~The Watering Hole, Ponies & Pearls, and Divertimentos & Dressage~
Vulnerable equine-dependent communities across the developing world and right here in the United States are benefitting from Wellington contributors who supported Brooke USA Foundation’s (Brooke USA) multiple fundraising events held during the Winter Equestrian Season, under the campaign umbrella, Paint Wellington Orange.
Brooke USA is committed to alleviating the suffering of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide by working with individuals, groups, and organizations to ensure working equines receive the optimal living and working conditions they deserve. By doing this, Brooke USA also benefits the impoverished people who rely on these animals for their livelihoods.
Each year, since 2016, Brooke USA has created innovative and creative events that attract and bring together leading equestrians who make their home in Florida during the winter. For the first time, and strategically different from the prior mass attended events, this year, Brooke USA launched three targeted and unique events, smaller in scale, allowing for more intimate and focused interactions among guests and with the mission.
Raising over $80,000, the first event was held on a Monday early in February – The Watering Hole, a pool party drawing young riders to an afternoon of relaxation and fun at the National Polo Center’s Mallet Grill. The event was chaired by Morgan Measey and Ash Atkinson featuring pool games, entertainment, food, drinks, a luxury auction with items from some of the equestrian world’s top brands and Palm Beach’s leading businesses, while the “Sip & Shop” allowed guests to shop an array of exclusive boutique items while enjoying a glass of wine.
The second event, Brooke USA’s Ponies & Pearls presented by Celebrity Cruises and Hotels-At-Sea, was held in March at The Pavilion at the National Polo Center in conjunction with the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship® Final and in celebration of National Women’s History Month. Ponies & Pearls was built on the success of the already existing Brooke USA event hosted annually in Aiken, South Carolina, by Brooke USA’s Aiken Regional Advisory Council and designed by Brooke USA Board member Katie Roth.
Chaired in Wellington by Brooke USA Board members Lisa Bair, Gill Johnston, and Lisa Spoden, with Brooke USA Ambassador Dawn Jones serving as Honorary Chair, to raise funds supporting women empowerment in the developing world through equine ownership, Ponies & Pearls raised another $80,000 for Brooke USA.
The last and final event, Brooke USA’s Divertimentos & Dressage presented by Lugano Diamonds, a one-of-a-kind showcase triumph by dressage riders performing freestyle with their Grand Prix horses to the live music of the Palm Beach Symphony, was held a few days later at Vinceremos Therapeutic Horsemanship Center. Performed by well-known international riders, including Brooke USA Ambassadors – National and Regional USDF Champion JJ Tate, and Paralympian and National Champion Rebecca Hart. In addition, the performances also included London Olympic alternate and WEG competitor Todd Flettrich, Israeli athlete Sahar Daniel Hirosh, and American competitors Jim Koford and Allison Kavey.
Divertimentos & Dressage was first held in the Tryon-area of The Carolinas, hosted for three years by Brooke USA’s Foothills Advisory Council, and conceptualized by equestrian and flutist, Sally Frick, a member of the Board of Directors of Brooke USA. After three successful years, the Wellington debut, chaired by Margaret H. Duprey and Selma Garber, raised an additional $80,000 for the cause while delighting guests with an orchestral repertoire that included works by Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven, Holst, Brahms, and Sousa. Divertimentos & Dressage was a resounding success, and the event is already slated to return to Wellington on March 21, 2024.
“These three events would never have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our various committee members and volunteers who provided their guidance and expertise. We are ever so grateful to them, our attendees, and to our sponsors, including our presenting sponsors Lugano Diamonds and Celebrity Cruises and Hotels-At-Sea,” said Emily Dulin, CEO of Brooke USA.
Other sponsors and underwriters of Paint Wellington Orange included American Stalls, AmFund, The Boarderie, Cherry Knoll Farm, Equisite Elements of Style, Human Touch, Maxwell’s Plum, Media Zone, Poll-to-Tail Magnawave, Poinciana Farm, Project Florida, Shutts Attorneys at Law, Slane Irish Whiskey, Star Liquors, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Valley Bank.
“All these contributors made the difference between failure and success, and we hit three consecutive home runs” added Dulin.
Paint Wellington Orange would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the amazing committee members across the three events: Hope Arellano, John Barlett, Allison Brock, Barbra Cole, Jane Cleveland, Hillary Dobbs, Lee Ann Ingram, Elizabeth Iorio, Kaela Genovese, Irene Greenberg, Marcia Kulak, Brianne Link, Emily Marschok, Lynn O’Connor, Ginny Orthwein, Kasey Perry Glass, Candace Platz, Kerensa Muller, Leslie Munsell, Robert Reyers, Tami Salinas-Bentley, Susan Shelly, Lydia Sudick, Weatherly Stroh and Aimee Waters.
“Working with such amazing people and such generous companies adds to the fuel that energizes our steadfast dedication and commitment to helping those in need – people and animals,” noted Kendall Bierer, Donor Relations Officer.
Funds raised from all three events are allocated to finance Brooke USA’s 2023 grant commitments to Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and other organizations in need that boast a similar mission. Throughout the year, Brooke USA is also supporting Native American initiatives geared at improving the hoof health of equines on tribal reservations and combating the donkey hide trade through advocacy at the Federal level that will lead to a ban the import and sale of ejiao (the gelatin made from boiling the hides of donkeys) in the United States. To learn more about these programs, please contact Brooke USA at info@BrookeUSA.org.
Photos are available by visiting brookeusa.org/the-watering-hole-pool-party or brookeusa.org/divertimentos-dressage-wellington.
About Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA): The mission of Brooke USA is to significantly improve the health, welfare, and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide. We are committed to sustainable economic development by reducing poverty, increasing food security, ensuring access to water, providing a means to education, and raising basic standards of living through improved equine health and welfare. We accomplish this by raising funds and responsibly directing them to the areas of greatest need.
Brooke USA strives to alleviate the suffering and vulnerability of developing communities by funding and implementing programs that improve the quality of life and health of working equines and thereby positively impacting their economic sustainability, protecting the planet, ensuring gender equality, and guaranteeing life on land resilience. We want to see healthy, happy people and equines that work in partnership to achieve sustainable local economies.
For more information, contact:
Emily Dulin
305-505-6170
Emily.Dulin@BrookeUSA.org
Kendall Bierer
561-309-9873
Kendall.Bierer@BrookeUSA.org