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TRI (Therapeutic Riding, Inc.) providing riders with Fun, Excitement, Challenge, and Therapeutic Adventure.
TRI-FECTA is TRI’s largest fundraiser. This “race” helps us to earn the funds to feed and care for our beloved horses. Please help support this special program by placing a bet in our TRI-FECTA campaign.
- Review the horse stats and pick your winner.
- Place a bet (donation) in support of the horse of your choice.
- The winner is the horse with the most bets and he/she will receive a day of pampering and special treats. There are no losers in this race; all donations go to TRI to provide for the care/upkeep of our horses, the barn, riding equipment, instructor fees and other expenses incurred to support the program.
Donate online via Paypal- select a horse from the drop down, enter a name and click the button! It’s simple, safe and secure.
TRI-FECTA Update- Week 1
I’ve been trying to figure it out. Why aren’t the horses running? I couldn’t come up with the answer. Then finally, Phantom filled me in. The horses have been trying to figure out how to get back to Joy Road to run the race. So he told me that he’s going to go out there later today and explain to them that they can run here at their new home! That should clear things up and get them moving.
It also explains why Miko is SOOOOOO far out in front. He never ran at Joy Road so is just flying along in first place with $5,137.50!!! Fable – our wonderful hard working girl - is making a very respectable second place showing with $800. This weeked, Dakota realized that Miko was up to something and took off after him – and he is now in third place with $200. (Miko, keep running. I think Dakota is a little jealous that you got so far ahead so quickly! Let’s turn his blue eye a little green!) In fourth place – having put down the brand new lead rope he was chewing on - is Sigbjorn with $87.50. (He claims that he thought we wanted the new ones to match the old ones, so he was working hard at leaving his teeth marks in all the new ones as well!) And, impressing us all, our new sweetheart, Henry, has figured out this race thing and is tied in fifth place with Ella with $25. This is particularly impressive since he just got here and has been very busy learning about the lift, the automatic waterers, how to train our volunteers, etc. Hey horses, if HENRY can find time to run with all that he is working on, then you all can get your little tails moving too.
So, riders and volunteers, let’s make good use of our new drop box and help the rest of the horses catch up to Miko. Drop off your donations each week so we can move the horses ahead on our race track. If you have any questions, I’m at the barn most evenings or you can drop me an email.
On behalf of the horses, thank you for your support.
Tracy
TRI-FECTA Update- Week 2
Does anyone remember high school physics? Wasn’t there something about how you need more force to get a bigger object in motion, but then it will keep going until a bigger force stops it? Or something like that? (hey, don’t laugh at me, I was a biology major!)
Our two big girls clearly are more knowledgeable about physics that I am. But more on that in a minute.
Miko slowed down a bit to enjoy his lead but is still in first place with $5,257.50. I think he noticed our resident flock of turkeys and was enjoying a breather while he watched them. In second and third places are Fable with $800 and Ella with $550. Watch out, Miko – once our big girls figure out that physics stuff, they are going to be hard to stop. Better quit watching the turkeys and get moving.
Dakota is in fourth place with $200 – I think he might have taken cover when Fable and Ella pounded past him. Quit being such a chicken, Dakota. Keep running.
Uuhhh, Sigbjorn, helllooooo? Did you get distracted? (What? Our Sigbjorn? Distracted? NEVER!) Come on, I promise to let you chew on a lead rope at the finish line if you hurry up and catch up with our leaders. You’re still in 5th place with $87.50, the same as last week.
Hey, look who decided to join us in the race. B Smiley in 6th with $75 and Dobbs right behind him in 7th with $70. OK, guys, what happened? Where were you last week? Oh, I see. You had to make sure you looked good first? I thought it was the mares who were supposed to spend all their time in front of the mirror. But, yea, knowing you two, I bet you were off getting your “mane and tail blow out”, weren’t you Dobbs, and highlighting that red roan coat of yours, right B Smiley? Fine, you’re both GORGEOUS. Now move it!
