PonyUP! Kentucky was delighted recently to donate an original painting and a PonyUP! Kentucky handbags to the Pyramid Society for their silent auction.

Established in 1969 by a small group of North American breeders, the Pyramid Society is recognized today as the largest international community of Egyptian Arabian breeders, owners, and enthusiasts, all joining together with one purpose: to safeguard the legacy of the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse.

Comprised of active members on almost every continent, the Pyramid Society is a unique membership organization characterized by a strategic pursuit of breeding excellence. Preserving these amazing animals is no small endeavor! We encourage you to use the links on this page to explore the many ways the Pyramid Society supports its members and their breeding programs.

We couldn’t do it without your support! Thank you!

As always, PonyUP! Kentucky was thrilled to donate $250 to a great horse rescue organization.

Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KyEHC), located in Nicholasville, Kentucky, is a first-of-its-kind facility.  This tranquil 72-acre farm provides humane treatment and shelter while working as a clearinghouse to seek adoptive homes for all of Kentucky’s unwanted equines, regardless of breed.

We fully support the KyEHC’s mission of educating the public and raising awareness for responsible equine ownership so that fewer horses end up in crisis. We applaud the work KyEHC does in working with and serving as a model for organizations with the same mission in other states: to save America’s equines from inhumane treatment.

Thanks to all of you for your role in helping us help KyEHC!

PonyUP! Kentucky was thrilled recently to donate $250 to New Vocations.

New Vocations has six locations in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

A 501 © (3) non-profit racehorse adoption program, New Vocations was founded in 1992 to offer retiring racehorses a safe-haven, rehabilitation, and continued education through placement in experienced, caring homes. Most of the horses arriving at New Vocations are injured and thin, suffering the many occupational hazards of racing.
New Vocations provides a safety net for these horses, matching them with qualified owners and following up on their rehabilitation and vocational training to ensure a successful transition. The organization’s focus is on adoption versus retirement, believing that each horse deserves to have an individual home and purpose.

Since its inception, close to 4,000 retired Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds have been placed in qualified homes through New Vocations’ efforts, including 429 ex-racehorses that were placed in 2011. These horses have come from 18 different states and have been adopted by families throughout the country.

Thanks to all of you for helping us give to New Vocations – helping horses in need!

PonyUP! Kentucky is all about equestrian fashion with purpose and passion.

As you know, we take the fashion part seriously. We’re always looking for ways to expand our product lines, and we think we’ve got another winner.

We just launched an extensive line of genuine leather handbags!

As great as they look in the pictures, they’re even better in real life. Our founder Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH, travels to Louisville, Kentucky, to personally select each hide with love and care, with every PonyUP! Girl in mind.

Our genuine leather handbags are affordably priced. The collection features  a number of styles and sizes, including Equestrian Hobos, Middie Hobos, and Petite Hobos, Equestrian Bridle Bags, Middie Bridle Bags and Petite Bridle Bags. Look for them on our Hobos Catalog with names beginning with “Leather.”  You’ll also find Equestrian Briefcases and Saddle Satchels on our New Styles Catalog, all also with names beginning with “Leather.”

Check them out today!

PonyUP! Kentucky was delighted to donate $200 recently to Thoroughbred Placement Resources, Inc. (TPR) in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Our blog readers know that we love the concept of the organization’s horse show, which showcases off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTB).  The Maryland Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show will be held at Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on April 27 and 28 this year. Proceeds from the show will benefit the horses at TPR.

Currently, the Maryland racing industry has no official retirement program for race horses. TPR, Inc. exists to improve the lives of Thoroughbred racehorses, by successfully transitioning and retraining racehorses for other disciplines and uses these techniques and philosophies to help others learn these skills.  The organization strives to improve the reputation of the Thoroughbred by providing the correct information about this wonderful breed.  Through support, education, retraining, rescue, and placement, TPR strives to make a difference in the lives  of Thoroughbred racehorses. Since November 2007, TPR has placed more than 600 horses—mostly Thoroughbred racehorses retired from Maryland tracks—through sales and adoptions. This terrific organization depends on donations from Thoroughbred enthusiasts  and the public.

Again, our sincere thanks to all of you for helping us give to TPR, Inc.  We love helping horses in need!

PonyUP! Kentucky was thrilled to donate one of our Ascot Derby Equestrian Hobo handbags and a Gold Streak Equestrian Bridle Bag, along with a painting, and a copy of a book authored by our founder, Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH: Riding for Life, to Thoroughbred Placement Resources, Inc. (TPR, Inc.).

We love the concept of their horse show, which showcases off the track Thoroughbreds (OTTB).  With our donation, we’re a Laurel sponsor!

TPR, Inc. exists to improve the lives of Thoroughbred racehorses, by successfully transitioning and retraining racehorses for other disciplines and uses these techniques and philosophies to help others learn these skills.  The organization, based in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, strives to improve the reputation of the Thoroughbred by providing the correct information about this wonderful breed.

Through placement, support, education, and rescue, TPR, Inc. strives to make a difference in the rescue, retraining, and placement of Thoroughbred racehorses. This terrific organization depends on donations from both Thoroughbred horsemen and women and the public.

Thanks to all of you for helping us give to TPR, Inc., helping us help horses in need!

Save 10% sitewide with code VALENTINE, through Feb 28. Please help us spread the word!

Thank you always for helping us help horses in need!

With a friendly PonyUP! shout-out to the popular Reader’s Digest feature “13 Things…,” we now present the following 13 facts about horse rescue organizations:

• There’s no trade association or regulatory agency for horse rescue organizations.
• While the IRS lists nonprofit, tax-exempt “equine rescues,” “horse rescues,” and “equine humane societies,” it does not include animal shelters that  rescue horses or farm animals. There are countless private rescues operations—and no guidelines on what can be called a private rescue operation, so there’s no good way to know how many there are.
• Each year, dozens or more new rescue organizations spring up across the United States—and unfortunately, many rescues also close their doors annually.
• Horse rescues organizations perform a variety of activities.
• Rescue activities include taking in horses and other equines from various sources such as auctions or feedlots, off-the-track horses, donated or owner surrendered horses, and abandoned horses or those that have been removed from their owners by law enforcement agencies.
• Horse rescues organizations often provide education in the form of training and riding clinics, seminars on horse care topics, and printed information.
• When an owner has a horse that they fear they cannot keep due to illness, injury, lameness, or behavioral or training problems, some rescue organizations are able to help the owner find a veterinarian or other equine professional who can help the owner solve  the problems and keep the horse.
• Horse rescue organizations often work with law enforcement officers to investigate reports of neglect or abuse and take in horses that have been removed from their owners due to neglect, abuse, or abandonment.
• Horse rescues organizations need our help!
• Most horse rescue operations are run solely by volunteers, and others have only one or two paid employees. If you have time to groom, feed, train, or otherwise handle the horses, a horse rescue operation needs your help! If you can foster or adopt a horse, or help out with trailering horses, your help is always welcome.
• If you have legal skills, accounting skills, fundraising skills, marketing or public relations skills, horse rescue organizations would love to meet you!
• Horse rescue organizations also need our donations. There’s no government funding for them, so they depend on fundraisers and donations to bring in the money they must have to support and care for the horses.

If you’re a seasoned horsewoman, you have a lot of valuable skills and experience to benefit horse rescue organizations. But even if you’ve never ridden a horse, you still have plenty to offer. Call a horse rescue organization nearby and see how you can get involved. You’ll never regret it.