Horse lovers ride, feast to help St. Jude’s
What’s better on a Sunday than a nice long horse ride in the breathtaking scenery, followed by a barbecue dinner with some great music?
The answer: Doing all that for a great cause.
Endless Trails on Matt Road hosted its ninth annual Saddle Up for St. Jude event, where more than 50 riders paid $35 to wind their way through an obstacle course and three-hour guided tour of the Prairie Pines Preserve, followed by lunch, fellowship and music from local country band Eight Second Ride.
There were some who paid $10 a head just to enjoy lunch with just about anything a person could want, from barbecued pork to potato salad to desserts.
Lark Campisano, event organizer, said the event benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital and its cancer research and its mission to never turn away a child for inability to pay.
“Everyone liked it. They had a good time, raised money, and that’s what it’s all about,” Campisano said.
Campisano, who has a small stable in town, originally came up with the idea of a trail ride to make people aware of the preserve, part of which has been slated to become part of the Del Prado Extension off I-75.
That all changed after her daughter, then 10, was diagnosed and successfully treated for leukemia.
With the work of 15-20 volunteers who marked off the trail, guided the riders and stayed up all night to cook the pork, the event once again went off without a hitch.
Teggy Smith, a volunteer who worked the obstacle course, has ridden for St. Jude for years. She said it is a labor of love.
Smith set up a couple of pipes the horses had to back through. They had to make like they were opening a gate, they had to grab a raincoat from one barrel and put it at another, and riders had to carry an egg on a spoon as the horses did a figure-eight.
Cleo Ciotka, of North Fort Myers, didn’t ride, but came to help with the food. She said it was great to help out, even if she was afraid of riding in a crowd.
There were also beads hanging about the course that riders retrieved in exchange for prizes.
“It’s just another way to get money to these children. It gets bigger and better every year and that’s wonderful,” Smith said. “Danny Thomas started this as a way to help children. It’s awesome to help.”
It was also awesome for Donny Lee, singer for Eight Second Ride, whose band has done countless charity events. He saw the ad on-line and volunteered to help.
“We’re helping the kids. It doesn’t take a lot of money to have a good feeling. We don’t get paid a lot but we have fun doing it,” Lee said.
Suzanne Kantarze, of Cape Coral, learned about the event through an e-mail, and got help from another Cape Coral person with a trailer to bring her horse to Endless Trails.
“It’s the first trail ride I’ve been on with her, so it’s a special day for us,” Kantarze said. “It’s was a great ride, great people and for a great cause.”