Lexington, KY – February 25, 2015 – As top professionals, amateurs and juniors faced off in the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, more than 460 spectators gathered in the International Club to watch the competition, enjoy great food and drink and raise funds for a worthy cause. The annual gala raised more than $185,000 in net proceeds, topping the event’s record-breaking fundraising from last year, to support the USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Program, a program that in part benefits the USHJA Foundation Horseman’s Assistance Fund.
“We are honored by the scale of this year’s event and humbled by the generosity of those who love this sport,” said WCHR Task Force Chair Caroline Weeden. “Each year a portion of the funds raised to support the WCHR Program goes back to aid equestrians in times of need through the USHJA Foundation Horseman’s Assistance Fund. We thank all of the donors and coordinators of this year’s gala for their support.”
Party goers dressed in festive attire befitting of a Valentine’s Day celebration, while they enjoyed a lovely cocktail hour, dinner, a live auction, and the best seats in the house to watch the Saturday night class. Generously donated by Salamander Resort and Spa, the live auction item, featuring a vacation package at the luxurious resort in Middleburg, VA, directly benefited the USHJA Foundation Horseman’s Assistance Fund.
The WCHR Program not only recognizes the finest hunter riders in the country by offering great competition and prestigious awards, it also benefits the USHJA Foundation Horseman’s Assistance Fund, which offers financial assistance to hunter/jumper equestrians in times of need, such as following an illness, accident or other major catastrophe. The fund has come to the aid of nearly 20 hunter/jumper equestrians by assisting them in making ends meet after riding accidents, helping rebuild fencing after a fire, and offering financial aid to cover basic living expenses for those recovering equestrians who have invested their lives in this sport.
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The Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular Gala comes together each year thanks to the hard work of the Hunter Spectacular Gala Task Force. In 2015, the task force was co-chaired by Jennifer Smith and Caroline Moran, with Bryan Baldwin serving as honorary chair. The task force included passionate equestrians: Margaret Benjamin, Jennifer Burger, Laura Lee Montross, Debbie Perkins, Elizabeth Press, Glen Senk, Lynn Walsh, Tammy Williams and John Yozell.
In addition to the support of the task force, USHJA thanks all of the 2015 $100,000 WCHR Palm Beach Spectacular Donors and Equestrian Sport Productions for their support of the gala.
For more information about the USHJA Foundation Horseman’s Assistance Fund, visit www.ushjafoundation.org.
