“A Little Show to Raise a Little Money”continued...
Dancing Horse Challenge By moving the show to PGEC, PVDA now
had access to several arenas for competition as well as the indoor with its concourse and large spectator seating. Te show quickly expanded to add vendors, sponsors, a gala and… the Dancing Horse Challenge. Participants from all over the country cre-
ated freestyles and exhibitions that were per- formed in front of gala guests. Te Challenge winner was the rider or riders who raised the most funds. “Celebrity” riders such as Olym- pians Debbie McDonald, Bent Jensen and Courtney-King Dye participated several times, as did local FEI riders Chris Hickey, Julio Mendoza, and Felicitas Von Neumann-Cosel. “Tere were several years where the winners would then donate their prize money back to Hopkins too,” Artimovich stated. “It truly was an extravaganza!” Bair stated.
“We had guest riders and trainers like Kathy Connelly, George Williams and Scott Hassler as MCs, a gala, silent auction… and of course the Dancing Horse Challenge.” Te Dancing Horse Challenge was initially
orchestrated by FEI rider and Maryland-based trainer Barbara Strawson, who not only rode in the exhibition, but also encouraged other riders to do so. “I had been riding in Ride for Life since 2005 and the idea was brewing [in my head] to have a freestyle fundraiser,” Strawson explained. “I had just lost a dear friend and mentor to can- cer, Jill Hassler-Scoop, and I wanted to be more involved in the Ride for Life.” Strawson went to Ride for Life chairs Ar-
timovich and Bair to pitch the idea and was told if she could raise $8,000 they would hold a freestyle fundraiser to honor Hassler-Scoop the following year. “I can’t remember the exact number, but I raised about $12,000. Tus, the Dancing Horse Challenge was born in 2007,” Strawson said. Strawson went on to chair the Dancing Horse Challenge for a few years and has ridden in it several times. “Tere is always a special feeling and camaraderie at this show. Its is amazing what these dressage riders have been able to accomplish!” she said. Tis year, Strawson returned with Barossa,
whom she rode in the very first Dancing Horse Challenge. Tey performed the same freestyle as in 2007, this time dedicating the ride to the memory of Anne Healy, who was the sister-in- law of Barossa’s owner Carol Heron. “I think it is important to note that the ex-
hibitions were not just about dressage,” Arti- movich said. “PVDA deliberately involved lots of different types of horses and riders to show spectators all aspects of the sport and introduce a lot of people to the equestrian community in a fun and memorable way.” Artimovich reminisced about several memo-
26 | AUGUST 2023 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION
rable performances but summed up the Danc- ing Horse Challenge best when she said, “we had kids on ponies to Olympians dressed as
The Dancing Horse Challenge was created by FEI rider Barbara Strawson who rode Barossa in the very first and last exhibitions.
held an online fundraiser. “We had people sub- mit their own riding videos and people could donate online instead of live,” Del Gross said. Ride for Life did return in 2021 and 2022 and although the USEF-licensed competition por- tion of the show remained large, the participa- tion in the exhibition continued to fall.
The Final Show Earlier this year, the PVDA Board of Di-
rectors announced that 2023 would be the last Ride for Life competition. At the time, PVDA had already raised nearly $975,000 for Johns Hopkins and stated they wanted to end with a goal of raising $1 million. In a February 2023 press re-
lease, the board stated, “a fun- draiser of this size combined with a large horse show requires enormous time and effort from an organization that is run 100% by volunteers.” It was due to the decreasing number of volunteers that PVDA is clos- ing the door on the fundraising part of the show. “We will still hold a summer licensed show at PGEC,” Del Grosso said. “It just won’t have the Ride for Life fundraising aspect any longer.” Although the early announce- ment of this being the final Ride for Life did boost donations and entries, volunteers were still too low with organizers
Lady Gaga all competing together in what [the late] Betty Torpe would often say was ‘the spirit of the ride.’” As with many volunteer driven local organi-
zations, the commitment to putting on such a big show year after year rose and fell a few times and then in 2020, the show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tat year, PVDA
scrambling during the competition just to get all volunteer jobs filled. “I’m not sure what the solution is [to the volunteer shortage] and I know there are other shows having the same problems,” Del Grosso stated. “But we can’t keep running these things with just a handful of overly dedicated people.” “It is bittersweet,” Artimovich stated about the final Ride for Life. “Tere have been so many great riders and great horses. Te spirit of this show is how it touched so many people. Tat is a thing of beauty to watch.” “It is really hard to succinctly put into words what this show and the fundraiser mean,” Strawson said. “For me, it is certainly reward- ing to give to the community by fundraising. But it goes beyond that. It is sharing the beauty of horses with others and somehow during the exhibition rides one hopes to show others how beautiful and healing horses can be.” With online donations, PVDA was able to hit
its goal of raising $1 million for Johns Hopkins even before the show opened on June 24. “Te great atmosphere and comraderie was as present this year as it is every year which is so nice to see and be a part of,” Del Grosso added. Del Grosso rode in the very first Ride for Life but had sat out the last several years while she was the of- ficial show organizer. Tis year she made a point to get back in the saddle and down that center line one more time. “I rode in the first one, so I wanted to ride in the last one!” she said. “Tis show transcends its beginning and end.
It has transformed lives, had given people hope and really has had a great impact on our com- munity,” Artimovich said.
Ride for Life’s Legacy Although it may seem to be the end of an
Ride for Life’s show organizer Carolyn Del Grosso rode in the very first show and last.
era, Ride for Life’s legacy will certainly live on. If it was not for this “little show to raise a little money,” the Johns Hopkins Breast Surgi- cal Oncologist Fellowship position would not exist. “It was Hopkins who came to PVDA and asked if we could start sponsoring a fellowship pro- gram,” Artimovich said. Te new program brought in a surgical oncologist to Hopkins to learn how Hop- kins creates a whole com- munity around each patient and then have this oncolo- gist take that knowledge back to their own communi- ties and teach other doctors. “Just one person can then make an impact on many, who go on to impact even more people,” Artimovich explained. Bair added, “it is like that one little ripple in
the water that gets bigger and bigger!” Shockney explained that the surgical fel-
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