Last Updated on August 23, 2025 by adminahb
Photo: Karen Polle.
The EQUUS Foundation is proud to help kick off the Hampton Classic, August 24-31, in Bridgehampton, New York, and to applaud the many EQUUS Foundation Athlete Ambassadors who will competing during the week. EQUUS Foundation Athlete Ambassadors are professional equestrians who demonstrate that success is measured not only by winning but by making the quality of life of their equine partners paramount.
All are welcome to join the EQUUS Foundation on Monday, August 25th, from 1:30 pm to 3pm, in the Grand Prix Ring, for the annual Hampton Classic Adoption Day. Jill Rappaport, renowned animal advocate and award-winning author and media personality, will be the Emcee.
Sponsored by Georgina Bloomberg, Adoption Day provides the opportunity to meet the adoptable horses of Rising Starr Horse Rescue of Wilton, CT and Mary Elena Moran and her Superhero Rescue horses.
Also participating will be Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary, the HEART Horse Ambulance, The Rider’s Closet, Long Island University’s Equestrian team, Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine, and more.
A day to celebrate, honor, and learn about the horses we love – and it’s rain or shine and admission and parking is free.
EQUUS Foundation Welcomes New Athlete Ambassadors
“We are also excited to announce that our Athlete Ambassadors now include professional athletes from the dressage, para-dressage, and eventing disciplines in addition to hunter and jumper equestrians. We welcome our newest athletes – Olympians Adrienne Lyle, Robert Dover, and Phillip Dutton; Paralympians Dr. Kate Shoemaker, Fiona Howard, and Roxie Trunnell, and US-based show jumper Karen Polle, who represented Japan at the 2018 World Equestrian Games,” said Lynn Coakley, EQUUS Foundation President.
Every EQUUS Foundation Athlete Ambassador has signed the EQUUS Foundation’s #HorseProtector Pledge and is committed to promoting the organization’s work and message to the broader equestrian community.
Meet two of our newest Athlete Ambassadors, Roxie Trunnell and Karen Polle, as they share the small, everyday actions they take to set an example for younger riders and why they’ve chosen to take the pledge to become official #HorseProtectors.
Roxie Trunnell
“Horses don’t care about medals or ribbons — they care about their riders,” says Roxie Trunnell, 40, of Kenniwick, Washington. “I grew up as a girl who loved horses, and I enjoy riding them because it allows me to spend time with them. Even though I am now a gold medalist Paralympian, I am still that horse-crazy girl who would spend all day at the stables to be with them. It is very important to me that the horse is happy, healthy, and enjoying being ridden and shown.
“I believe that prominent equestrians should serve as a role model for younger riders, as we are the ones they look up to,” says Trunnell of her interest in signing on as an EQUUS Foundation Athlete Ambassador. “A simple pat after the ride can make a big difference by showing appreciation for the horse and signaling to those around that the rider is grateful, and not taking the horse for granted.”
Karen Polle
“I have so much respect and admiration for horses as animals and partners,” says Karen Polle, 33, of New York, New York. “It’s important we recognize them for how great they are, and make sure they live the lives they deserve — and that we are doing as much as we can to make sure every horse ends up in good hands, all the time. Every single one of us has the responsibility to make sure every horse we interact with directly ends up in a good home and has a happy, healthy life.
“We’re really lucky, being in the horse world, to get to work with these amazing animals, and I for one am inspired by them every day,” adds Polle. “It is critical to always remember what a privilege it is, and to promote awareness of how we can protect these horses by working with the EQUUS Foundation or with one of the organizations that has been vetted and has attained the EQUUS Foundation Guardian designation.”
Join Roxie, Karen, and countless others in pledging to support the lifelong well-being of our equine athletes.
To learn more about the EQUUS Foundation and their mission, please visit www.equusfoundation.org.