Silver Spurs in the Community

The Silver Spurs Riding Club has played a prominent role in Central Florida since its first rodeo performance. After establishing the Silver Spurs Riding Club in 1941, the founding members began organizing rodeos that benefited the American Red Cross and other local charities. Shortly after the first Silver Spurs Arena was built, the inaugural Silver Spurs Rodeo aided the country’s World War II effort.

In March of 1944, the group staged a rodeo with a Quadrille performance as their contribution to the Fourth War Loan where admission to the rodeo was the purchase of a war bond. The Silver Spurs Riding Club’s mission since its founding has been to make a difference in the community. For the past seven decades, the Silver Spurs Riding Club has donated a portion of the money raised by the rodeos and events throughout the year to give back to many local organizations.

Each February, during the three-day Silver Spurs Rodeo event, the Silver Spurs Riding Club selects a Central Florida nonprofit or organization as the beneficiary of the event. Nonprofits that the Silver Spurs Riding Club has donated to in the past include but are not limited to; Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families of Orlando Guardian ad Litem Foundation of Osceola County, and Habitat for Humanity. In addition to this monetary donation, the Silver Spurs Riding Club will also host free community events, like the Special Rodeo, which allows children with special needs the opportunity to experience the rodeo with fun and engaging rodeo-related activities.

During the June Silver Spurs Rodeo, the rodeo benefits Horses for Heroes, sponsored by the nearby Heavenly Hooves therapeutic riding center in Saint Cloud, Florida. Heavenly Hooves is partnered with the McCormick Research Institute and the UCF College of Medicine where they provide equine therapy for veterans. For 10 weeks, these men and women — many of them suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — meet once a week for a three hour session where they learn how to care for horses, and eventually work up to riding horses that have been specifically trained for Equine Assisted Therapy. The group typically includes eight veterans, an equine professional, and a mental health specialist. The Silver Spurs Riding Club is proud to do its part in supporting those who have selflessly served in the United States armed forces.

The Silver Spurs Riding Club believes that the kids in the local community are important, and their future success is linked to the community’s future success. In an effort to help offset the cost of college for qualified high school graduates within the community, the Silver Spurs Riding Club provides eight thousand dollars annually towards scholarships in affiliation with the Education Foundation of Osceola County. A second way they show support for the local youth is through buying market animals at the Kissimmee Valley Livestock Show and Fair each February, and giving a monetary donation to our local chapter of the National FFA Organization an organization that strives to keep the agriculture industry alive in Central Florida.

Ready to contribute to your community while also enjoying an action-packed rodeo? Check out the event schedule so you can experience some of rodeo’s traditional events: bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and bull riding!

As a 501(c)(5), our organization’s mission has been to give back through donations and community service. While a majority of our funds raised during our rodeo events, you can donate to our organization down below so we can expand our community outreach.