club has partnered with Magic Beans Village, an organization that aims to increase the functional abilities of disabled individuals through horseback riding, pool therapy, gardening, cooking and art programs.

IF YOU GO

Trot on over

What: Fundraiser.

When: 4-7 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Helen Howarth Park Horse Arena, 6301 94th Ave. N, Pinellas Park.

Why: To raise money for the riding program and for a group of neglected animals.

Contact: On the Web,saddleupridingclub.com or 520-3132.

To help directly: Anyone interested in helping to provide feed or veterinary care to the rescued horses can make a tax-deductible donation through the Web site of the SPCA Tampa Bay, SPCATampa Bay.org. Call (727) 586-3591.

[Last modified September 3, 2007, 21:57:38]