by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Seaford, DE — A new nonprofit organization is aimed at promoting Racing Under Saddle in the Mid-Atlantic area. RUS MidAtlantic, a group of roughly 100 Racing Under Saddle enthusiasts from New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, is now working toward expanding racing opportunities throughout the region.

“We want to continue to generate interest in the sport but it’s also about awareness,” said Stephanie Jacobs, president of the organization. “One of our goals is to get people to see these horses in another light.”

Jacobs said the group filed for 501(c)6 status this year and was just finishing up the associated paperwork. The official nonprofit status will make fundraising easier for the organization as its members work to come up with about $30,000 for RUS MidAtlantic this year. The money will cover the legal fees that came with filing for nonprofit status as well as purses for 2017 races. RUS races will be held at a number of tracks in the Mid-Atlantic area, including Ocean Downs, Rosecroft Raceway and Shenandoah Downs.

“All of our purses are funded by donations or fundraising,” Jacobs said. “Everything we have we have because of the legwork of our staff.”

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Jacobs

RUS riders pose for a picture during a meet and greet at Ocean Downs last summer.

She said the group has used everything from paint nights to horse shows to raise money. This weekend, there will even be a Racing Under Saddle class at a horse show in Delaware. Jacobs is hopeful that fundraising efforts will enable the group to offer a $10,000 final at the end of this year’s series of races.

“We don’t want purse size to be a deterrent,” she said.

While she doesn’t want low purses to keep owners and trainers from entering their horses in RUS events, she stressed that for the riders, Racing Under Saddle wasn’t about the money.

“None of us do this for the purse money,” she said. “We do it because we love it and we want other people to enjoy it.”

Jacobs pointed out that in spite of public perception, there were no weight restrictions for riders.

“You don’t have to be a 113-pound jockey,” she said. “Anybody can do this sport as long as they’re willing to put in the time and effort and try their best to learn about the sport and the Standardbred racing industry.”

She said RUS MidAtlantic’s members also wanted to showcase the versatility of Standardbreds, to remind people that they were more than harness horses.

“The reason a lot of the girls ride is the fact that they can promote the versatility of the animal,” Jacobs said. “They get a lot of prejudice but they can be ridden and they can be successful racing under saddle.”

While some members of RUS MidAtlantic are riders like Jacobs, others are simply fans and supporters of the RUS initiative. Many are eager to see the sport expand in the United States.

“We all do it because we love it,” Jacobs said.

Membership in RUS MidAtlantic is free, though those who join are asked to help with fundraisers and collecting donations throughout the year. For more information visit www.rusamerica.info/rus-midatlantic/.