When back-to-back hurricanes--Katrina and Rita--struck our southern coast in 2005, horse people from around the nation organized to provide relief for horses and their owners. At the time, the United States Equestrian Federation also worked around the clock to coordinate assistance from many local and national organizations. The biggest challenge was not man-power—it was obtaining funding to help care for equine victims in affected areas.
To better prepare for future disasters, the USEF is starting a permanent USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund and requests contributions from individuals and organizations. Formation of this fund is consistent with the USEF mission to help ensure the safety and well-being of horses.
Money donated to the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund will be used to prepare for disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, fires and others) and assist affected equines of any kind. The money will be held by the USEF in an account restricted for this purpose and disbursed only upon authorization of the USEF Chief Executive Officer. The USEF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Donations can be made online by credit card at www.usef.org. On the homepage, click on “About USEF” (on the menu on the left side); then, click on “Make a Donation to the USEF Equine Disaster Fund.”
Donations to the fund can also be made by check and mailed to:
Finance Department – Equine Disaster Fund
United States Equestrian Federation
4047 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511
Checks should be made out to: USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund