EQUUS Foundation Horse Whisperers

A group of exceptional individuals and organizations with an extraordinary kinship with horses.The Horse Whisperers program is for donors who are inspired by the magical and powerful impact horses have on our lives.They tap into their own resources to make an perpetual commitment to the charities that The EQUUS Foundation deems worthy of support.

The $10,000 Michele E. Arnhold Memorial Grant
Established by the family of Michele E. Arnhold in memory of her llife-long passion, her pursuit of excellence and her commitment and contribution to the equestrian sport, this grant will be awarded in perpetuity to a charity selected by the Board of Directors of The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., as worthy of support.

The $5,000 Visse M. Wedell Grant
Established by Visse M. Wedell, this grant will be awarded for five years to a charity in the horse welfare funding area selected by the Board of Directors of The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., as worthy of support.

You can set up an unrestricted grant if you don't have the time to research the thousands of nonprofits that use the horse to benefit the public, promote horse welfare or elevate the equestrian sport. The EQUUS Foundation, Inc. will do the legwork for you. Grant recipients must meet the Foundation’s eligibility requirements and grant making guidelines in order to receive EQUUS grants. Many hours are spent evaluating the requests to insure that your donation can make a real difference. After our board approves grants, we'll let you know where they went.

Giant Steps School & The American Institute for Neuro-Integrative Development in Southport, CT was selected to receive the $10,000 Michele E. Arnhold Memorial Grant.The grant will be used to underwrite the cost of the certified therapeutic riding instruction for the school’s therapeutic riding program at the Fairfield County Hunt Club, which donates the use of its facilities and horses for the program. Volunteers from the Club membership and the surrounding communities serve as leaders and side walkers for 12 autistic children, participating weekly in Fall, Spring, Winter, and Summer sessions.The program runs for 3 hours one day a week and there are 3 to 4 children in a class accompanied by 3 volunteers (2 side walkers and a leader). The Bridgeport Police Mounted Unit, an EQUUS Grant Recipient, also supports the program by donating larger horses for the older children involved.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue based in Lisbon, Maryland, was selected to receive the $5,000 Visse M. Wedell Grant. Days End Farm Horse Rescue provides shelter, rehabilitation encompassing medical and psychological intervention and care, training, foster care and qualified adoption to abused, neglected and unwanted equines, operating both a Critical Care Unit and an Extended Care program. In addition to its rescue and rehabilitation programs, Days End conducts education and outreach programs to bring attention to the prevalence of horse abuse and neglect, and also provides disaster relief along the East Coast in major natural or manmade disasters. The farm is currently operating at maximum capacity caring for 70 equines. The grant will be used to offset the cost of veterinary care, which totaled over $28,000 in 2007.

EQUUS Horse Whisperer Grants are named by the donors in honor of a family member, friend, associate, or in the memory of a loved one or a loved equine companion.
   The $5,000 Horse Whisperer pledges $1,000 for five years. When the pledge is paid in full, a $5,000 grant will be awarded in the name requested by the donor.
   The $10,000 Horse Whisperer pledges $2,500 for four years. Two $5,000 grants will be awarded in the name requested by the donor in the second year that the pledge is paid and when the pledge is paid in full.
   The $25,000 Horse Whisperer pledges $5,000 for five years. A $5,000 grant will be awarded each of the five years the pledge is paid in the name requested by the donor.
   For Horse Whisperer pledges of $50,000 or more, donors may custom design the grant awards.

Field-of-interest grants are for donors who have a particular area of charitable interest. They name the area—such as one of the three EQUUS three funding priorities -—or choose a more specific area—such as therapeutic riding for the individuals with disabilities, or horse rescue. We will work with you to define your specific interest. Rather than locking your charitable contribution into a few specific charities, a field-of-interest fund will always be able to meet contemporary needs.

If you are firmly committed to supporting specific charities, you should consider making your gifts directly to those charities. But, under some special circumstances, donors may recommend a specific charity to receive the donor's grant. However, under Internal Revenue Service rules, the recommendations cannot be binding and The EQUUS Board of Directors has final approval. We take the donor's suggestions very seriously, and take care of all the record keeping and reporting to insure that recommended charities comply with EQUUS eligibility criteria and grant making guidelines. For donors who have established designated grants, the EQUUS Board, after carefully reviewing the facts, will redirect the funds if the charity becomes ineligible to receive an EQUUS grant.