Welcome to the PVDA Ride For Life

This inspiring video exemplifies just ONE way in which we  help support the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center!

Help make our MISSION POSSIBLE in 2013!

Check out this video to see why you can’t miss this event!

USDF President, George Williams, is the 2013 Grand Marshal!

The PVDA welcomes the return of the United States Dressage Federation (USDF)  as a Prix St. Georges media sponsor of the 2013 Ride for Life! Located in Lexington KY,  the USDF has approximately 130 affiliated dressage clubs, or Group Member Organizations (GMOs), across the United States and Canada. We are proud to announce that this year, our Grand Marshal of the Dancing Horse Challenge will be the USDF President, George Williams.

Help Us Make 2013 Our Best Year Yet!

Getting involved can be as simple as making a donation or coming to the Dancing Horse Challenge. Or, if you want to do more, contact us and we will help find the right activities for you!

In 2013 our first fundraising goal for this year’s event is raising over $100,000 in donations for the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center. That will be the most for a single event; but we are optimistic that our 10th year will get us there! Our second fundraising goal is to move past the total donation mark of $500,000. We need your help to do this!

Please help us make 2013 and our 10th Anniversary the best year yet! Explore our website to see all the wonderful things we have in store for you this year. We will continue to post more information in the months leading to June.

Thank you for anything you can do to help us raise donations for an incredible cause!

Thank You to Our 2012 Participants

PVDA would like to THANK ALL THE SPONSORS, VOLUNTEERS, SHOW COMPETITORS and DANCING HORSE CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS! The 2012 Ride for Life would not have been possible without your support and dedication to contributing to such an important cause. PVDA is proud to announce that we were able to donate $75,000 to the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center in 2012!

Dancing Horse Challenge 2012 Re-Cap

The Dancing Horse Challenge took place on June 23, 2012 at Prince George’s Equestrian Center as a part of the 2012 PVDA Ride for Life. This is one of the premier equestrian events on the East Coast and features many International and Olympic riders dancing the night away on horseback. Riders this year include: Bent Jensen, Julio Mendoza, Silva Martin, Corinne Ashton, Susanne Hassler, Natalia Martin, Jill Kemenosh, Stephanie Alvord, Mary Callan, Erin Freedman, Dawn Wright, Dutch Chapman, Maya Stessin, Tami Batts and Great Falls Vaulting. This was quite a line-up for our 2012 event! You can view video of the 2012 Dancing Horse Challenge at Dressage Training Online. Thanks so much to Dressage Training Online for their support of the PVDA Ride for Life!

New this year the Maryland Horse Industry Board presented its “Touch of Class” awards to five recipients: Scott Hassler, Royal Prince a preeminent dressage sire from Hilltop Farm and USDF 2011 Gold Medalists from Maryland – Jaralyn Finn, Christine Betz and Susanne Hassler during the Dancing Horse Challenge!

Sponsors

PVDA would like to thank our sponsors for the 2012 Ride for Life. Corporate, Media and Pink Ribbon Sponsors include: Amy Goldminz, Bob Hall LLC. (Icelandic H2O and Michelob Bud), By Chance Farm, Cheryl Ann Loane, Chesapeake Dressage Institute, Citypeek, Comcast, Corridor Inc., County Saddlery, Cueto & Reed, Inc., Dan and Jessica Katz, Downtown Diane, Dover Saddlery, Dressage Today, Dressage Training Online, Equiery, Fairchild Controls, HorseGirlTV®, Jeannette and Richard Bair (Final Decision Farm), Land Rover, Maryland Parks Commission, Mercedes Wescott, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, Modern Babies and Children, My City 4 Her, Nutrena, Patuxent Nursery, Pedestal Inc., PVDA, Style, Sugarloaf Equestrian Center, The Daily Record, The Gazette, USDF, Wagner-Kaulius Communications, Washington Examiner, Washington Parent, Washington Post Postpoints, Wedding 411, Woods Lane Farm, WYPR and 101.9 Lite FM.

PVDA Ride for Life would also like to thank Bob Hall LLC. (Icelandic H2O and Michelob Bud) and Ingleside Wineries for their generous donation of beer, wine and water for the event.

Thank you to our local chapters: Bayside, Calvert, Catoctin, Clarksville, New Market, Shore Dressage and St. Mary’s for your continued support of the PVDA Ride for Life.

Thank you to our individual class sponsors: Allison Brock, Elizabeth Bazan, Charlene Fowble,Gaithersburg Equipment Company, Hugh Redd, Janet Richardson-Pearson, Jerry and Judy Michael, Laurie Trainer *double class sponsor*, Marne Martin-Tucker *double class sponsor*, MD Sunrise Stables, Pam Chauvin *double class sponsor*, Ruth Burke, Shelley Immel and The Collins-Artimovich Family.

Thank you to our breed sponsors: Anglo-Arab (Mary Sue McCarthy), Half-Arab (Laura Ryan), Appaloosa Sport Horse (The Appaloosa Sport Horse Association), Full Draft Horse – Percheron/Clydesdale/Shire/American Cream or Belgian (Christina Dale), Draft Cross (Laura Ryan), German Oldenburg Verband (GoodNess Ridge Farm and Shari Glickman), Hanovarian (The Horning Family and Woods Lane Farm LLC), Holsteiner (Will and Sharnette Atkinson), Mustangs/Chincoteague Ponies/Wild Horse or Pony (MD Sunrise Stables), Thoroughbred (Misty Meadow Stables).

A special thank you to The Horning Family for the generous donation in honor of PVDA Volunteers at the Ride for Life. The Horning Family is also the sponsor of the High Pledge Amateur Owner (AO) Award.

Thank you to Marne Martin-Tucker, a double class sponsor and the sponsor of the Professional High Score Awards.

Thank you to Frank and Dorie Forte for sponsoring the PVDA Memorial Challenge.

Thank you to our Friends of PVDA: Beverly Butler, Pam Chauvin “In Memory of Arlene Davis Walker,” Dean and Lori Geis “In Honor of Ann Ryder,” Dorie Holaday, Danielle Impink, LuAnn Levens, Walter Nelson, Deborah Oliver, Diane Skiba, Martha C. Straus and The Goldminz Family “In Loving Memory of Esta Mae Katz.”

Volunteers

Our volunteers help ensure the show goes on and the benefit is successful. To find out more information or to sign up, please visit the volunteer page on our website. Your help is greatly appreciated!

2011 Ride for Life Recap

PVDA is proud to announce that the 2011 Ride for Life will enable a donation of no less than $85,000 to the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center. Thank you to our competitors, sponsors and volunteers who helped make the 2011 Ride for Life a huge success. This money will go to support breast cancer research, quality of life research and training for doctors at the hospital. Without your help and support, we could not have made this happen! Thank you again to everyone!