Hoof Prints Of Hope

I remember when the doctor told Mom that she had Alzheimers Disease. She handled it bravely as Mom handled lots of things. But later she wept. And later we wept too.

There are few things that I dread more than getting that diagnosis. Luckily Mom died before she forgot our names. She so dreaded not knowing her own kids any more.

But, in the interim we got a glimpse of how Alzheimers robs you of your dignity and hope and life.  And there is still nothing that can stop the relentless loss of memories or the fear and confusion it brings to your life.  It is the most cruel of diseases and it is about to become an epidemic as the population ages. It’s effects will be felt by everyone if we don’t find a cure.

There is an opportunity for those of us in the horse community to help raise awareness and funding to try to help find a cure.  I am including the information below. Please take a look at the Call for Help below and see if you could help.

Hoof Prints of Hope – Call for Help

Hoof Prints of Hope is a Fund raising and Awareness Initiative that will consist of a small group of horse back riders crossing the province of Alberta, in support of Alzheimer’s. On our journey we will hope to visit over thirty different communities. In each of these communities we will collect donations and distribute Alzheimer literature.

We will be starting our journey in either Jasper or Hinton and then we will head east, traveling all the way to Lloydminster! Our primary route will take us along side of Highway 16. We will be deviating from the main highway a bit so that we can access as many towns and cities as possible along the way.

By averaging 10-15 miles per day, this ride will take us about six weeks to complete. It will be a long campaign, but we know that every step we take will bring us one step closer to a cure for Alzheimer’s!

Although the ride will not actually happen until Sept – Oct of 2010 there are a lot of things that need to be done right now:

• We would like to talk to anyone with a company that would be is interested in becoming a sponsor of this ride. We will ensure that all sponsoring companies gets exposure on our journey. Depending on the commitment and needs of each sponsor, their logos could be on our vehicle, on our media releases, on our website, and on any signage that will be set up to promote our ride. Those logos would be seen in every town that we visit!

• We are looking for one more experienced horse person to make the journey with us. It is a long campaign – we are going to be on the road for 6 weeks as we intend ride every step of the way (well maybe not right through the centre of busy cities.) The length of the campaign alone makes it hard, as most people find it difficult to arrange for that much time off from work. We would like to get together with any one that is interested in coming with us. Sundown Smooth Gaited Horses is providing Paso Fino horses for all the rides.

• We need on site co-ordinators for each town or community that we will be visiting. These people will be critical to the success of our venture. They will be in charge of securing a safe location where we can stay with our horses, while we are in their community.

• We would like to find community groups who would be willing to put on a community fund raiser while we are in their area. These fundraisers do not have to be big elaborate affairs, they can be as simple as a hotdog sale, or they can be as complicated as a dance along with a silent auction. Anything that each community could do to help would be greatly appreciated! We just want to be able to get people together to distribute Alzheimer s awareness information, and to have a chance to raise funds for the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and NWT.

• Horse clubs, 4H groups, and individual riding enthusiasts are  encouraged to organize an equestrian ride or event in their area to raise funds in support our cause! Any money that has been raised by local fund raisers can be presented by the community group when we ride through their town. Or if you are not along our ride route we will be set up so your club can donated to Hoof Prints of Hope on line.

If any of this sounds appealing to you please contact Rose Mary Axell of Sundown Smooth Gaited Horses. I would be glad to talk with you and discuss how you make a difference.

Email: rose@smoothgait.com
Phone: 780-895-1019

Don’t forget to check out the web site at www.hoofprintsofhope.com