Hmmm, what have we here? Henry in 8th place with $25 and look who snuck up beside him? April in 9th with $20? Do we have a budding romance here? April, I agree. Henry is very handsome but I bet he’d look even more handsome if you two crossed the finish line together. Now wouldn’t THAT be romantic?
So, that’s the update for this week. I’m off for the evening. Time to head home.
Hang on a minute – MAIZY??? What are you doing standing in your paddock? Did you miss the memo? What? Do I know where everyone has gone to? Oh good grief?
Please excuse me folks while I explain to Maizy what is going on here and what she is supposed to be doing (here’s a hint, Maizy. It is NOT standing in the paddocks eating everyone else’s hay!) Sigh……
While I do that, you can work on getting your favorite horse moved closer to the finish line. Our donate online page is now working properly so your donors can donate via credit card or PayPal account and chose the horse they want to sponsor. Thank you for helping all our horses race like champions.
Tracy
TRI-FECTA Update- Week 3
I think the horses are getting into the swing of things now. This week saw a flurry of activity as supporters placed bets on the favorite horses through our website - http://therapeuticridinginc.org - and sent in checks as well. So without further ado, here are this week’s standings.
We always knew Miko was cute, and apparently there are lots of other people out there who agree with his new adoptive parents - Bruce and Sharon Robinson - that he is something special. He not only maintained his lead, but extended it, running away from the pack with an impressive $7,107.50.
But what have we here? Here comes Henry - making an incredible jump from 8th place all the way up to second with $1,625. Miko, don’t be planning where you’ll hang that trophy yet. Henry may have gotten a late start but he clearly has this whole race thing figured out and is planning on challenging you for first place!
Not far behind the boys is Fable, increasing her total to $1,171 for a solid third place ranking. She may seem quiet and calm, but perhaps Henry has ruffled that pretty blond mane of hers by sneaking past her into second place?
Catching her breath and slipping a bit into fourth place is Ella with $725. Hmm, perhaps her little unauthorized “walk about” on Monday morning wore her out? Ella, focus your energies on racing, not escaping, and perhaps you’ll move back up in the pack.
Remember how last week Maizy hadn’t even started racing? Well, never underestimate the power of love because here come the sweethearts. B Smiley is in 5th place with $585 and almost right beside him is Maizy in 6th place with $565. Why do I get the feeling she was late getting started because she needed to finish braiding all that hair of hers? Oh well, as long as the two lovebirds remember that this is a race and not a leisurely evening stroll together!
Dobbs maintains his 7th place ranking with a respectable increase in bets from $70 to $330. Now Dobbs, you’re doing well, but the goal is to move up in the pack, not just stay in the same place. (Did I mention there are peppermints at the finish line?)
Dakota and Sigbjorn need your help! They have slipped from 4th and 5th positions to 8th (Dakota with $225) and 9th (Sigbjorn with $197.50). I know there are a lot of people out there who think Dakota is something special with his half blue/half brown eye, and Sigbjorn’s funny faces and “interesting” personality quirks keep us endlessly amused in the arena. Show them you support their hard work by placing a bet on them today.
And please, on behalf of the volunteers who have to work with her, PLEEEEAAASE place a bet on April. She is, how to put this, not the most mild mannered of mares at the best of times. Don’t make me go back in the stall barn and break the news to her that she is in last place with $70! What is that quote, something about “hell hath no fury like..”? Like a mare in last place perhaps? For my safety, please place a bet on her soon.
Again,a big thank you to all our donors who have contributed to this year’s TRI-FECTA so far. This fundraiser brings in the money we need to feed and care for our horses for the next year. Without them, there would be no program, and our riders would miss out on an incredible experience. Thank you for caring.
Tracy
TRI-FECTA Update- Week 4
It has been another busy week of racing for our horses. Some of their human friends showed their support by attending the “What About You Walk” at Gallup Park and “racing” on behalf of their horse friends. Our heartfelt thanks to Gail Nicklowitz for organizing our participation in this special event.
