Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation and The EQUUS Foundation are pleased to announce the winner of the inaugural EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award. Nancy Koch, Executive Director of CANTER National, was chosen from a number of qualified nominees to receive this distinctive honor. The award will be presented January 16, 2010, at the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner during the Federation’s Annual Meeting.

Nancy Koch has successfully improved the health and welfare of young Thoroughbred racehorses who are injured or non-competitive and made life after racing a reality. CANTER stands for The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses, and it was started as a solution to help racehorses find new careers by connecting buyers and sellers through posting racehorses for sale on the Internet. The program quickly became a national web-based phenomenon. Koch has developed all-volunteer CANTER affiliates across the country where racehorses are transitioned to be equine pets.

Koch is having a tremendous effect on horses, the racing industry and college veterinary equine students who assist in surgery on injured horses that come in to the CANTER program. The injured horses receive CANTER paid surgeries, rehabilitation and retraining. She has influenced the public’s appreciation of horses and educated the public about the ability to retrain Thoroughbreds into dressage, jumping, trail riding and many other equine careers. She has assisted in finding new jobs for horses such as law enforcement mounted divisions and helped mentally and physically challenged children through therapeutic riding.

Koch has made a dramatic impact on the lives of horses, people, equine veterinary students and veterinary colleges, all the while solving the problem of what to do with injured, non-competitive and unwanted racehorses. She has devoted considerable personal time and energy to make the lives and quality of life of our equine companions better in every respect.

The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award (presented by the United States Equestrian Federation) is a celebration of the humanitarian achievements made by a member of the equestrian world. Specifically, the goal of this humanitarian honor is to spotlight and exalt the selfless dedication one individual or a group of individuals has made, whether on a regional or national scale. From improving the health and welfare of the horse to promoting and expanding the general public’s appreciation and respect of the diverse role of horses, the recipient of this award will be someone who has devoted considerable personal time to make the lives and quality of life of our equine partners paramount.

The EQUUS Foundation was established as an IRS tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity to raise public awareness of the value of horses in society through education and the award of grants to charities that use the horse to benefit the public, promote horse welfare and elevate the equestrian sport. The EQUUS Foundation has awarded over $1.3 million in grants since its first awards in 2003.

For more information, contact Melissa Davis at [email protected].

ENDS