Get ready to gallop into a night of pure entertainment, hoof-tapping music, family fun and heartwarming moments at the Friday, March 8 Challenge of the Americas (COTA), where the community comes together to give breast cancer the boot. It’s a spectacular evening of horses and music, all to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through its partner, Play for P.I.N.K.
General admission ticket holders will have an ideal vantage point in the grandstands, and tickets are available at the gate the night of the event. The cost is $30 per adult, and children 12 and under are admitted free. Gates open at 5:45 p.m. at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival showgrounds at the corner of South Shore Blvd. and Pierson Road in Wellington. Grandstand guests can grab food and beverages available for purchase and enjoy pre-show entertainment.
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 a tent at the showgrounds.
You won’t want to miss COTA’s newest event, the Disco Dressage Derby, where three teams of two horses and riders boogie on down to four minutes of choreographed disco music with a unique twist: the teams must continue dancing to surprise musical selections during the last minute of their performances.
The adorable jumping mini horses with their full-size friends, and a fun musical pas de trois set to Tina Turner tunes round out the entertainment before the headline event, the musical Grand Prix Quadrille Team Challenge.
Featuring five teams of six dancing horses and their skilled riders, each team maneuvers in precise patterns set to musical themes. Competitors pull out the stops with intricate choreography and colorful costumes to delight the crowd 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 44 Grand Prix riders and their mounts. Its success and continued growth are due not only to its partnership with the top-rated breast cancer research organization in the U.S., but also to its uniquely entertaining format.
The beneficiary of the event, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) through partner Play for P.I.N.K. (PFP), is the largest private funder of breast cancer research — and the largest private funder of metastatic research — in the world. Play for P.I.N.K. is a grassroots organization committed to raising funds for breast cancer research through sporting and lifestyle events. Since 1996, PFP has raised more than $80 million for breast cancer research and is currently supporting 20 research projects to bring about breakthroughs in detection, treatment, prevention and survivorship.
Let’s come together to #ChallengeBreastCancer and create a future where families can thrive without the fear of this disease. Spread the word, gather your crew, hoof on over to the dressage showgrounds on March 8 and enjoy an exciting evening of dancing horses and family fun to help find a cure for breast cancer.
Learn more about the event at www.challengeoftheamericas.com.