Back at the farm, Miko remains in first place but decided to take a bit of a breather this week. Having run full out since the beginning of TRI-FECTA, I don’t think we can begrudge him a week’s rest to catch up on his grass nibbling. He remains in first place with $7,172.50. However, your time out has now expired, Miko. Get back into the race and start running again.
He’d better get moving quickly since he has three strong competitors coming up behind him. Henry continues to show off his beautiful blue roan appaloosa markings as he flies along in second place with $1,905.50. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a horse of a different colour in the Winner’s Circle this year?
But Henry better keep moving because look who made a big jump from 5th place to third. It’s B Smiley, with $1,665, and he has pushed Fable back to fourth place with $1,571. B Smiley claims those spots on Henry’s rump make him easy to chase. (And I happen to know that Beth is still championing her namesake and has some special donations coming B Smiley’s way. So look out Henry and Miko.)
Speaking of taking a break, Ella has dropped down to 5th place, staying exactly where she was last week, at mile marker $725. Her arena volunteers know it can be hard work to get Ella moving, so she will need all of your help to get racing again and regain her lost ground. Come on Ella, you can’t let the boys show you up. You’ll never hear the end of it.
Sigbjorn must have gotten in touch with his supporters as he made a big move from 9th place all the way up to 6th with $617.50. But I know he can do better. Perhaps he is just tired because he works with so many riders every week? If each of his riders helped out and brought in bets on his behalf, I just know he could move up into the top three.
What is going on here? Maizy, you decided to take a break too? And Dakota? Maizy is resting in 7th place with $580 and Dakota seems to have stopped entirely with $225 in 9th place. Maizy, I didn’t want to do this, but I’m going to have to tell you that you’ve earned a bit of a nickname from the volunteers. I won’t embarrass you by telling it to the whole world here, but I’ll give you a hint – your nickname starts with “L” and rhymes with “Maizy”. Are you going to stand for that? No? Then how about you RUN for that and show them all how wrong they are? I bet your braids look even prettier when they are flying out in the wind.
And Dakota, while you were lounging around, Dobbs has put on a burst of speed and moved into 8th place with $516. Pretty soon he will have passed Maizy and maybe even Sigbjorn. Are you going to tolerate that upstart from the north paddock passing you like that? No? I didn’t think so. Now get moving.
Ahem, uh, April? Dear? What’s going on? Are you sulking because Henry took off and left you? Well, don’t just stand there in 10th place with $195 and sulk. Catch up to him and give him a piece of your mind. You know how those gelding are – the subtle silent treatment will be totally wasted on him. We know you have the attitude. Get up there and show him how you feel about being left behind. You are mare, hear you snort.
We are three quarters of the way around the race track and the horses need all of your help to keep them moving to the finish line. All the funds raised go to feed and care for our horses in the coming year. Rider fees account for just 25% of our budget; everything else comes from donations and we take no state or federal funds. Without our horses, our riders wouldn’t get to experience the joy of horseback riding. Please help to support them by bringing in bets on their behalf. I have attached the form for folks to use to send in with checks. Feel free to email it or mail it to friends and family. Or they can go on our website at http://therapeuticridinginc.org and make a donation with their credit card or PayPal account. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for making their dreams possible.
Tracy
TRI-FECTA Update- Week 5
Here are the standings as of Monday, October 3.
Still with his commanding lead, Miko continues to move closer to the finish line with a current total of $7,267.50. Even with such a huge lead, I am pleased to say he is still the same easygoing guy he’s always been. He hasn’t let success go to his head.
The jostle for second and third places continues with B Smiley edging past Fable to claim second place with $2,880 and Fable moving up to third place with $2,391. But right behind them in fourth place is Henry with $2,115. With numbers that close, no-one can guess who will claim Second and Third places. Will Beth send her namesake flying over the finish line? Will Fabulous Fable show the consistency we love her for and keep up that steady pace? Or will the new guy Henry cause an upset with his unique colouring and sweet nature?
