Hoofbeats to Hope horse show Sept. 9 to raise funds for ovarian cancer research

Hoofbeats to Hope will hold the Homestead Farm Musical Freestyle Challenge on Sept. 9 for the second year as a way to raise funds for ovarian cancer awareness and research.

The show will be start at 9 a.m. at 8483 Burwell Road, Catlett, VA.  There is no cost for the community to attend and watch as equestrians and their horses compete to all manner of music and level of expertise.  A light lunch will be provided as well as soft drinks and water and donations will be accepted.

In the group’s inaugural year, 2011, it raised $4,000, which was donated to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, that founder Kathy Lantz calls “a wonderful non-profit organization that advances the interests of women diagnosed with the disease.”

Since 1997, when the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance was founded, death rates from ovarian cancer have not significantly changed. However, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance has worked to increase funding for ovarian cancer research, with the goal that this funding will support breakthroughs to help detect ovarian cancer early, treat it more thoroughly, and allow women with ovarian cancer to survive, and thrive.

This year the Homestead Farm Musical Freestyle Challenge will be dedicated to Marikae Kinross-Wright, the sister of Hoofbeats to Hope’s founder.  Marikae passed away in March 2012 from ovarian cancer after a seven-year battle with the disease.  She was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005 and received five courses of treatment, including two drug trials at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, her sister said.

Because of her thirst for knowledge about the disease and a genetic mutation that caused her disease, Marikae proved to be a source of information and comfort for many of her friends that she met online in support groups and those in cancer support groups in her home state of Montana.  It wasn’t until the last month of her life that she lost the strength to fight any longer but continued to log into her support groups and keep tabs on her other “sisters.”

“Marikae’s zest for life and her giving nature made her a truly remarkable person and a loss for not only her family but everyone around her,” according to her sister.

One hundred percent of the funds from the silent auction will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and include such items as a dog training session with a professional dog trainer in the area, a dog grooming gift basket, wine tasting for six at Barrel Oak Winery followed by a light lunch, bridles for both Western and English disciplines, gift certificates to restaurants and many others items for both the equestrian and the non-riding spectators. The silent auction will be held after the lunch period.