“Unexpected Help” comes to American Paint Horse Foundation

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—The first casts of a new, limited-edition “Back in the Saddle” bronze series are now being offered by the American Paint Horse Foundation (APHF) to support its innovative program to return injured riders to the world of horseback riding. The pieces depict a young girl lifting a saddle pad onto her horse. The child’s willing equine partner is pulling up a saddle from the ground to offer some assistance. The piece is aptly named, “Unexpected Help.”

The title is appropriate, especially in the case of the APHF’s Back in the Saddle project. The Foundation never expected help in the form of an exclusive bronze series donated to the program.

The help materialized when sculptor Clay Gant and his wife, Betty, heard of the project and offered their assistance.

Their company, Cowboy Bronze in Cross Timbers, Mo., will produce a total of 25 limited-edition bronze pieces to help raise funds to get injured riders back in the saddle through the Foundation program.

Most of the pieces are available to APHF “Back in the Saddle” donors of $1,000 and above, while a few select pieces will be offered at special American Paint Horse Foundation benefit auctions. Two pieces, just out of the Cowboy Bronze foundry, are slated to be auctioned at the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) annual “APHA Workshop” gathering of international directors in Grapevine, Texas, on June 4.

“Cowboy Bronze believes in this project,” said Clay Gant. “When Betty and I heard about the Foundation program to get injured riders back on their horses, we wanted to help and do what we could to support it.”

Gant, who professes, “I just can’t sculpt slow,” went to work on the piece in January, developing a theme and crafting a clay prototype. The sculptor shared his creation along the way with the Foundation and its Web site followers. Then, by late March, Gant had cast two of the first pieces.

“I knew I had to get some pieces done quickly, because the Foundation wanted to make them available at their Workshop and then their World Show in the summer,” said Gant.

“We stay pretty busy, but for a project like this, we’re taking the time to do what we need to do. The horse industry has been good to us, and this is about giving back.

“When the people who are being helped from this program get back on a horse and feel that sense of exhilaration that we all do on our horses, we’ll just be content to know that we’ve been a part of it,” said Gant.

About the Back in the Saddle Project
The first recipient of the Foundation’s “Back in the Saddle” project support is Katie Holland of Belgrade, Mont.

Holland, now 20, lost her right leg three years ago in a tractor accident. Before the mishap, Holland was an accomplished young rider with an all-around show record on her Paint and Quarter Horses. Since her accident, she has longed to compete again, on horseback, in the show arena. Currently, she shows at halter, via her motorized scooter.

The Foundation has arranged to have a custom saddle built for Holland and plans to assist with related show, travel, training, tack and show clothing costs.

The awarding of the saddle is being made possible by the generosity of Randy Bird of Bird Saddles in Celeste, Texas.

Bird is now building Katie’s saddle to custom specifications to compensate for her lost limb and the challenges she faces to stay balanced and erect on horseback.

No one knows those challenges better than Bird, himself. Paralyzed from the mid-chest down as the result of a 1986 truck accident, Bird made his own saddle that has allowed him to compete again in team roping events, including those at APHA World Shows. A dedicated member of the Foundation’s therapeutic riding committee, Bird volunteered to make Holland’s saddle and help the Foundation continue similar projects for the future.

“I know what this young lady is facing,” said Bird. “I’ve been there. And I know it’s more than just getting back on a horse. It’s about getting on with your life, and doing the things you love to do.

Project Timeline
The goal of this first Foundation “Back in the Saddle Project” follows a specific timeline with well-defined objectives, which include:

• December 2009—Foundation flew Katie Holland and her mother, Christine, from their home in Belgrade, Mont., to Fort Worth, Texas, to meet with saddle-maker Randy Bird and get fitted for her custom saddle.
• July 3, 2010—Foundation will award Bird Saddles custom-made saddle to Katie Holland during APHA Summer World Show in Fort Worth, Texas.
•  July through November 2010—Katie Holland will get accustomed to her new saddle, which will involve training, hard work and dedication—all areas in which she excels.
•  November 2010—Katie Holland will return to Fort Worth to compete in her new saddle at APHA Fall World Show.
•  Ongoing—Fund drives are underway to pay Holland’s travel expenses, as well as related tack, show clothing and training costs. Funding is also needed to continue the program annually for injured riders.

How to help
Visit aphfoundation.org and click on “Blog” to track Katie’s progress, as well as development of her new saddle and the bronze series.

Donors may also call the American Paint Horse Foundation at (817) 222-6438, e-mail jcircelli@apha.com, or send contributions to:

American Paint Horse Foundation
P.O. Box 961023
Fort Worth, Texas 76161-0023

Bronze availability: Contributors of $1,000 and up will receive the limited edition “Unexpected Help” bronze by Cowboy Bronze. Only 20 bronzes remain.