May Newsletter: 🐴 Ambassadors Making Headlines and STD for Gala 2026 🌏
JustWorld International 23rd Annual Gala
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Belle Herbe Farm | Wellington, FL
PIO Graduates Ride in Cambodia
Former PIO students Cheng E and Cheng Ouy, who completed training at the Genius Resort last summer in conjunction with the Cambodian Equestrian Federation and a Gender Equality Grant from FEI Solidarity, continue to work and ride at the stable in Phnom Penh. A third student, Socheat, also works at the barn on weekends.
AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT
Gerald Kuh Shows JustWorld Isn’t Just for Riders
Combining his passion for horses and philanthropy, Gerald Kuh has remained a steadfast advocate for JustWorld International—proving you don’t have to be in the saddle to make an impact.
Every Friday during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, FEI Technical Official Gerald Kuh would log onto a happy-hour Zoom call with fellow JustWorld International Ambassadors. During a time marked by isolation and uncertainty, those virtual gatherings became an escape, offering connection, laughter, and a shared sense of purpose among people passionate about breaking the cycle of poverty for children worldwide.
Kuh suggested the group of 32 people, across 14 countries and three continents, bid on a life-sized fiberglass horse as a commemorative gift to the Fédération Equestre Internationale––of which JustWorld is the official Charity Partner––and a means of raising pivotal funds for children in need. After pooling over €15,000, they secured the sculpture from French artist Jerome Mesnager, with a percentage going to JustWorld’s projects.
“That horse was gifted to the FEI from JustWorld, and it was displayed in the FEI headquarters lobby for a while, and now it’s in their FEI museum,” Kuh said. “It symbolizes the friendship between JustWorld and the FEI.”
After the success of that initiative, the collective went on to support the mobile library for Asociación Compartir, JustWorld’s project in Honduras.
Kuh, 48, has been a dedicated JustWorld Ambassador for over 16 years. He began riding in his native Hong Kong but by the age of 16, he was judging competitions, an early start that eventually led him to a pivotal role organizing the equestrian events for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong.
During the lead-up to the Olympics, Kuh crossed paths with JustWorld Founder Jessica Newman, who was assisting course designer and JustWorld Ambassador Leopoldo Palacios.
“[Around 2006/2007], Leopoldo brought over a team of jump crew and other people to help us with the organization of the Olympic Games,” Kuh said. “Jessica Newman was pretty much the secretary for that whole group, so I had a lot of correspondence with her. When she came to Hong Kong for the Games, that’s where we met. She told me about JustWorld, I liked it, and I joined.”
Since then, Kuh has shown that you don’t need to be in the saddle to make a meaningful impact or find your place within JustWorld. Below, he reflects on his path through the sport and what continues to fuel his commitment to JustWorld after all these years.
From rider to technical delegate to JustWorld Ambassador, Gerald Kuh’s passion for horses has shaped every step of his journey.
Tell me a little bit about where you're from and how you got involved with horses.
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. My dad went riding with his friend at a public riding school in Hong Kong, and I went with him and got hooked. So I was riding for a little bit and became quite active in competing in my teenage years.
And then, for some reason, I became a judge when I was 16. At that time, we had the Pony Club in Hong Kong, and we had to do a bunch of training and learning about the international rules, the FEI rules. I did really well and scored really high. Then, when I was 16, I got invited by the senior judge to become a national judge. I started there and continued with my judging and showing.
Did you ever have dreams of pursuing show jumping?
At one point I had aspirations of being a top rider, but being in Hong Kong, it’s very restrictive. All we had at that time were retired racehorses. We were not able to [compete] at a very high level, and of course, the competition scene in Hong Kong was not as advanced as what you’re seeing here.
With Hong Kong being so far away from Europe and North America, and with these strict quarantine protocols in Hong Kong, it’s basically impossible to fly the horses in and out. I knew that being a top rider or professional rider takes a lot of financial resources, as well as time and effort. I didn’t take that route, so I just carried on with what everybody did—went to university and tried to get a job.
You moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1994. What was that transition like, and what prompted it?
It was for political reasons, because it was a few years before the handover of Hong Kong from being a British colony back to China. So, everybody was a little bit worried about what was going to happen. Quite a lot of people at that time tried to move elsewhere to get another passport, just in case.
Being in Vancouver, there were a lot of immigrants from Hong Kong, and there's a huge immigrant population, so it was not difficult at all. [Riding-wise], in Hong Kong, we did the jumpers. When I started riding in Vancouver, and everybody was talking about “hunter” and “equitation,” I was like, “What is that?” I had no idea at all. I never got involved with hunter and equitation. I had my own horse there, and I [competed] a little bit.
