Department joins with the I Can/We Can Program to bring horses to Kenilworth Park.

(Washington DC) Champion Virginia sport horses will be jumping straight out of elite show rings and into the hearts of Washingtonians on Saturday, November 3, starting at 2 pm at Kenilworth Park.

The event, which is free to the public, is partially funded by a grant from the National Recreation Foundation and was made possible through the coordinated efforts of nonprofit foundation I Can/We Can and DC Parks and Recreation.

The event will kick off with a demonstration of top-quality show jumping, an Olympic sport sure to draw gasps from the crowd as the bar gets raised higher and higher. But this exhibition isn't hands-off. Attendees will be invited to pet and feed the equine athletes, allowing city dwellers to get a taste of country living right in their own backyards.

I Can/We Can founder Laura Watt Casati worked with DC Parks and Recreation Director Neil Albert to identify the perfect site. Seeing an opportunity to make a difference not just for a day but for the long term, Casati is now seeking corporate partners to underwrite the improvement of the Kenilworth Park playgrounds to make them suitable for future visits from I Can/We Can--and more importantly, safer places for neighborhood kids to enjoy playing sports.

Relating how significant visits like this can be, Casati says, "You simply can't believe people's excitement as we pull into town in the shiny 18-wheeler, unload beautiful horses, plus Teddy the goat and other animals, and set up a show jumping arena right in a park where kids play every day. For many kids, it's the first time they've ever seen a pony, much less touched one."

Through the foundation's programming, hundreds of kids have been treated to a day or a week at Casati's and husband Bill Lacy's farm, Chivelli International Showjumpers. Many children have an ongoing relationship with the foundation through which they learn leadership, job skills, standards of excellence, and more.