They sound like very private, classy people. If the mother doesn’t want you starting a godundme, she probably wouldn’t want all this attention here, either. I have to say I agree with her stance. While it is an immense opportunity for the rider, not everyone “needs” to go to finals. Perhaps her mother is concerned about the pressure she would feel, especially after it has been made public or at least public to the barn, that she can’t afford it? I would respect the parents here, in fact, I already do, from the little you have told us. They sound like discreet, classy people.
Just read that the parents relented and are allowing a public fundraising campaign so I deleted my post. Good luck to her.
We thought about it but honestly we’re starting to get a little overwhelmed with all the stuff we’re planning already! I’m trying to keep a lot of the grunt work off the backs of Sophie and her mom, since they have plenty of things to worry about already, but there are only so many hours in the day for myself and the barn mates who are helping. I am however setting up an online version of our silent auction which has an option for people to give above their bid, and people have found sneaky methods of slipping money to us. Mom is still pretty adamant about no public pleas for cash (i.e., no online crowdsourcing campaigns still), but she’s letting me pass out information to people who ask directly, which seems to work just fine.
Hit the halfway point last night by the way! Thanks to the many people on this board who have helped, from suggestions to gifts to simple words of encouragement. We’re all in awe of how many people have been contacting us!
UPDATE:
Well, it’s official. We surpassed our goal today. We wanted to raise $6k to cover shipping and layover, and we just received a check that put us at at least $7500. That, plus the Leo Conroy grant and donated airline miles, covers just about everything. Our silent auction is still running and I’m banking on the proceeds from that covering braiding costs so Sophie can sleep in on Saturday. :winkgrin:
We are totally blown away by the generosity of our local community and beyond. The horse left early this morning and will be in Lexington in about 48 hours. Because we beat our goal, mom could afford to give him a whole two weeks of layover time, giving Sophie the benefit of a well-rested and relaxed horse come finals time.
I’ll be keeping our Facebook page updated with photos and anecdotes from the next few weeks, and Sophie is still planning to write a few more blogs for COTH. I’m hopeful that Sophie’s story can serve as an inspiration to other young riders from limited means. We went out to dinner after Regionals and we were going over the numbers and it seemed so insurmountable. How could we possibly come up with that kind of money in a month? But with a little creativity and a lot of support from the horse community, we’ve made it.
If any of you are facing this kind of situation and want to chat, PM me anytime. I’m more than happy to pass on the lessons we’ve learned.
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541hunter, it brought tears to my eyes to read your update!!! It is so exciting to know that she is getting to experience this show-of-a-lifetime.
Yay! That is awesome to hear. What a great story about a community coming together for a young lady (and her family) who has put in so much hard work to reach a goal. Good luck at finals 
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That is so fantastic! I hope she has a wonderful time!! I also hope she will continue her blog on the Chronicle, so others can see what’s possible.
She will have a huge cheering section, that’s for sure.
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SO very excited for her!! Exactly the type of down-to-earth girl that I love to root for! Wishing her all the best!!
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Good luck Sophie!! She is so lucky to have a barn mate like you 541Hunter!!!
What great news, I hope its a wonderful experience for Sophie!
So excited- as a fellow PNWer, will be cheering her on from my couch on the livestream!
