HOTY Is Open! Help Us Care for the Herd This July
🤠🐴🔥 HOTY (Horse of the Year) is officially open! 🔥🐴🤠
Hi friends,
🤠🐴🔥 HOTY is officially open! 🔥🐴🤠
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been introducing the Cheyne Ranch horses one by one. Now that all the teams have been introduced, voting is open.
Each horse has a team, every $5 donation counts as one vote, and throughout July we get to cheer them on while raising money for the care of the herd.
July and August have their own rhythm at Cheyne Ranch.
By mid-summer, Florida is hot, stormy, muddy, and very committed to making both horses and humans slow down a little.
We plan for that. After a full year of programs, we build a real break into the schedule in late July and early August. It gives the horses time to rest, our team time to catch our breath, and all of us space for the property repairs, planning, and behind-the-scenes work that are almost impossible to do during full program weeks.
But horse care does not take a break.
This stretch of summer is one of the most demanding times of the year for the herd. The heat means electrolytes, supplements, fans, fly care, and constant attention. The rain means mud, shavings, stall care, pasture maintenance, and extra work keeping hooves healthy. The costs keep going even when the barn gets quiet.
So this year, we decided to make this season a little more fun.
HOTY is a playful summer fundraiser where each Cheyne Ranch horse has a team, and $5 counts as one vote, $25 is 5 votes, $50 is 10 votes.
You can vote for one favorite, support more than one horse, or proudly declare yourself Team All the Horses.
We also have a live leaderboard, which means you can check the HOTY page anytime to see who is leading, who is catching up, and which team may need their people to rally.
HOTY is meant to be lighthearted, but the purpose matters.
One thing many people do not realize is that tuition paid by families does not fully cover what it costs to run Cheyne Ranch.
We work hard to keep programs as affordable as we can, because inclusion and accessibility are part of our mission, not an extra thing we do when it is convenient.
Every donation helps care for the horses who make Cheyne Ranch what it is. They are the reason our students learn, grow, work hard, slow down, build confidence, and feel connected here.
So pick your team. Cast your votes. Check the leaderboard. Cheer loudly.
Let the HOTY fun begin. 🤠🐴🔥
