Nonprofit to trot out horses for cancer research fundraiser
In this 2008 file photo, K.K. DuBois rides Pretencioso De La Virginia at the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse fundraising event at the L.A. Equestrian Center. They won Grand Champion of Fino Stallions at the event.
Over a dozen horses will be dancing, prancing and galloping around the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank for a local nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser for the year.
From Thursday to Sunday, the nonprofit Fiesta of the Spanish Horse will hold its annual festival that raises money for cancer research. This year’s donation recipient will be Kure It Cancer Research, based in Irvine.
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Some of the past beneficiaries have been the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
“Helping other people and watching the kids smile when they see the trick riders or see these gorgeous horses makes it all worthwhile,” said Joanne Asman, event coordinator for the event. “And if we help one person find a cure for cancer, then what we’ve done is worthwhile.”
Various breeds of Spanish horses — including Andalusian, Lusitano and Peruvian Paso— will be at the event participating in various competitions and performances put on during the four-day event.
Asman’s horse, named Traveler, who is the mascot for USC, will also be in attendance and will be available for photo opportunities. Traveler, who has been the mascot for the Trojans for the past 14 years, will be celebrating his 25th birthday this weekend, Asman said.
The organization was created in 1998 after Asman discovered a friend’s husband had cancer. A fundraiser was established to donate money to various cancer research programs.
Spanish horses are spotlighted during the event because her friend’s husband, who has since passed away, was one of the largest breeders of Andalusian horses, she said.
“They are just the most magnificent show-off horses that there are,” she said. “Their beauty is beyond compare.”
Saturday’s festivities, dubbed the “Mane Event,” will feature a “horse play,” where all of the actors are horses, Asman said.
“It’s like a Broadway show,” she said. “We’ll have music and dancers.”
General admission tickets cost $15, while tickets for seniors 65 and older and children 5 to 12 years old cost $10. Children 4 and younger are admitted for free.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit fiestacharityshow.com or call (818) 842-8444.
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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
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