July/August 2025 Issue

Page 6 July/August 2025 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN The new state-of-the-art McCausland Arena at Chamounix Stables. Photo by Suzanne Bush Like what you see? Subscribe today! (Continued from page 4) From One of Millions to One in a Million Helping Hundreds Lezlie Hiner went from horse crazy barn rat to helping kids through the magic of horses.  fundraising, from a Friday night reception, to polo on Saturday, featuring teams of Work to Ride students. The Work to Ride Family Work to Ride kids can start in the program when they’re eight years old, and stay in the program until they “graduate” at 18. Hundreds of Philadelphia kids have gone through the program and they come back to mentor the younger kids. Several of the grad- uates, like Rosser, have been polo stars in college and gone on to suc- cessful careers. Hiner says that not every kid who starts the program stays with it. “But they’re all still our family,” she says. “They’re al- ways around, and ready to help out if we need them. You want them to graduate from the program, but it’s really tough for the boys.” It’s her “mother hen” instinct to keep them close, because she knows that they’ll stay out of trouble as long as they stay connected to the barn and the horses. Rosser wants theWork to Ride family to expand, and he wants the community to be a bigger part of Chamounix going forward. “We see ourselves as a kind of hub—a place where people can get away and find peace and enjoy every- thing that we have here to offer.” He reflects on the ways his life was changed by Hiner’s vision. “I hope that this place can continue to make a difference in other peo- ple's lives similar to the way that it has for me. Just being able to escape the things that are going on day-to-day that aren't necessarily pleasant. But we're sitting here, and hear the birds chirping, watch- ing the horses graze.” He points across the road to the new pasture, donated to the organization by the City. It’s lunch time for the horses and the kids are filling the water troughs and delivering buckets of feed.Along the pasture fence three men sit under an umbrella, talking and singing softly. “My message,” Rosser says, “Come see us. Come be a part of it and learn what we’re doing here. Help spread the word. This is the place where people can come sit on these benches, feed the horses and experience everything that Work to Ride has to offer.” We Reach Horse Owners Winner of 18 American Horse Publications awards for editorial excellence East Coast Equestrian offers: • Access to one of the country’s largest populations of horse owners—horses are a $10 billion industry in Penn- sylvania alone. • 38,000 to 59,000 readers per issue, ranging from back- yard horse owners to Olympic riders. Affordable adver- tising and four color rates. • Distribution via subscription (4,550), tack and feed stores (340) and in cooperation with dozens of national and regional events. Distribution is focused on, but not limited to, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Delaware. Each issue is readable in perpetuity on our website. • Partnerships with Horse World Expo, the Devon Horse Show, Dressage at Devon, the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, and the region’s biggest events give you unequalled access to elite horse owners. • Access to participants in all equestrian disciplines, from hunter/jumper to team penning, saddle seat to endurance. • The opportunity to showcase your company in adver- torial features with articles written by our award winning staff. Featured articles and ads stay on our website (8,000 visitors per month) for a year. Frequent advertisers get free online ads on our home page. • A staff dedicated to excellence in editorial content, ad- vertising design, print production and customer satisfaction. To advertise or for more information, please contact: Phyllis Hurdleston at (717) 509-9800 phyllis@eastcoastequestrian.net