Help Lucy with Showjumping!

Lucy Custard, @lucy._eq (on IG), is a 14-year-old who learned about equestrian horse jumping when she and her family moved from a suburb outside of Chicago, IL to the Dominican Republic. She began her journey at Seahorse Ranch Equestrian and currently trains there with the Stable’s head coaches, Alex and Diane De Wazieres. Lucy has been training formally since only the summer of 2022 and has already competed in many competitions including three ASDO comps in the country’s Capital. She successfully earned 1st place when she jumped in 60cm and 70cm, and recently won 5th place in 80cm. Her next National competition is in March 2024.

Lucy is happy and thriving in this sport. She has progressed quickly and her results, focus, and dedication have only driven her to achieve more. She would like to increase her training hours and begin competing for points at higher levels. This means that she will need to increase the number of weekly training sessions, and the number of national competitions that she attends -- she will need to begin thinking about her horse's capacity to continue jumping. Scarlett, Lucy’s horse, was given to Lucy as a gift but Scarlett is aging (22 years old) and will not be able to compete with greater frequency or at higher levels. For Lucy to remain competitive, our family needs to consider many things including purchasing and training a younger horse that has more stamina and natural ability to jump at higher levels.

Lucy has a plan but to execute it, she’ll need the help and support from her community and family, our friends, and their networks.

The cost of a new, untrained 3-year-old thoroughbred horse in the Dominican Republic is ~ $6k USD; additional training and boarding fees will cost $550 per month. Fees and travel expenses for each competition in the country’s Capital are between $650-$800 USD to attend. These expenses plus horse care, safety equipment, and apparel for Lucy and her horse aren’t sustainable for our family which is why we are asking our networks to help by making a direct donation towards Lucy’s riding aspirations, our goal is $12,500 to start.

We know it's a lot of money but we also know that this is an important issue that you care about. More girls like Lucy need to have access to this sport, but it’s an expensive sport that is only open to families that can afford it. This is why we are working hard to also start a non-profit organization called Black Girl Equestrian (BGE). BGE is intended to be an organization that will help young girls and their families, who may otherwise never have even known that equestrian sports were available to them, find the funding and resources needed to train and compete. BGE will work towards addressing the racial, socioeconomic, and ability gap that currently exists in the equestrian world. This is not a one-time “fun” project for Lucy and her Mother; this is Lucy’s forever dream and this issue of equity is near and dear to our family. Therefore, we’d like to help Lucy stay on track so that she and others like her can have peace of mind knowing they can participate in this sport too, and that the training and the basics will be covered financially. Let’s give all of our girls the chance to be girls by affording them as many opportunities as possible to access and experience the world!

Not only will the money help support Lucy but any funds raised over our goal will help offset start-up costs for BGE. Here’s why what Lucy and BGE are trying to achieve is important…

The health benefits to young people embracing this sport are clear. Research demonstrates equine-assisted therapy yields a variety of psychotherapeutic benefits including increasing self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-concept, communication, trust, perspective, anxiety reduction, decreased isolation, self-acceptance, improved focus of control, assertiveness, boundaries, and connection to others.

Research also shows that horse sports engage a higher proportion than other sports of people with disabilities and participants over the age of 45 and nearly 40% of those taking part in the sport do not participate in any other forms of physical activity. Additionally, the benefits of equine-assisted therapy have shown evidence-based efficacy in children and adolescents with depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders, conduct disorders, dissociative disorders, autism, and other chronic mental illnesses.

For Lucy, who has struggled with her attentiveness and focus, this sport has had innumerable benefits. Riding has created a lasting bond between her and her mare, which decreases her social anxiety and has helped her understand the importance of taking care of herself and her horse while focusing on each of the tasks required to help her achieve her equestrian goals.

Not only is the equestrian world inaccessible but it's also untapped because it’s generally a sport and space that is occupied primarily by white, wealthy, and able people around the world. Here is some data for your consideration:

In the United States, 77.4% of equestrians are female. The most common ethnicity among equestrians is white, which makes up 72.3% of all equestrians. Notably, only 4.4% are Black and less than 1% are Indigenous.

The economic impact is significant and globally the annual economic impact involves some $300 billion and 1.6 million full-time jobs worldwide.

*Data provided by the Equine Business Association and Zippia.com.

So, the idea of BGE is to shift the dialogue about who is appropriate to participate in this sport and reorient the industry on the bottom and middle class of the population by introducing Equestrian Sports to underrepresented youth and their families. Doing so will open up new sports for youth which yields undeniable physical and mental health benefits as well as additional job opportunities and revenue streams in wellness industries, equine care and nutrition, retail, recreation, publications as well as education and grow this already emerging industry. More equestrians with differences is good for horses, good for our youth, and good for the Sport!

At the end of last year, even Megan Thee Stallion introduced equine sports in an NBC Ad for the Paris Olympics. This is an example of how the sport is introducing itself to a more mainstream audience. BGE would like to be a part of that enthusiasm and provide equestrian experiences for young people in North America and the Caribbean.

To donate to Lucy’s 2024 Equestrian aspirations, to help us upstart Black Girl Equestrian, or if you have ideas to help us so that more youth are impacted, please donate here or contact us directly via email at [email redacted]. All donors will receive ongoing updates about how Lucy is performing, how training is going, how the horses are doing, and how action towards BGE is coming along! Thank you!

**about Lucy's support system**

Makesha, Lucy’s Mother, has been a long-time activist focused on equity in education in the United States. Makesha has started local organizations that work with educational institutions, community leaders, and politicians to improve the outcome gap that exists for underrepresented youth in schools. She is also a former business executive who has worked for and with Fortune 50 companies to increase subscribers, improve relationships with their customer base, and market and retain marginalized communities across North America.