After graduating from university in Vancouver with a degree in finance and accounting, you moved back to Hong Kong in 2000 and were hired as an event organizer for the 2008 Olympic Games. What was that journey like?
It was decided, at the end of 2005, that the equestrian events of the Beijing Olympic Games would move to Hong Kong. Beijing, or mainland China, couldn't fulfill all the quarantine requirements. So then I got recruited basically in 2006. I was the first or the second employee for the whole Olympic organization for the equestrian events. So, I started being an organizer, and that was my first paid job as an organizer, the Olympic Games.
Gerald Kuh (left) pictured with Olympic show jumper and fellow JustWorld Ambassador, Nick Skelton.
After the 2008 Olympics, you began your journey as chef d’equipe of the Hong Kong Equestrian Team. What was that like?
I had some background in being an official and organizer, so naturally, when we had teams going to compete abroad, I was picked by my federation to accompany the team as the chef d’equipe. We had a lot of borrowed horse competitions amongst Asian countries, the CSIOs, and I was the chef d’equipe a few times.
The big one was 2009, the Jinan China National Games, and we came back with unprecedented medals—one [individual] gold and two bronze medals (individual and team) in show jumping. So that went really well.
And then in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, I was again picked to be the chef d’equipe, and we came back with some medals. Again, it was unprecedented. Before that, when a Hong Kong team was at the Asian Games, it was just participation. There was no hope of getting a medal. [The achievements] were groundbreaking for Hong Kong to medal at major games and championships.
In 2013, you left Hong Kong and relocated to Alberta, Canada, for a position with Spruce Meadows. What prompted that change?
After the Olympic Games in 2008, I got a job with the Hong Kong Riding for the Disabled Association, where I was a general manager. One of my jobs was to prepare a team of riders to go to the 2012 London Paralympic Games. I did that, and we ended up with one rider [going to] London. After that, I saw that there wasn’t much more opportunity in Hong Kong for me to grow career-wise. I sent out a few emails, a few feelers, and Spruce Meadows came back to me and offered me a job. So, I moved back to Canada and started working there as the Director of International Affairs and Technical Advisor. Of course, I was also involved in the competition management of all these tournaments at Spruce Meadows within those few years, from the 2013 season to 2015.
As a member of both the Asian Equestrian Federation and the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation, what has it meant to you personally and professionally to help drive change in that region of sport?
The Asian region has grown a lot and has a lot of riders based in Europe and North America, so there are more and more high-level riders in Asia now. The standard has gone up quite a bit, and I would like to think I’m part of that too, being able to guide the Asian Equestrian Federation and my own federation on how we can do better. And of course, there are a lot of experienced people in Asia too, not just myself, and we work as a team to help the Asian countries organize more horse shows.
Even though it’s still at lower levels, borrowed horse competitions are all we have, and this is very important for the development of the sport in Asia—not only for the riders, but also for the organizers to gain experience and for the officials to keep up to date. If you don’t officiate enough, you get taken off the list, and there has been a huge problem in Asia where we don’t have enough FEI horse shows for them to practice and participate.
In his 16 years as a JustWorld International Ambassador, Gerald Kuh (right) has found lasting community and camaraderie among fellow Ambassadors—like FEI ringmaster Pedro Cebulka (left), pictured here during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
In addition to your technical roles, you’ve nurtured a deep passion for philanthropy with JustWorld International. What is it about JustWorld that continues to draw you in?
It’s the fact that we are trying to get together as a group and do something meaningful. I always had a heart for charity, and I think [JustWorld] is a good, accessible way for me to do it—even when I’m on the road. Doing all these horse shows, you get to meet the JustWorld family and fellow Ambassadors. I can talk to people about JustWorld, what good work JustWorld has done, about the projects I’ve visited, and just try to inspire people.
The whole JustWorld family is something that’s quite fascinating as well. At any horse show you go to, you get to meet fellow Ambassadors, and we have a close group of people. We still stay in touch.
What was it like visiting the People Improvement Organization, JustWorld’s partner project in Cambodia?
I went to the project in Cambodia twice or three times, and you can really see the impact we are making. [Between] the first time I was there and the last time I was there, [you could see] the growth and the development. It was quite meaningful to see the money that you put into [JustWorld] actually go to people who need it.
For those who haven’t had the chance to visit a JustWorld project, what message would you give them about the organization’s impact?
