The 69th annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show, held October 9-18 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA, will host the first-ever east coast Equine Comeback Challenge (ECC). Ten trainers from across the mid-Atlantic region will be paired randomly with ten mature, never ridden rescue horses for 90-days of training. Skills learned will be demonstrated in a trail class in which competitors are judged on how well they navigate 10 obstacles intended to display the horse’s willingness and performance.
The ECC was created by A Home for Every Horse, which supports rescue and adoption in response to the recent epidemic of unwanted, abused and neglected horses. Each team's progress will be documented weekly online via blogs on A Home for Every Horse and PAnational.org websites as well as their respective Facebook pages. The horses will be available for adoption at the end of the competition, which will begin at 7:30 pm on October 14 in the Large Arena of the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.
The ECC is sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition, STRONGID® Paste, Tractor Supply Co., Bureau of Land Management (BLM), West Nile Innovator, WeatherBeeta and PennVet’s New Bolton Center. The journey begins in mid-July when trainers are paired with their rescue horses. It all unfolds online so check back often!
About the Pennsylvania National Horse Show: One of the largest indoor horse shows in the U.S, with over 1,400 qualified horses competing for $475,000 in prize money, the PNHS features Hunter and Jumper competition, including the $85,000 Grand Prix de Penn National. Proceeds from the event benefit community equine and youth programs. Since its inception in 1945, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show Foundation has donated over $1.5 million to charitable entities. For more information visit www.PANational.org.