Experience a family-friendly equestrian extravaganza as horses and riders from around the world dance to the music to fight breast cancer. The Challenge of the Americas (COTA) will be a spectacular evening of horses and fun, all to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through its partner Play for P.I.N.K.
General admission gates open at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6 at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival showgrounds at the corner of South Shore Blvd. and Pierson Road in Wellington. Grab some food and beverages available for purchase and enjoy pre-show entertainment by local singer Michael Boone. General admission ticket holders will have an ideal vantage point in the grandstands to see top show jumpers and their mounts performing choreographed jumping set to music starting at 6:30 p.m. Then, the headline event will feature five teams of six dancing horses and their skilled riders competing in the musical Grand Prix Quadrille Team Challenge.
The one-of-a-kind Challenge of the America showcases the Olympic sports of dressage and show jumping, and features some of the top international competitors from the United States, Canada, Israel and Australia as they maneuver their horses in precise patterns set to a musical theme. Competitors pull out the stops with intricate choreography and colorful costumes to delight the crowd, and the world-class judges, while raising funds for breast cancer research.
COTA has evolved since its origins in 2002. Created by Mary Ross to honor her mother, who died of breast cancer, the event grew from an afternoon luncheon featuring three horse-and-rider combinations to an international event with 38 riders and their mounts. Its success and continued growth is due not only to its partnership with the top-rated breast cancer organization in the U.S., but to its uniquely entertaining format.
The beneficiary of the event, Play for P.I.N.K., is a grassroots organization committed to raising funds for breast cancer research through sporting and lifestyle events. In 2019, Play for P.I.N.K. donated $4.9 million to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and is currently supporting 19 research projects.
BCRF is dedicated in its mission to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. In 2019-20, the foundation will award $66 million in grants to support the work of nearly 275 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 14 countries, making BCRF the largest private funder of breast cancer research. Until the number of deaths from breast cancer is zero, BCRF will not stop.
General admission tickets for the Challenge of the Americas are available at the door for $20 with children 12 and under free. VIP tickets, available at www.challengeoftheamericas.com, provide the same top-notch entertainment with the bonus of enjoying the elegantly festive Challenge Gala featuring dinner and dancing under the tents at the showgrounds.
Help the Challenge of the Americas #ChallengeBreastCancer and join in an exciting evening of dancing horses and family fun to help find a cure for breast cancer.
