The Horse Show Committee of the UPHA American Royal National Championship is looking forward to seeing you in Kansas City in November. As you are filling out your entry forms and beginning to make plans for the horse show, we hope you will plan your support for the Royal's UPHA Pink Ribbon Class (the Ladies 5-Gaited National Championship on Friday evening) -- the culmination of this year's efforts by more than 25 horse shows to raise $100,000 to fund the cures for breast cancer, a goal that was set after the very successful inaugural Pink Ribbon Class at the 2007 UPHA American Royal National Championship. We'll again offer special ribbons and prizes -- and we hope you will enter a horse in the class or plan to be ringside to cheer on the exhibitors who are riding for this important cause. This year, there are several new ways to easily support the effort. We invite you to participate in these:

* Celebrate someone who has fought the breast cancer battle with their name and photo in the special Pink Ribbon Class pages of the horse show program. As part of the horse show's UPHA Pink Ribbon Class event, we have invited people to make a donation in celebration of a particular individual and to send a photograph of that person to appear in the program in our "Pink Ribbon" feature next to the class. At this time, we still have room for more photographs and want to make full use of this opportunity to celebrate the individuals in our horse show community who have fought breast cancer in any way. The prize list gave the option of sending in a photograph only to those making a donation of $500 or more. Right now, we'd like to open it up more widely -- so you may celebrate someone with a contribution of $50 or more. To participate:

1. E-mail Ann Rowland arowland@ku.edu <mailto:arowland@ku.edu> and let her know the information (your name, donation amount, and who you want to celebrate)

2. Send the photo by e-mail to nberrong@stoneadvisory.com with "American Royal program/pink ribbon page" in the subject heading. Or, mail photo to Nikki Berrong, 148 Angel Falls Drive, Lexington, KY 40511 with same heading noted. Photos need to be at the printer by October 23. You should also note what text should appear with the photo: e.g., "John Doe in celebration of Jane Doe" or "Friends of Jane Doe in celebration of her life."

3. Send a check payable to the American Royal to Paulette Orth, American Royal Association, 1701 American Royal Court, Kansas City, MO 64102. Again, note that donation is for the UPHA Pink Ribbon Class program.

The most important thing here is the time element -- the printer needs photos by October 23 for them to appear in the program. And if you would like your honoree to be celebrated with both a photo in the program and in center ring during the Friday evening Ladies Five Gaited Championship, your contribution of $250 or more will get the job done!

* Order your stable's "Show Pink" barn decoration package on the entry form; your decorations will be delivered to your stable on Friday morning so that you can help turn the aisles pink on Friday. A minimum donation of $100 is requested (simply include the contribution with your entry form, and be sure to check the "Show Pink" box on the form) -- and if your stable and customers are able to contribute more, it would be greatly appreciated. Because the Jules Carman family is donating the decorations, 100% of your donation goes to the fight against breast cancer.

* Wear pink, spectators! For every spectator who wears pink during the Friday evening performance, the American Royal Association will donate $1 to the UPHA American Royal Pink Ribbon Class fund.

* Wear pink, exhibitors! For every exhibitor who wears pink while competing in any class of the Friday evening performance, the American Royal Association will donate $5 to the UPHA American Royal Pink Ribbon Class fund. And, by the way, check out the elegant custom UPHA Pink Ribbon Class ties ($85) created by Marsha DeArriaga; all proceeds from the limited-edition ties will benefit the UPHA Pink Ribbon Class fund. Visit www.MarshaDeArriaga.com or phone (931) 684-3500 to purchase a tie.

* If you manage a horse show that offered the UPHA Pink Ribbon Class, are a representative of your Pink Ribbon committee or horse show, or made the victory pass in a UPHA Pink Ribbon Class, you are invited to be part of our center-ring presentation and to be a guest of honor at the "Pink Party" immediately following the conclusion of the Friday night show. We will present a representative of Komen For the Cure with a check for the grand total of our 2008 efforts, and we want you to be part of that presentation. We also want the opportunity to thank you and to acknowledge your efforts on behalf of this cause.

Please inform Ann Rowland of the UPHA American Royal Horse Show committee if you or another representative of your show will be in Kansas City and able to participate in the UPHA Pink Ribbon Class festivities. You can call Ann at (816) 560-5342 or e-mail her at arowland@ku.edu <mailto:arowland@ku.edu>. Please let her know of your plans before the horse show so that she establish contact information for you during the week of the show. She will ask you to gather near the in-gate on Friday night about two classes before the Pink Ribbon class (the last class of the evening session) in order to be part of the Pink Ribbon presentation.