STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Will the winner be Zeus—God of Striker? Hoppin’ Scotch? Nantucket’s Roxy Norbit?
You’re invited to pony up in Swiftsure Ranch’s Swiftsure Derby.
The therapeutic equine center south of Bellevue has launched a derby to raise money to care for its 1,500-pound therapists during the COVID pandemic.
Supporters can pick their stead and pony up a donation or sponsorship. It’s a race to the highest amount, with news of which horse is ahead updated every day on the website.
All the sponsors for the winning horse will be entered into a drawing on Aug. 27—the day of the Cowboy Ball. Those entered in the drawing have the chance to win a spa day at Sun Valley Resort or a gold heart pendant from Christopher and Co.’s Boulder Mountain Jewelry.
A number of community members have donated prizes for weekly drawings. They include a custom belt tooled by Bellevue leather Jack Sept, additional jewelry from Christopher & Co., a set of four mugs from Farm Hard or Die, hanging baskets from Bigwood Landscape that can be used this year or next, services from Sawtooth Equine, and more.
The name of everyone who sponsors a horse has a chance to win one of those prizes every week through Aug. 27.
“It costs about $4,000 each year to care for each horse at Swiftsure,” noted Nancy Glick, an ardent supporter of Swiftsure Ranch. “Usually, we give people the opportunity to sponsor a horse during the Cowboy Ball. But, since the ball is changing form this year, we won’t have that opportunity. So, we created this fun way to raise awareness AND reach out for sponsors and donors.”
The ranch board is also getting creative with ways to engage more people with its reimagined Cowboy Ball this year, said Glick. The ball is the ranch’s biggest fundraiser, providing many of the dollars needed to provide free therapeutic riding lessons to wounded veterans, adults with issues like Parkinson’s Disease, and children who have mobility issues, ADHD and other challenges.
“As you are aware, when the sun goes down at Swiftsure, the ranch still needs care and a massive amount of maintenance,” Glick added. “We can’t just shut off the lights and walk away for a few months.”
To saddle up for the derby, head on over to www.swiftsureranch.org/swiftsure-derby and put your dollars on your favorite horse. You can browse through the herd and read about their traits and silly habits to see which one tickles your fancy.
Wind Drifter, for instance, is a barrel racer-turned-therapy horse. Dale’s Rowdy Element loves a good game of follow the leader. Soro’s Indy Striker is the class clown. And Pal’s Dusty Road Dobbs is known as the handshake horse—even during the COVID pandemic.
Once you’ve made your pick, make a donation to help that horse get to the finish line first.
CORONAVIRUS CASES ABATE A BIT
The COVID pandemic that necessitated Swiftsure Ranch to come up with creative fundraising methods this summer abated a tidbit on Sunday.
Idaho recorded only 397 new cases--down nearly 200 from the day before--on Sunday. The state now has 10,902 officially reported cases since mid-March.
Blaine County recorded one new case for a total of 550.