Unwanted Horse Coalition Awards $2500 in Gelding Vouchers to
#GivingTuesday Contest Winner
(Washington, DC) – In celebration of #GivingTuesday, the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) hosted an UNselfie contest to promote giving and gelding on the global day of philanthropy.
The UHC asked people to support their favorite 501c3 equine welfare organization for a chance to win $2500 in gelding vouchers for that organization.
Participants were instructed to take an #UNselfie with a previously “unwanted” horse, or a photo of that horse, while holding a sign with the name or logo of the 501c3 equine welfare organization they planned to support on #GivingTuesday. The intent was to encourage giving to help unwanted horses and to highlight the positive outcomes that result from the many great rehabilitation and re-training programs around the country.
Thirty-five individuals pledged to support 13 different 501c3 equine welfare organizations. Darlene Kraemer’s photo was randomly selected as the winner. She designated Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue to receive the vouchers. Heart of Phoenix can use the vouchers to geld colts and stallions acquired by the rescue, to host a clinic, to assist other rescue organizations that have seized or surrendered stallions in their care, and to assist owners in their region.
“So many organizations were asking for donations on #GivingTuesday, we wanted to do something different and fun,” said UHC Director, Jennifer Purcell. “We received some cute photos and hopefully made new connections with groups that might wish to host gelding clinics in the future.”
The UHC released new Operation Gelding policies and procedures last month, and applications for 2017 clinics are now being accepted. The program provides materials, guidance, and financial support to organizations that wish to host low or no-cost gelding clinics. A $100,000 grant awarded by the DeWitt Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County will result in the castration of hundreds of stallions within the next year.
Individuals interested in hosting a clinic should contact the UHC office at 202-737-7325 or uhc@horsecouncil.org; or visit the UHC website at unwantedhorsecoalition.org.
To see the contest entries, visit the UHC Facebook page or click on http://bit.ly/2gmTS56.
About the Unwanted Horse Coalition
The Unwanted Horse Coalition represents a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together to educate the horse industry about the unwanted horse issue. The UHC was a direct result of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2005. Operating under the American Horse Council Foundation, the UHC provides resources to prospective owners, current owners, rehoming facilities, and industry leaders in its effort to encourage responsible ownership.
