Youth Charity Horse Show donates $2,500 to Central Illinois Riding Therapy
Friday, January 5, 2007
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.- The Youth Charity Horse Show has donated $2,500 from its 2006 show to Central Illinois Riding Therapy.
The Youth Charity Horse Show, an all-volunteer organization, has donated its annual proceeds to an area charity and has brought riders aged 18 and under together for a fun-filled weekend of competitive showmanship and comradery since 1983. To date the Youth Charity Horse Show has donated $80,000 to Springfield and Central Illinois charities.
The mission of the Youth Charity Horse Show, Kids Helping Kids, is to benefit a charity by working together to plan and implement an annual horse show that affords riders, ages 18 and under, the opportunity to compete in a variety of disciplines and, in doing so, help other children.
The beneficiary of the 2006 Youth Charity Horse Show was Central Illinois Riding Therapy (CIRT) of Peoria, Ill. CIRT is a non-profit organization, which offers horseback riding lessons to people with physical, emotional, mental and/or social difficulties. CIRT gives lessons four days a week year round to 60 children and adults with varying levels of disabilities. Lessons consist of grooming the horse, mounting and following specific directions to learn how to guide and control the horse. Many academic and physical skills are incorporated into the lesson such as hand-eye coordination, left-right coordination, stretching and warm-up exercises.
CIRT, a North American Riding for the Handicapped (NARHA) affiliated program, began in 1983 with money from a 4-H grant, borrowed horses and six riders. Today, CIRT is a non-profit organization staffed by a director, certified instructors and assistants, numerous volunteers and 10 horses. Costs for the participants are kept a low as possible and scholarships are readily available for those in need. It is the sincere wish of CIRT that eventually this type of therapy will be available to all of those whom it may benefit.
For more information about the Youth Charity Horse Show call (217) 629-9587 or by going to the Youth Show’s web site at www.youthcharityhorseshow.com.
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