The Sibley Equine Conservancy was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) and Breyer Animal Creations of Pequannock, N.J., May 1 in a presentation held during the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** Three-Day Event, held April 27-May 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.

The grant is part of a three year program run by the ELCR and Breyer designed to identify and award grants to local equine organizations around the United States to help them preserve land for equestrian use. Sibley Equine Conservancy will use the grant as a deposit on a 220 acre tract of land in Pequot Lakes, Minn., to create the Minnesota Horse Park, which will be a multi-use equestrian facility.

The land in question is located in Central Minnesota and was long used by equestrians thanks to a gentleman’s agreement with its owner. As often happens, the land was put up for sale, with no guarantee that equestrians could continue to enjoy it. The Sibley Equine Conservancy saw the need to preserve the land; work with country, state, and federal agencies to develop a plan; and create the Minnesota Horse Park for equestrian use.

"The loss of land for equine use is an increasingly serious problem for the equestrian community," noted Deb Balliet, executive director of the ELCR. "We were pleased to work with Breyer to develop this program to raise awareness of the problem and to encourage local groups to take action to address it