Bob Cacchione (far left), recipient of the 2010 EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award at the USEF Annual Meeting. Photo: Geoff Bugbee for USEF.
In 2009, USEF and the EQUUS Foundation united to create the industry-wide award to celebrate the humanitarian achievements of a member of the equestrian world. Specifically, this humanitarian honor spotlights and exalts the selfless dedication of one individual or a group of individuals 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 - not just in equestrian sport but to the general public - the recipient will be someone who has devoted considerable personal time to making the lives and quality of life of our equine partners paramount.
The 2010 recipient, Bob Cacchione, Executive Director of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), was selected from more than 20 nominees. At the core of Cacchione's own passion for riding and appreciation for the opportunities made available to him as a young horseman is his understanding of the horse's role as a great equalizer. With the concept of a level playing field as his cornerstone, he rallied the support of like-minded individuals from educational institutions, first in his region, and ultimately, from throughout North America. Those efforts led to the formation of IHSA.
The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award is limited to individuals. Corporations, organizations, affiliate groups, and businesses are not eligible. However, this may be amended in exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis. While the winner of the award is limited to individuals, a group or organizations may serve as a nominator. Posthumous nominees will not be accepted.
Those individuals who are professionally employed full-time by a company or entity whose sole purpose is to work for the aforementioned qualities and philanthropic ends will only be considered as an acceptable nominee in certain circumstances. Such instances include having contributions widely viewed as exception beyond their required work performance or achievements and dedication noted as far beyond the call of duty.
Any member of the equestrian community may nominate an individual for The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award. A nomination form will be made available to any such person or group making a nomination and a definitive amount of information must be provided - in detail - for the nominee to be accepted. This information will include the following:
- An explanatory, written statement as to why the individual is worthy of the award;
- Biographical information of the nominee;
- Specific examples of their philanthropic work, including their involvement (time spent, duration of work, type of work, etc.);
- Supportive materials such as written testimonials or letters from those who have been affected by the nominees contributions; and
- Any additional materials deemed worthy by the nominator.
- As part of the award, The EQUUS Foundation will provide a $5,000 grant to the equestrian- or horse-related charity of the recipient's choice.
The nomination process for The EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award is now open and will close with a November 14 deadline. Nominations may be received my U.S. mail, overnight carrier and via the USEF website at www.usef.org/_IFrames/Nominations/EQUUS.aspx.
The EQUUS Foundation was established as an IRS tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity to improve the quality of life of horses, promote the use of horses to enrich the lives of those in need, and educate the public about the horse's unique ability to empower, teach, and heal. The EQUUS Foundation has awarded over $1.9 million in grants to horse-related charities across the United States since its first awards in 2003.
For more information, contact Trisha Watkins at [email protected].