"Ponies for Pups" Raises Money for Pet Adoptions

Friends, volunteers, polo enthusiasts and dog lovers of all breeds, shapes and sizes enjoyed watching a polo match with their four-legged friends at the Sarasota Polo Club here in Lakewood Ranch last Saturday to raise money to support the care of rescued dogs and cats.

This year's fifth annual edition of the "Ponies for Pups" event was a fundraiser for Nate's Honor Animal Rescue, a Lakewood Ranch nonprofit no-kill animal shelter staffed mostly by volunteers. Last year, Nate's Honor Animal Rescue saved the lives of over a thousand animals thanks, in part, to the $10,000 raised at last year's charity polo match, but this year's event has taken on an extra importance. Nate's Honor Animal Rescue recently took in 86 dogs and cats after a raid at a local animal sanctuary in Manatee County. To accomplish this huge rescue operation, the non-profit reached out to the community for help, not only for supplies and assistance, but for temporary foster care of the rescued animals. And the Lakewood Ranch community stepped up to the need.

Karen Slomba, associate director of Nate's Honor Animal Rescue said, ""We were overwhelmed with how the community showed their support for animal welfare by such an outpouring of donations, from food, to blankets, cleaning supplies, and money to pay for the animals' medical costs."

Since it was founded in 1991, the Sarasota Polo Club at Lakewood Ranch has been providing exhilarating polo matches on their 130 acres of magnificently groomed grounds. In addition to the weekly matches every Sunday afternoon during the season from mid-December to early April, the club supports several charitable events like this one each season. Last month, the polo club held their 4th annual "Polo Under the Palms" event and, based upon its success, created an independent nonprofit corporation called Little Owl Charities, which will raise money for and boost awareness of organizations that pursue advances in research, education and treatment of cancer.

The Sarasota Polo Club is just one of the many amenities that make Lakewood Ranch such an attractive place to live. Lakewood Ranch, if you're unfamiliar with it, is a 17,500 acre master-planned community in Manatee County Florida where their motto is "where families become neighbors, neighbors become family and everyone enjoys a sense of community."

Lakewood Ranch real estate offerings include everything from condos, townhomes and single-family homes to elegant multi-million dollar custom estates. With A-rated schools, boutique shops, gourmet and casual restaurants, a medical center, public and private golf courses, an athletic center with lighted tennis courts and over 150 miles of sidewalks and trails, it's not difficult to see why Lakewood Ranch has become such a magnet for families of all sizes and all ages.