It’s really eye-opening. We live in a very lucky position being equestrians, which we all know is not a cheap sport. We don’t really see what’s happening in other places in the world. You go [to places like Cambodia], and it’s a real eye-opener to put things into perspective, and then you understand how lucky we are. When you see what people have to live with [versus] what we have, you stop complaining about many things. That’s a big takeaway—it’s a real eye-opener to see the real world and be reminded of how lucky we are living in North America and being involved in horses.
There are a lot of people who really need the help. To us, it might not be a lot of money—$100, $200—but it might be their household salaries for a whole month or two. That’s a huge takeaway for me, and you get inspired to be a better person, stop complaining, and start realizing how lucky we are.
We have the means or the power to make this world a better place, and that’s what we all should do. I’m not asking everybody to donate millions of dollars, but if we could all pitch in with a little bit, it makes a huge impact. And it’s not just about money, but giving the young people opportunities that they wouldn’t get otherwise. Giving people the opportunity to do better things.
How can combining a riding background with roles like technical officiating offer a fulfilling and impactful path forward?
An official is a natural progression for me. With your knowledge and experience, you could always stay involved in the sport, contribute to helping others, and make this sport a better place. As officials, we are tasked with safeguarding this sport for the next generation. It takes us on the frontlines to help the sport and keep it in the Olympic program. We have a lot to contribute, even if we don’t ride. There are so many things we can do to keep the sport going.
YOUTH AMBASSADOR
5 Questions with Ella Ofarrell
Ella Ofarrell, 9, was inspired to become a JustWorld Ambassador after following show jumper, JWI ambassador and influencer Gabriela Reutter on Instagram.
“Ella had seen a few of Gabriela Reutter’s reels (her favorite one being her rendition of ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus). We then started following her journey and saw she was an ambassador for JustWorld along with many other equestrians, so we looked into it further to see how we could help too,” Gemma Ofarrell, Ella’s mother, said. “Ella loved that JustWorld was helping other children and that horses were a part of that, as she knows herself how much joy they bring her, and she wanted to share this with others.”
Tell me about your pony, riding and showing goals.
My pony is named Peanut. He is a 12hh buckskin jumper pony and is 17 this year.
He loves the jumpers, especially the speed jump-offs. We won double grand champion last year at World Equestrian Center and Southeast Medal Finals and are hoping to get back to the show ring this summer following us both getting injured (separately but almost matching injuries). We have learned we can’t make too many plans with ponies as they like to change them.
How did you feel about your visit to Pahokee Elementary (Florida) with JustWorld and StoryBook Treasures this March?
I felt very happy after my visit because I felt that the children really enjoyed themselves, and I felt like I helped them learn about horses through reading to them and answering their questions. I was so happy to share something that I love so much with other kids.
What JWI activities have you most enjoyed?
I loved meeting Matrix [Maria Newman’s horse who went on the trip to Pahokee Elementary] and the other ambassadors who were so lovely and welcoming. I think I have made lifelong friends.
What else would you like to do with JWI?
We are really looking forward to attending the next gala and hope to do lots more visits like this one at Pahokee Elementary and help more children learn about horses and reading.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your commitment to JustWorld?
I would like to do a fundraiser this summer where I bake and sell horse treats to raise money for JWI. I love making treats for my pony. I made him a birthday cake last year, a congratulations on his first blue ribbon cake, and I also made a baby shower cake for a friend's horse and several gotcha day and birthday cakes for other friends' horses and ponies.
CALLING ALL AMBASSADORS
Want to experience the impact of JustWorld at a project visit like Gerald and Ella? Indicate your interest in a trip to Cambodia or Guatemala later this year
Whether you’re a junior, amateur, professional, official, judge, owner or fan, we want YOU to join JustWorld International as an Ambassador.
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#JustWorld #RideForTheCause #JustWorldInternational
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JustWorld International
Established in 2003, JustWorld International was created to connect equestrians with a direct way to help fracture the cycle of poverty through education, healthcare, nutrition, and leadership programs benefiting children around the world. Ambassadors from more than forty countries have since committed to “Ride for the Cause” and transform the lives of children through equestrian sport. JustWorld has united the international equestrian community and become the Official Charity Partner of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world governing body of equestrian sport. Envisioning a more just world, the non-profit organization cultivates strategic, project partnerships in a collaborative approach to impact the lives of nearly 10,000 children around the globe annually.
To donate, become an Ambassador, or learn more about JustWorld, please visit www.justworldinternational.org or @justworldinternational on Facebook and Instagram.
JustWorld International is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States and tax-deductible donations are accepted in the United States. JustWorld International has no political or religious affiliation.