There is some tail swishing and ears pinning going on in the next group of racers as well. Sigbjorn, Maizy, and Ella seem to be passing positions 5, 6 and 7 around in their own version of Hot Potato. Sigbjorn currently has a strong hold on 5th place with $1,529.50. Not far behind him, Maizy is in 6th place with $920 and Ella is in 7th with $830. I’m embarrassed to say that I actually heard our girls trash talking each other. Comments about a certain mare’s tail length (or lack thereof), and another mare’s resemblance to a child’s doll were overheard after we closed the stall barn last night. Girls, save your energy for running!
Well, give him points for consistency if not for effort. Dobbs is still in 8th place with $551. But we have finally figured out why he’s slugging along. You see, his friend Robbie forgot to turn in his entrance fee so wasn’t racing. So we think Dobbs didn’t feel much like running without his buddy to keep him company. Never fear Dobbs. Bruce paid Robbie’s entrance fee so he is now racing as well. You know how fast that little pony is. You’d better get moving or he’ll pass you by.
The race is now on to AVOID being in last place. April sneaked by Dakota and is now in 9th place, by the skin of her teeth, with $320, while Dakota is in 10th place with $275. Neither one of these horses is exactly “easy going”. We are all getting a little nervous about how the mare/gelding will react when we have to break the news to him/her that they came in last. We may have to resort to drawing straws to find the unlucky person. Help us out and give them a final surge of support this week so they aren’t so cranky with us when we announce the final standings. For the sake of their leaders, please help!
Once all the bets are in and counted on the 15th, the race results will be placed in a sealed envelope and given to Star pony for safe keeping (as the only non-racer she felt that she could be impartial like the law firms on those fancy award shows). She will hold onto it until she gives it to Jan at the 2011 TRI-FECTA Celebration on Sunday, October 23 from 2-4pm. Jan will announce the winners of the race as well as the riders and volunteers who win prizes for bringing in the greatest number of bets and the largest amount of bets. We’ll also have a petting farm, yummy finger foods, and lots of fun. So get out there and bring in those donations then plan on attending our celebration on October 23 as your reward for a job well done.
Tracy
TRI-FECTA Update- Week 6
OK, this is IT. The final push for the finish line. The horses are turning the last corner and can see Jeremy waiting there with their feed buckets. They have picked up steam and speed in the last week. Can you help them keep up their momentum for a record breaking finish?
As they round that last bend, Miko still has his commanding hold on first place with $7,487.50. Unless there is a “dark horse” coming up on the outside, he may be the first critter to dive into his feed bucket with Jeremy.
But don’t count out B Smiley. He has mantained his hold on 2nd place with $,.850, even increasing the distance between him and third place challenger, Fable with $2,541. Don’t get too comfy there, B Smiley. Fable has Sigbjorn nipping right on her heels (OK, it IS Sigbjorn, so he’s probably just chewing on her heels because he mistook them for reins!). Sigbjorn has moved up to fourth place from fifth with $2,419.50 and seems determined to make his challenge for his place in the top three. And adding to the scrum is our new guy, Henry. He is right behind Sigbjorn in fifth place with $2,385. At this point, second and third places are in serious contention. Four horses, two places in the Winner’s Circle with Miko (or with????). Who is going to come out of the pack ahead of the rest? Don’t forget – Fable and Sigbjorn have been there before so want it back, but Henry is new so has nothing to lose. This could be an interesting finish.
The group of horses in 6th through 9th place are also packed so tightly I could barely see who was where. It looks like Ella has moved up to sixth place with $1,795 (she mentioned something about trying to escape having to wear her Halloween costume and refusing to duck when she went into her stall. Anyone know what she means by that?). Slipping a little but still keeping up a strong pace is Maizy in 7th place with $1,445. Dobbs is maintaining his hold on 8th place with $1,101 and April has positively FLOWN up to 9th place with $1,050 from her previous total of $320. (As she went by, I could hear her muttering something about refusing to wear a costume, and “Marcia can’t make me!” Not sure what all the complaining is about but, if it gets them moving, Halloween costumes for EVERYONE!)
