Injured and Ill Athletes Go Head-to Head in the Annual Horseman Competition

Escondido, CA – For the fifth year in a row, the injured athletes of Team Semper Fi and Team America’s Fund are saddling up for an incredible challenge. Ten veteran and active duty service members, some of them amputees, will learn the skills to become cowboys, then go head-to-head in the ring–and they have just three days to do it.

These inspiring competitors will head to the San Pasqual Valley Ranch in Escondido, CA to participate in a three-day training and one-day horseman competition, held in conjunction with the Jinx McCain Horsemanship Program.

The service members will hone their ranch-handing and riding skills in the competition ring and on the horse. Ranch staff will instruct the athletes in various skills including pole bending, barrel racing, calf branding and team penning. The athletes will then put their new skills to the test when they compete in the recreational Cowboy Challenge.

By completing the Cowboy Challenge, the athletes gain far more than just bragging rights: they walk away with confidence and teamwork skills that carry over outside the ranch. And their participation serves as inspiration for other wounded service members on the road to recovery.

WHEN:
April 29 – May 1: Training Days
May 2nd 9:00AM – 12:00PM: Competition Day

WHERE:
San Pasqual Valley Ranch
2460 Cloverdale Road (5 miles off the I-15 near the Wild Animal Park)
Escondido, California
(760) 743-2377

For more information and to schedule interviews please contact:
Casey Fisher
Team Semper Fi Program Manager
760.213.8066
casey.fisher@semperfifund.org

About The Peter Murphy Semper Fi Fund Sports Program – Team Semper Fi & Team America’s Fund

Made up of more than 700 service members who qualify for our assistance, The Peter Murphy Semper Fi Fund Sports Program – Team Semper Fi & Team America’s Fund is the heart and inspiration of the Semper Fi Fund’s rehabilitative Athletic Program, and is an extension of the assistance we provide. The team is made up of servicemen and women who have overcome significant challenges in their service to our country, and have embraced the fighting, athletic spirit on their road to recovery. They are an inspiration to us all, but more importantly, they are an inspiration to their fellow service members who are also recovering.

The Semper Fi Fund provides the team with coaches, specialized sporting equipment, entry fees, and travel expenses to athletic events. Athletes are also given the opportunity to receive high-level training from former and current Olympic and Paralympic through the US Paralympics.

About Semper Fi Fund and America’s Fund

Semper Fi Fund, and its program America’s Fund, are set up to provide immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, directing urgently needed resources to post 9/11 service members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserves. Semper Fi Fund has been working with wounded service members since 2004, offering assistance to lessen the burden for those who need it most. The Semper Fi Fund’s streamlined structure keeps overhead very low, 6%; they are also one of three veteran charities to receive an “A+” rating from The American Institute of Philanthropy, and a “Four Star” rating from Charity Navigator.

The Semper Fi Fund has given more than 70,000 grants totaling $89 million+ to over 11,500 service members and their families. For more information visit https://semperfifund.org/