Ride for the Alzheimer’s Cure

Sun Country Trail Blazers Saddle Club has a fun way for equestrians and their horses to hit the trail and raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. The 2020 Ride for the Cure will be a socially distanced ride and participants can choose where and how many miles they ride.

“We’re keeping it very flexible,” explained Sun Country Trail Blazers president Karen Kraushaar. “We want people to feel like they can ride as much or as little as they want. We are encouraging a lot of rider creativity.”

Now in its seventh year, the Ride for the Cure has adapted to this year’s pandemic conditions. Last year’s ride was a weekend campout that raised more than $14,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association.

“We are really thrilled that we have come up with a system that will allow people to support Alzheimer’s research in a safe way,” Kraushaar said. “It’s a great opportunity to help out a worthy cause.”

Riders can register online at www.suncountrytrailblazers.org by Monday, September 14th and should plan to ride between September 26th and October 10th. The registration fee is $30, which includes a t-shirt, and all proceeds go to the Alzheimer’s Association. Riders are encouraged to solicit donations from sponsors who pledge a one-time donation or amount per mile.

The ride is sponsored by local businesses including Newport Hay,

Good Apple Equine Consignment, Peterson & Smith Equine Hospital, Home Instead Senior Care and Seminole Fence Company.

New this year, participants are encouraged to dedicate their ride in honor of someone they know living with Alzheimer’s disease or in memory of someone who had Alzheimer’s. Kraushaar will be riding in memory of her mother, who died of Alzheimer’s in 2012.

“Many people are in that situation,” Kraushaar said. “We hope everyone who is interested will participate. The sky’s the limit!”