Rising Tide is Hosting its Yearly Fundraiser to Provide for Upkeep and Programs.
by Anna Frost
Small miracles happen on horseback at Rising Tide Therapeutic Equestrian Center as riders learn to trust themselves and their horses with the help of instructors. The center, which depends on grants, donations and fundraisers to support their program, will throw their 9th annual fundraising auction on Saturday, July 18 from 5 – 9 p.m. at West Tisbury’s Grange Hall.
Admission to the benefit is $60 and includes hors d’oeurves from Quitsa Catering, live music from acoustic musician Jesse McGraph and entertainment from Boston comedian Jimmy Tingle. Tingle will also serve as the auctioneer at the live auction, where guests will find a little bit of everything to bid on.
“We have stuff from jewelry to little beach packages to Red Sox tickets to photo shoots to restaurant gift certificates [for the silent auction]. And then for our live auction we have handmade furniture, Cape Air tickets, Taste of the Vineyard tickets. So we have a little bit of everything,” said Rising Tide director and instructor Kara Thibodeau.
Proceeds from the live and silent auction will help cover Rising Tide’s infrastructure, including horse healthcare and program costs, Thibodeau said. Through the event, the organization hopes to raise around $40,000, though Thibodeau said the true goal is to raise as much as possible.
Rising Tide provides more than a horseback ride for its clients. Both adults and children with a range of physical, emotional and learning disabilities benefit from the program, Thibodeau said. The organization’s website provides a full list of the disabilities that are most commonly helped by therapeutic riding.
“The benefits are about as wide and big as the range of disabilities that individuals present. It has to do with the mind, the body and the soul kind of thing,” Thibodeau said.
Riding strengthens muscles, especially core abdominal and back muscles, in addition to simulating the hip motion of walking and loosening the body, Thibodeau explained. Beyond the physical, though, riders gain confidence in themselves and create strong bonds with their horses and the staff at Rising Tide.
“The bonds that people experience with their instructors, volunteers, horses, that’s pretty intense at times,” said Thibodeau. “We have riders in the winter that come, even though we might not be able to ride due to the fact that we have an outside ring. We have riders that send letters to the staff asking about how their horse is doing. We have riders that are just so dedicated that they come, even in the middle of winter, just to brush and feed the horse carrots. It’s more than riding.”
Rising Tide resides on the second farm on the left of 40 Red Pony Road in West Tisbury, with four horses – Noble, Deborah, Sedona and Spice. However, Thibodeau said that the organization would like to expand to a larger farm that could support more horses, a wider range of activities and a camp.
Currently, campers from Camp Jabberwocky, another non-profit that serves people with disabilities, visit Rising Tide’s farm twice a week to ride. Rising Tide also works with schools and therapists on the island, in addition to parents and other individuals.
For those who cannot attend the event but would like to support Rising Tide, donations can be made via the organization’s website. Additionally, there are opportunities for volunteers and an instructor position at the farm. For more information, visit risingtidetec.org.
