MSU Equestrian Team holds ‘Holidays With the Horses’ fundraiser
The Mississippi State University Equestrian Team held the Holidays With the Horses event to raise money for competition costs.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – What comes to mind when thinking of holiday festivities? Pictures with Santa, hot chocolate, maybe even Christmas crafts. But what about horses?
The Mississippi State University Equestrian team hosted their “Holidays With the Horses” event at their horse unit to fundraise for the team’s travel costs and entry fees for competitions.
One of the English equestrian team members, Lucy Gallemore, said it’s great to see the community come together and have fun.
“It’s awesome,” Gallemore said. “It’s so cool. Especially the kids, them coming out and they’re getting to ride a pony and it’s just really fun and it brings all of us together and everyone’s just so happy. Like no one has a reason to be sad when you’re with ponies and there are Christmas decorations.”
Caitlin Beckum, an attendee said she’s happy to have events like this for families.
“It’s welcoming, it feels really great out here,” Beckum said. “It’s a lot of things for her to do and a lot of things for parents to engage in. It means a lot, especially with any kind of family, it feels great to have something to do for the holidays. You just come out here, it is affordable to bring your children out here to have fun.”
The event isn’t just about holiday cheer, it’s also about supporting the MSU Equestrian Team.
The team has a huge impact on students said Ashley Glenn, the head coach of the Equestrian Team and equine facility supervisor.
“It’s a really good opportunity for them to take a break from classes,” Glenn said. “It’s a very organized team with quite a few requirements. They have to be very dedicated to it so I think it builds some really good life skills, for them once they graduate and go out into the workforce.”
Gallemore said being a part of the team means a lot to her.
“The biggest thing for me is really just the family feeling of being on the team,” Gallemore said. “I’m from out of state so it’s a good home away from home, and everyone’s so supportive. And it’s just a good support system to have.”
MSU supports the horse unit’s operation costs, but travel expenses come from fundraisers like this.
Glenn said the support from the community gives students the chance to participate in competitions.
“Just to share with people how hard these students work throughout the year, and the effort they put into fundraisers like this so they have the opportunity to be able to participate in the team and travel,” Glenn said. “These kids wouldn’t have that opportunity if we weren’t able to host events like this and have participation like this from the community.”
Gallemore shared what she wanted to tell her coaches, team members, and the community who came out to support.
“I want to thank my coaches, they all work so hard it’s incredible,” Gallemore said. “Everyone on the team is out here when it’s cold, we got here early and we’re all still smiling. So just thank you to everyone for being here and everyone that came out to support.”
The next fundraiser the equestrian team hopes to host is the Pancakes and Ponies event this Spring.
