Sponsors Contribute Over $1,000,000 In Goods And Services ACTHA’s Shamrock PATH Gets Paved With Gold!

Press release

56,000 families with very special needs appreciate the miracle of the horse every year. Through expert certified instruction, therapeutic horsemanship students gain courage, compassion and sheer delight when joining with the horse. All this happens every day in every state and in Canada via 4,200 certified instructors, partnering with over 8,000 equines at 850 centers.  It is likely that there is one or more PATH Intl. Centers in your town….perhaps you are not familiar with it but it is there. This amazing work has been going on for over 40 years under the guiding arm of the credentialing body called PATH Intl… (The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship-formerly NARHA). Headquartered in Denver, this award winning nonprofit has gone about building a great matrix of healing.

ACTHA thought it was time we all took note. These centers work incredibly hard in the communities they serve. Leading very busy and demanding schedules, most of them as nonprofit entities, they are always in need of resources whether financial, human, or horses. ACTHA, with overwhelming industry support, is promoting events at as many of these centers as possible with other ACTHA locations joining in. ACTHA has set a goal….1,000 events, raising over $1,000,000 for the benefit of the local centers.

The credentialing body, PATH Intl. will receive needed funding from ACTHA itself. As always 20% of ACTHA’s gross member rider proceeds go to an eligible charity and in the case of Shamrock Rides this charity will be the credentialing body, PATH Intl. But the lion’s share of the funds raised from the events will go to the PATH Therapeutic Center hosting the event and the other hosts choosing PATH Intl. as their charity of choice. “The boots on the ground are always the ones benefitting the most” states Barbara Landes, ACTHA’s Ride Host Coordinator.

Sponsors large and small, from associations, teachers of the horse, publishers, insurance companies and the mighty manufacturers in the horse industry…even outside the industry have embraced the gargantuan efforts of ACTHA to facilitate 1,000 events for the major benefit of as many of the 850 PATH Therapeutic Centers as possible.

“It’s been breath taking” states Robin Tilghman ACTHA’s Chief Operating Officer and originator of the idea. “It’s hard to believe but everyday more product and commitments roll in. Our small distribution center is stretched to the gills with prizes and gifts awaiting delivery to all the Shamrock Rides coming up and the multitudes in the planning stages. The outpouring has definitely been greater than anything ACTHA has ever experienced. Our two Guinness World records are even dwarfed by this effort. But most importantly the good it’s all about to do, well, I’m just proud to be a part of it!”

Cavallo Horse and Rider led the sponsor parade initially with a $7,500 cash pledge to PATH INTERNATIONAL. Keeping with the ACTHA tradition of combining commerce with charity Cavallo is making the donation citing the first 500 riders to show up to the Shamrock Rides sporting their Cavallo Sport Boots. Quickly TechNiche International, the world’s leading source of climate neutral clothing stepped in contributing 3,000 of their Kewl vests and ThermaFur vests! TechNiche International also produces products for the horse. This $150,000 MSRP contribution was quickly followed by HealFast Therapy and their $159,000 MSRP donation of 3,000 crescent kits providing drug free pain relief for all types of pets, especially horses.

The flood gates opened and notables like Cashel, Ride Alert, Espree, Corigem, HorseQuencher, Monty Robert’s Equus Online University, Rod’s Western Palace and many, many more began shipping product for the cause.

Publications and web sites stepped forward and are still calling offering free ads and subscriptions. Wonderful Associations like the National Reining Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association, the American Quarter Horse Association to name but a few have agreed to inform their members aggressively of the effort and the cause.

Purina, longtime supporter of PATH International has taken it upon themselves to publicize the events in their newsletter and Face Book page alongside ACTHA’s Facebook posts. Major and minor data bases have agreed to forward the notices of the events to their subscribers. Western Horseman has written a wonderful article explaining the effort in their March issue!

This list goes on and a partial itemization appears below. THE CALLS AND PLEDGES CONTINUE TO COME IN EVERYDAY promising to make this one of the grandest humanitarian efforts in horse industry history.

So what’s all the fuss? Why has ACTHA assembled this incredible out pouring of generous sponsors?

“ACTHA and all the amazing sponsors, hosts AND VOLUNTEERS helping us have only one objective in this colossal effort. To “Collectively” bring local awareness to every community where a PATH Intl. CENTER resides and to be an instrument for getting each and every one of these centers the volunteers, money and the mighty horses they need to carry on for another 40 years. These unsung heroes deserve no less” concludes Carrie Scrima an ACTHA Founder.

In this way ACTHA hopes to shine the light on all therapeutic riding centers. ACTHA is sure the hearts of the horse owners everywhere will open and support their local centers….they just need to be made aware. We’ve NEVER seen them let a good cause down, and this is a great one.