Horses With Heart— July 2024 Newsletter

Have a Heart Barrel Race and Poles

We are excited for the upcoming 9th Have a Heart Barrel Race and Poles on September 28th at Olsen’s Arena in Chino Valley. Our event is attended each year by racers from all over Arizona.

The Arizona Quarter Horse Association has once again agreed to sponsor our prize saddle. The saddle is presented to the horse and rider with the lowest combined time in 4D Barrels and Poles. Last year, the saddle certificate was won by Ashley Hall on her horse Rip.

We will soon be mailing our sponsorship request letters asking for support of our race. We have wonderful donors who support us each year but, as always, the more the better. If you know companies and individuals who may want to sponsor, contact Bonnie Moreau or Kris Vollrath, or access our new Barrel Race website. Sponsorship letters and forms are available in the Horses with Heart office.

Again, this year the Silent Auction will consist of themed baskets. We ask your help in gathering a friend or two to procure or purchase items to put together a basket. Last year we had about 20 baskets to offer in the auction. It was a success!

Olsen’s Grains and Olsen’s Events are big supporters of Horses with Heart and our race. They provide the arena, registration, announcer, advertising, and so much more. When you have feedstore needs, please shop at Olsen’s and thank them for their support.

The Barrel Race now has its own website. You can sponsor directly through the website and/or direct questions and comments to the committee. https://auctria.events/barrelrace

Parade News

The Horses with Heart entry to Prescott Frontier Days Parade is well underway-and just wait to see what the team has come up with! If you would like to help decorate the entry and be in the parade on July 6th, please email hwhvolcoord@gmail.com or sign up in the HwH office.

Tacks 5th Avenue

In search of tack? Visit Horses with Heart's tack store, Tacks 5th Avenue, and explore our extensive selection of items, all at great prices! Every purchase directly supports HwH’s mission, helping us make a difference. Our tack shop hours are Monday through Friday from 10 am to 3 pm. Don't miss out—stop by today!

Remembering Patrone

Some of you may know that we lost our beloved therapy horse Patrone in early June. He developed an acute neurological disease, and while our wonderful veterinarians and horse care team did everything they could, unfortunately he passed away. Patrone had a unique presence, and a truly special way of connecting with everyone he met. Although he was only with us for a few months, his passing is a tremendous loss and has been felt deeply here at HwH.

Sequins and Saddles

Our committee is working hard on preparations for the HwH Sequins and Saddle Gala being held on October 12th at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Lower Hangar. We have secured the venue, food, and music. Auctions with Flair is assisting us with the auctions and Larry Cohen will be our auctioneer.

Our focus now turns to these two things: selling tickets to fill up the room with bidders and supporters and procuring wonderful and exciting items and experiences to offer in our auctions!

Tickets are now available to purchase on our Sequins and Saddles website. Please don’t wait, buy your tickets now! Invite your friends and associates, grandma, grandpa and cousins. You don’t want to miss this year’s Sequins and Saddles Gala.

Item Procurement - We need your assistance. We all know someone with access to items and experiences who may want to donate in support of HwH. Whom do you know? Talk to your favorite:

Merchant
Florist
Restaurant
Pet Groomer
Chiropractor
Winery
Pickle Ball Instructor
Gym
Landscaper
Trampoline park
Tour company
Timeshare owner
Anyone else who comes to mind!

Please approach these donors, and others, to share our mission and programs. Ask them to donate in support of the programs and the horses of Horses with Heart.

Donation letters and forms are available in the office for your use. Each item received needs a completed donation form. If you would like us to approach your donors, we will - just provide the information and contact name.

We already have a few wonderful items:

(2) Private In-Home Wine Sampling Experience. Includes a 90-minute guided in-home wine tasting experience with eight (8) bottles of premium boutique wine for up to 12 guests, led by a Wine Consultant. Must be 21 years or older to participate.
Milwaukee Packout Storage System
Certificate to Phoenix Symphony
Owen’s Armory will build a custom “Horses with Heart” Long Barrel Rifle
Five Night Mexico Luxury Resort Package

We feel so fortunate to have received these items and thank the donors: PRP Wine Tasting, Ace Hardware Chino Valley, Owen’s Armory, Mary Jane Gunter, and R&R Fundraisers.

We appreciate your help as we build a fun and successful event. If you have questions please contact Bonnie Moreau or Debi Covington. Our contact information is on the website: https://auctria.events/sequinsandsaddles

Summer Horse Tips from Rocky!

“Rocky here, lookin’ cool with the shades, right? How about some tips for horse care on hot summer days—straight from the horse’s mouth!

Give your horses lots of water. They’ll love you even more if you put a little apple cider vinegar or peppermint flavoring in it. Yum!
Let your horses roll in the mud! It’s fun, it promotes evaporative cooling, protects us from insects, and acts as a natural sunscreen. But mostly - it’s FUN!
Bathing your horse is another… WAIT! WHAT? Who put that on my list? NO! Delete number 3! Nope. No way! Rocky, signing off now! Aargh!”

Volunteer of the Month – Heidi Harvey

In the 2½ years that Heidi has been with HwH, she has become involved in so many areas. She is a regular part of the Marvelous Mini’s program bringing her mini donkey Brady, as well as hauling Rocky to the various functions. She has helped with the Competition Team, is on several SST teams, and recently has also filled in as a Class Assistant. Heidi’s experience, horse knowledge, and friendly manner make her a treasure to Horses with Heart!

