Photo: Heidi Zorn from Premier Equestrian and Rebecca Covey of Bridle Up Hope share bright smiles for the future of young women. (Photo courtesy of JRPR, no photo credit necessary)
Alpine, UT (June 18, 2018) – Premier Equestrian, president Heidi Zorn was enthusiastic about the Bridle Up Hope program from her first visit when her company was contracted to provide footing for the facility’s mountainside outdoor arena. When the challenge of providing the perfect footing for the facility’s new indoor arose, Zorn was up to the task of sourcing the right product. So she and the team at Premier Equestrian went a step further and came up with a unique footing from Germany and the means to make it possible to get the footing to Bridle Up Hope.
Bridle Up Hope was established in 2013 when the parents of Rachel Covey, Rebecca and Sean Covey, decided to carry on her legacy. “Three days after she (Rachel) passed away, we came up with the name, and literally started it right then and there,” said Rebecca Covey. Their mission is to inspire hope, confidence, and resilience in young women through equestrian training.
Bridle Up Hope is a nonprofit organization focused on transforming the lives of girls, ages 12-25, who struggle with all variety of mental and emotional challenges. The program is 14 weeks of hands-on learning about horse care and riding, and developing life skills through The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which are naturally integrated throughout the riding lessons and serve as the foundation of the program curriculum. The majority of young women that come through the program lack connection, whether it be with family, siblings or friends, and through their newfound connection with the horses they re-connect with others and gain a new perspective on life. “I just know Rachel would be so happy because we have the belief that if we can help just one girl it’s worth it,” said Rebecca Covey. Once the girls complete the 14-week program they are celebrated and honored at an Advancement Ceremony, where they receive a professional photo shoot with their favorite horse, a digital photo book, videos of them on horseback, a Hawaiian lei, and a certificate honoring their hard work.
The program has been growing the last few years with locations opened in Amsterdam and mostly recently Guadeloupe in the Caribbean; within the next year Bridle Up Hope plans to open five new locations, including in Utah and Minnesota, with the end goal of expanding to over 1,000 locations worldwide one day. With over four hundred girls having graduated from their program the future is bright for young women, and thanks to the help of Premier Equestrian and OTTO Sport, the new ReiTex footing will also be a bright addition for the program’s horses and riders.
Premier Equestrian is the Official North American distributor for OTTO Sport, the makers of OTTO-ReiTex – a unique high-tech footing product that requires practically zero maintenance.
“It actually brings tears to my eyes to see what they do for these young women. I myself was a wayward child, and if it wasn’t for horses my life may have been very different. Horses save a lot of people,” said Heidi Zorn president of Premier Equestrian as to why she is part of the team behind Bridle Up Hope.
Premier had provided their proprietary Athletex footing mix for the outdoor arenas at Bridle Up Hope; however, for Bridle Up Hope’s new indoor arena, which attaches to a barn, offices and yoga studio, they needed something that required as little maintenance as possible and had even less dust then any sand additive footing. OTTO-ReiTex was the perfect solution as it is a waterless footing that requires almost zero upkeep. “Being in Utah in the winter we can’t really water the arenas because it will freeze,” said Premier’s president Heidi Zorn, so OTTO-ReiTex makes the arenas functional all year long. “The biggest advantage is the lack of dust, especially since the arena is connected to the rest of the offices, and barn. It’s mostly inexperienced riders, so in case of a fall it offers a little more cushion for them,” said Steve Mills of S&S Barns, the builder for the new arena and barn at Bridle Up Hope. The team at Premier Equestrian and OTTO Sport were honored to be able to donate a portion of the cost to get this ideal footing from Germany to the Bridle Up Hope facility in Alpine, Utah.
Just as riders study, practice, and perfect their skills in the saddle, Premier Equestrian takes no short cuts in creating world-class footing surfaces. Premier Equestrian prioritizes the health and safety of equine athletes and has been studying how arena surfaces impact equine biomechanics for over a decade. All Premier Equestrian’s premium-grade footing materials are expertly developed and thoroughly tested to assure consistency and superior quality. The company also offers free consultations and sand analysis reports so riders of all levels can create the perfect combination of materials for optimum riding surfaces. For more information on Premier Equestrian, or to request a free catalog, a free arena-footing sample or sand analysis, please call 800-611-6109 or-visit www.PremierEquestrian.com.
