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Fwd: Re: [RC] cost of rides - Ellen ZawadaHi All! I am new to ridecamp and to distance riding, but I thought I might be able to add a little to this discussion. I think you should think BIG when talking about sponsorships. Think about the products you use everyday horse related and other. We all have trucks and trailers to get to the events...Gm, Dodge, Ford, featherlight, etc. What about the big tack companies? State Line Tack, Dover Saddelry? I see adds with State line sponsoring horse events all the time. Suplement companies, Easyboots, sports drinks (gatorade), water companies (aquafina and dasani), horse feed companies (purina), ariat, companies that make sport attire that might be used in endurance, are there people out ther wearing running shoes? (nike, reebok) How many riders carry cell phones in case of a mishap ( nextel, sprint), Sport watches ( I personally wear a Timex sports watch while conditioning) Vetrinary supply companies ( I believe
3M makes vet rap?) Heck you could even go to food companies that make convenience food and supply riders with snacks, Kelloggs, Keebler, etc. There are a million things that we come into contact with everyday that can be tied into endurance riding. Have shirts made up with the name of ride and year, charity, and all sponsors. Pick a charity that will look good to the sponsors. Horse companies will like horse charities, but all companies will like charities that benifit cancer research/victims or charities involving children. I recently saw a program about physically and sexually abused children using horses and trained therapist to promote healing. Think BIG!
You would need to sit down and really think about how you would want to approach the gib names. It might be a good idea to approach as a organization instead of as individual rides. Maybe pick one ride in each region as a charity ride and rotate every year....I don't know. The politics could make it a sticky situatuion, but you might get more money that way. The riders and ride managers need to campaign with there local media. Try to get into the Lifestyle, country living, sport sections of the newspapers. GET PICTURES! Appeal to the local press to get them in the paper with the Sponsor banners in the background or with the rider wearing the T-shirts with sponsor names. Campaign to the press to get the charity infor out there. It would take many dediacated individuals in the beginning, but I would think that it would get easier and easier every year. Maybe "events" could be added at some of the rides that were not in such
remote locations. I think a read a message the other day about a 4-H auction taking place during the ride. Bringing more people to the location that will "see" the corporate banners will also help encourage the big companies to participate.
Ellen
Zephyr Creek Kigers
Sisu West Ranch <ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: From: "Sisu West Ranch" <ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx> Zephyr Creek Kigers http://community.webshots.com/user/zephyrcreek
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