Bringing up the rear is Dakota with $345 and look who’s with him! It’s our Racing Commissioner – Star Pony! With her is her pony buddy Robbie with $20.50. Star figured that, since he was frogging around in the back of the pack, she’d better get out there to keep an eye on him. With $270 she is not really racing but just making sure everyone crosses the finish line safely. Also, there were some informal complaints about Dobbs’ Halloween costume giving him an unfair advantage. However, I can’t tell you what his costume is until Star has finished her investigation.
So let’s get them all safely across the finish line and back in their stalls for dinner. Thank you for supporting them so they can support our riders.
Tracy
2010 TRI-FECTA Results
It was another exciting race and we are so grateful to all our volunteers, riders, and donors for their generous support. On behalf of our wonderful horses, please accept our sincere thanks.
In the interest of maintaining some suspense, I will list the competitors in reverse order. No fair sneaking a peak at the end.
Robbie came in 10th with $610 in pledges. He does however offer this challenge (or is it an excuse). He says we should throw some jumps on the race track next time, and then we’ll see who comes in first!! He says running is too easy for him so he got distracted by the pretty weather.
With a respectable showing for her first race, Maizy came in 9th with $1,235. She doubled her bets since last week so clearly has the idea now of how things work. Watch for her to break into the top three next year! I think she enjoyed the feeling of her braids blowing in the wind too!
Neck and neck in 8th and 7th places were Dakota ($1,320) and April ($1,375). Dakota made up for his slow start in Week 1 and worked steadily to move up to 8th place. He claims he was being a gentleman and not cutting in front of the ladies – that’s why he wasn’t further ahead! April recovered from her early illness and, with the support from her friend Hannah, she made up some lost ground. We all know how strong willed April can be – perhaps next year she will set her sights on the Winner’s Circle?
In 6th place with $1,680 was Sigbjorn. He says he would have done better but he was busy with Marcia in “makeup” – his trick-or-treating costume this year was a zebra. Not store-bought mind you, but painted on, so that apparently took away from some of his racing time. I’m not buying that excuse; I think he just didn’t want to get too far away from his sweetheart Maizy!
Right in the middle of the pack is Star with $1,871. Star was in the top three for most of the race and gave our winners a real run for their money. She should be very proud of herself – not too many 31 year old ponies are out there running in such competitive races. Just in front of her was Ella with $1,890, good enough for 4th place but not to put her into the Winner’s Circle.
Speaking of which, here are this year’s Winner’s Circle horses.
In third place, or Show, is the winner of our first TRI-FECTA in 2005, Dobbs, with $2,553. He gave it his all and was a strong challenger for the #1 spot throughout the race.
In second place, or Place, is the winner of our 2008 TRI-FECTA campaign B Smiley with $3,825. B Smiley started out strong and everyone thought he was a shoe-in (horse shoe-in?) to repeat his victory and take the 2010 crown.
But there is one horse who could beat him, one horse who quietly worked her/his way up through the pack, who put forth that extra effort to cross the finish line ahead of B Smiley…
The Winner of our 2010 TRI-FECTA campaign, that horse with a heart of gold, that horse so wonderful we call her Fabulous, this year’s winner is
FABLE!
Fable stayed up with the front runners throughout the entire race but really put on a burst of speed when she saw the finish line ahead. As everyone who works with Fable can attest, she is a sweet, gentle, and understanding horse. Apparently, she also has a touch of competitiveness as well! Congratulations Fable on a race well run.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to all our riders, volunteers, and families who worked so hard to bring in the donations that will support our horses in the next year. We could not provide this wonderful service without our amazing horses, and we cannot care for them with out your financial assistance. Special thanks go to these riders and volunteers who made it into their own version of the Winner’s Circle.
For Total Amount Raised
Riders – Rhys Mitchell, Gary McNally, Joey Omichinski
Volunteers – Sarah Bone, Adrienne Nemura, Carolyn Dekker and Daniel Bahls
For Total Number of Donations Brought In
Riders – Ani Karageozian, Rhys Mitchell, Joey Omichinski
Volunteers – Sarah Bone, Anne Lanier, Adrienne Nemura
