November 10, 2004 – New York, New York – Horseware Ireland, manufacturers of high-quality horse blankets, has formed a partnership with the non-profit humanitarian organization, JustWorld International.

In support of the ‘Jump for a JustWorld’ initiative, Horseware Ireland has donated signature coolers to each of the professional JustWorld Rider Ambassadors. Irish Olympian and JustWorld Rider Representative, Kevin Babington, first contacted the Irish company about getting involved with JustWorld International.

“Kevin is a great guy and his manager, Titi Mills, is from Honduras where they have project sites, so it was easy to make the decision to support JustWorld International,” explained Tom MacGuinness, Owner and President of Horseware Ireland. “I spent five years in South America as a missionary, working in Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, so Latin America is very special to me. We are very privileged to be involved.”

“It is only a drop in the bucket, but at least it is something,” continues MacGuinness. “It reminds me of a story about a boy who saw all the sunfish washed up on the beach and began throwing them back into the ocean. Someone asked him, ‘There are so many, you will never be able to save them all, so what does it matter?’ As he threw another sunfish back into the sea, the boy answered, ‘It matters to that one.’ That is how I feel. Even though we may only be able to do a little, it is important to do something.”

Horseware Ireland generously donated signature horse coolers to the professional JustWorld Rider Representatives earlier this year, and signature wool coolers are currently on order. These signature pieces of ‘horse clothing’ are used by the professional JustWorld riders to signify their involvement with the organization, and the list of top level riders involved continues to grow. Current professional riders include Angela Covert of Canada, Kevin Babington of Ireland, Herve Godignon of France, Imke Hofschroer of Germany, Eric Lamaze of Canada, Rutherford Latham of Spain, Olivier Guillon of France, Candice King of the United States, Titi Mills of Honduras, Eric Navet of France, Ray Texel of the United States, Gregory Wathelet of Belgium, and the newest member of the ‘Jump for a JustWorld’ initiative, Marcus Fuchs of Switzerland. Through various initiatives, including donating a portion of their prize money or giving clinics to benefit JustWorld International, riders are able to support the organization’s projects and programs.

“I am very thankful to Kevin for having brought JustWorld and Horseware Ireland together,” said Executive Director Jessica Newman, who founded JustWorld International in 2002. “When we launched ‘Jump for a Just World’ at the beginning of this year, Horseware Ireland became our first sponsor when they agreed to donate JustWorld signature show coolers to all of our professional riders. This makes our relationship very special and, thanks to Tom and Horseware Ireland who took the initiative to partner with us so early on, several other sponsors were encouraged to follow in their footsteps and get involved as well.”

“When I first spoke to Tom and he told me about his missionary work in Latin America, I was convinced that it would be possible to build a network of socially-responsible businesses within the equestrian industry who, like our own rider ambassadors, want to make a contribution to the world,” continues Newman, 29, who sacrificed her own grand prix riding career in order to fully concentrate on JustWorld International. “I can’t say enough about how great the partnership with Horseware Ireland is - they are humanitarian-minded, pleasant to deal with, and they have wonderful, high-quality products that all of our riders ambassadors are proud to display!”

Founded in 1985 by MacGuinness and his wife, Carol, Horseware Products Ltd. employs 150 people at two manufacturing facilities, one in Ireland and one in the United States. Horseware Ireland is known for its line of ‘Rambo’ turn-out blankets as well as the company’s newest division, ‘Triple Crown’ custom blankets. For more information on Horseware Ireland, please visit www.horseware.com.

JustWorld International offers fellowship programs for students from around the globe to learn leadership skills, the tools that they can use to make a positive difference in the world. With three project sites located in Cambodia, Honduras and Senegal, students are working for change in a wide variety of environments on behalf of JustWorld International.

For further information on JustWorld International, please visit www.justworldinternational.org.