Guests at Equest‘s Blue Ribbon Ball were welcomed to Texas Horse Park on Saturday, June 4, by the hosts themselves — including a few of the four-legged variety. The occasion was the 41st annual fundraiser for the non-profit, which provides equine-assisted therapy and counseling.
After picking up refreshments at the “champagne wall” before entering the venue, the more than 550 attendees had scarcely had a chance to sip their bubbly before they were greeted by Blue Ribbon Co-Chairs Finley and Eric Konrade, Carol and Bill Huckin and Elsa Norwood, along with equine hosts Thorin, Dutch and Bob in the lead stalls. Thorin was decked out with blue ribbons in his mane and Dutch was looking for a handout, while Bob was the perfect gent posing for selfies with folks like JR and Jennifer McCollum, Tiffany Divis, Michael Faircloth and David Davidson.
Strolling along the aisle between the meticulous stalls on a “blue-ribbon-inspired” carpet, guests found themselves entranced by all the other horses that had already had their supper and were available for visiting and petting. Next, attendees had a chance to have their photos taken with the ever-popular Equest Mini-Ambassadors, Dare and Ranger, against a wall of Equest-winning ribbons. Looking right at home with the minis was longtime Equest supporter Phyllis Glazer, who admitted that this was the first time that she had ventured out in the past two years.
Down a long walkway beyond the horse barn, the attendees like Jo and John Gudjohnsen, Sharla Bush, Terry Irby, Kay and Peter Weeks and Shelle and Michael Sills soon discovered how the vast Al Hill Jr. Arena had been transformed into an immaculate “ballroom,” complete with six gigantic fans whirling overhead and a specially flattened floor for the evening. Equest CEO Lili Kellogg explained that the following Monday, the floor would be churned up again to accommodate the non-profit’s regular equine therapy classes.
Against the arena’s back wall was a stage overlooking a dance floor surrounded by tables draped with blue tablecloths. In another corner, there was a display of silent auction items. They ranged from an autographed photo of C&W star George Strait (opening bid: $410) and Texas state flags to a Zeke Elliot/Dallas Cowboys jersey, a Kansas City Chiefs helmet and handmade western boots by JRC & Sons. Raffle tickets also were on sale for chances to win one of five prizes, including 24-hour access to a new Tesla and a 2023 Byron Nelson PGA tournament package.
While the guests mingled, listened to piano and fiddle music and enjoyed signature cocktails, wine and beer courtesy of Andrews Distributing, waiter Jennifer Hewitt told a guest that she has two mini-horses that like to eat watermelon and listen to her play the violin. “Music therapy and animals — that’s my heart,” she said. “Now that I know about this group, I’d love to come volunteer and see the smiles on the kids’ faces. The world needs more kindness.”
Soon enough, it was time for the guests to be seated and for the evening’s program to begin. After welcoming remarks from emcee Jody Dean, American Legion Post 21 presented the colors, Jana Bell sang “America the Beautiful” and Pastor Vizola Law gave the invocation. Lili acknowledged the guests, saying, “Thank you for making sure that we continue to improve the lives of hundreds of children, adults and veterans through the human-horse connection.”
Finley also took the stage, thanking gala team members Karly Kilroy Mathews, Di Johnston, Leslie Kennedy, Pam Petty and Linda Secrest, as well as Honorary Chairs Leslie and Hawkins Golden.
As guests enjoyed their dinner — arugula salad, bistro filet of beef, lemon basil chicken and peach/blackberry shortcake — Equest Board Chairman Julie Sherman announced the recipients of the 2022 Citation Award: former Equest Board Chair Lane Cates and her husband Brad McLain, who were major forces behind completion of the Al Hill Jr. Arena.
The gala’s highlight was the gala’s featured speaker, former Dallas Cowboys player Timmy Newsome. After presenting the 2022 Equest Rider of the Year awards — they went to Youth awardee Olivia McLean, Adult awardee Jaime Moore and Veteran awardee Jimmy Dean — Timmy shared his personal journey with his son, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at an early age.
Other high points of the evening included a live auction of bidding on one-of-a-kind travel experiences; a high-energy performance by dancers from Arthur Murray, including Equest founder Susan Schwartz; and dancing by the partygoers to music by the Mattison Live Band.