2025 Lassos with Love
Event Highlights

Connected Horse’s 2025 Lassos with Love fundraiser, held at Five Star Equestrian, was a vibrant and emotionally rich event focused on supporting individuals living with dementia and their care partners. Over 225 attendees gathered for an afternoon of performances, stories, recognition, and inspiration.

The event opened with a moving equestrian performance led by Kansas Carradine and her daughters, accompanied by their horse, Dude. Kansas set a reflective tone with a grounding meditation, inviting guests to calm themselves and fully take in the sensory atmosphere—horses, birds, soft breeze—before transitioning into a bridle-free ride and a lasso routine that underscored themes of trust, harmony, and genuine connection between horse and human. Also featured was a hunter-jumper demonstration by Five Star Equestrian, showcasing precision, rhythmic movement, and the rider-horse partnership.

The keynote speaker was Carla Preyer, a caregiver and advocate whose personal journey into caregiving began when her husband was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Carla shared with attendees the emotional complexity of caregiving—grief, forgiveness, hope, humor—and offered excerpts from her role in the documentary Facing the Wind. Her presentation emphasized not just the challenges, but the human connections, emotional growth, and meaning that can emerge through caregiving.

During the event, Tammy and Paul Maida were honored with the 2025 Lassos with Love Impact Award for their substantial advocacy in promoting dementia-friendly communities and health innovation. Tammy, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s seven years earlier, described how participating in a Connected Horse workshop was transformative—it was the first time she truly felt accepted post-diagnosis, and it encouraged her to reimagine life beyond just the illness. Their advocacy also includes participation in influential clinical trials (such as Dr. Dean Ornish’s work and the U.S. POINTER study) exploring lifestyle interventions to slow or reverse cognitive decline. Their story has also reached wider audiences through TEDx and media interviews, reinforcing the message of compassion, community and proactive care in dementia.

Lassos with Love 2025 blended artistry, personal storytelling, recognition, and community to shine a light on dementia care and the power of connection—not only between humans but between humans and horses—as a pathway toward healing, acceptance, and renewed purpose.