How long have you been with Horses with Heart?
I have been with Horses with Heart since February of 2022.
Why do you volunteer at Horses with Heart?
For me, I love the connection with the horses. I've met some amazing people that taught me a lot that I didn't know about horses and riders. HWH gives me a place to go where I can feel good about what I do, whether it would be with the minis or the big horses. I really enjoyed getting to know the riders and why they come to ride at HWH.
What is your favorite memory or moment at Horses with Heart?
I don’t have a favorite memory because working with horses and being around riders are all good memories.

Needs around the Ranch

We now have an Amazon wish list! Visit this link to support Horses with Heart by donating supplies that we need.

The Sequins and Saddles committee is asking for donations of clear vases taller than 11 inches to be used as centerpieces during the gala. If you have extra vases around the house that you are looking to get rid of, please bring them to the Horses with Heart office!

Horse of the Month ~ Bailey

Bailey has working in Therapeutic Riding, Competition Team, and Non-Mounted Horsemanship classes this year, but she really demonstrated her versatility at the June 1st CVEA horse show. Bailey and her Competition Team rider took 1st and 2nd in all the Equestrians with Disabilities (EQWD) classes in the morning, and then Bailey and Clarissa (our Program Director) went on to compete in the Ranch Riding and Ranch Trail classes in the afternoon. To top it off, Bailey and her Competition Team rider won the EQWD Champion Buckle for the CVEA series! In her spare time, Bailey enjoys obstacle challenges and working cows with Clarissa. Bailey is a superstar!

New Land in Use

With the fencing now complete on our new parcel of land, we now have more space for our horses to be turned out and our riders to head out on the trail. Thank you to all our generous donors who made this project possible - stay tuned for future developments!

Blue Ribbon Moments

Horses with Heart has a volunteer appreciation program called Blue Ribbon Moments to recognize all the great day-to-day accomplishments of our volunteers. Nomination cards are located in the office, so when you see a fellow volunteer who is going above and beyond, please write down their name and a couple of sentences about what they have done, and drop it in the Blue Ribbon Moments container in the office. We will hold a drawing each week, and the winner receives a $5 gift card to Overflow Coffee in Chino Valley.

Week of May 27th Winner: Nancy Hughes
Week of June 3rd Winner: Karen Richert
Week of June 10th Winner: Lisa Deardorff
Week of June 17th Winner: Sally Gray

Marvelous Minis Program Update

June has been another busy month for the Marvelous Minis Program. We hosted three Ranch Tours/MM programs at HwH for the ASCEND School (June 5th), Las Fuentes Senior Living (June 12th), and NAZCare (June 27th). On June 13th, we visited Las Fuentes Memory Care; on June 18, Glassford Place Senior Living; and on June 20th, the Rodeo Party celebration of the first anniversary of the Marley House hospice reopening at Good Samaritan-Prescott. Rocky, Frosty, Liberty, Brady, and Sadie have all earned a bunch of frequent traveler points!

Chino Valley United Methodist Donation

On Sunday, June 2nd, Chino Valley United Methodist Church honored Horses with Heart with a very generous donation. Thank you, CVUMC, for your continued support of Horses with Heart!

Upcoming New Volunteer Orientations & SST Trainings

If you or someone you know would like to explore volunteer opportunities with Horses with Heart, please join us at the next Volunteer Orientation on July 8th at 1:00pm. There will also be a Volunteer Orientation and Safety Support Team training on August 3rd at 8:30 am. To register, please contact Debbie at hwhvolcoord@gmail.com or 928-533-9178.

Wranglr Assistance

Wranglr, our volunteer timekeeping system, is crucial for recording our volunteer hours. This is vitally important because our submitted hours help HwH qualify for grants and donations. Secondly, volunteers also receive some fun benefits. If you need assistance with Wranglr, please contact Annette DeMarco at cyngrrl@gmail.com or 408-210-3259.

Wranglr Volunteer Luncheon

On Wednesday, June 26th we had our Wranglr Volunteer Luncheon and it was quite a success! Even our weather decided to cooperate with puffy clouds and no downpours. We had approximately 40 volunteers in attendance with 15 volunteers also serving that day.

We want to give first a heartfelt thank you to Helen Collins, as well as our Hospitality and Volunteer Committees for the delicious menu, our fabulous food handlers, our arena set-up and take-down crew, our raffle item coordinators, our friendly check-in team, and a very special thank you to Aspen Creek Band for providing amazing music throughout the event.

Horses with Heart could not serve our community in the capacity that it does without our tremendous volunteers. Thank you again for such a fun event and most importantly, your hearts to serve. We love our volunteers!

Celebration of Life for Terry Sutton

Thank You, Sponsors!

Please join us in thanking the following businesses who support Horses with Heart! For more information on becoming an HwH sponsor, please contact Anne Spiess, Executive Director, at hwhexecdir@gmail.com.

Calendar of Events

July 6th ~ Prescott Frontier Days Parade
July 8th ~ New Volunteer Orientation, 1:00 pm
July 13th ~ Celebration of Life for Terry Sutton, 4:00 pm at Horses with Heart
August 3rd ~ New Volunteer Orientation and Safety Support Training, 8:30 am
September 28th ~ Have a Heart Barrel Race and Poles at Olsen’s Grain, Chino Valley
October 12th ~ Sequins and Saddles at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University