JaneBeshear

2015 Kentucky Reining Cup Names Official Charity

JaneBeshearJane BeshearHorses and Hope, a breast cancer initiative of the Office of Kentucky’s First Lady and the Kentucky Cancer Program, has been named the Official Charity of the 2015 Kentucky Reining Cup.

The Kentucky Reining Cup returns to the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, April 24-25. Horses and Hope will be the featured charity at a special presentation during the World Championship Freestyle Reining on the evening of April 25th.

“We are thrilled to partner with such an outstanding organization and very happy that Horses and Hope might benefit from the donation we intend to give in partnership with our friends at Paul Miller Ford,” said Brad Ettleman, President of HorsePower Inc. “Horses and Hope is already the official charity of our sister event, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, and we are happy to extend that relationship to the western side of the weekend.”

The mission of Horses and Hope is to work alongside the state’s equine industry to provide breast cancer awareness, education, screenings and treatment referrals. Since the program was founded in 2008, Horses and Hope has reached nearly one million race track and horse show attendees, and educated nearly 16,000 equine employees. The program has screened almost 700 workers and detected breast cancer in three individuals who have all received treatment.

This January, Horses and Hope announced a new partnership with KentuckyOne Health, the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville and the Kentucky Cancer Program, to raise $1 million for a new mobile cancer screening van equipped to screen for seven different cancers. This new van will help Horses and Hope expand beyond the equine industry to provide education, resource referral and screenings to at-risk populations across the Commonwealth. All of the funds raised for Horses and Hope during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event will go toward the new cancer screening unit.  

 “We are so grateful to be named the Official Charity of the 2015 Kentucky Reining Cup,” said Jane Beshear, First Lady of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, who has continued the legacy of Kentucky First Ladies to support breast cancer initiatives for the Commonwealth. “Horses and Hope is focused on increasing breast cancer awareness and educating Kentuckians and at-risk populations about the importance of prevention, screening and early detection. Our partnership with the Kentucky Reining Cup will help us bring this important message to the thousands of equestrian enthusiasts who will be attending this world-class event and a perfect fit for our existing relationship with the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event which occurs the same weekend.”

Now in its fifth year, the Kentucky Reining Cup is the western side of the Rolex weekend, offering elite level Reining activities and awarding major titles in international classes. A legacy event from the 2010 World Equestrian Games, the Kentucky Reining Cup is the most prestigious FEI Reining event held annually.