This Saturday the Alabama Hunter-Jumpers Association will help pay tribute to their long-time president, Matt Grubbs, by

making the White Horse Farms Show a benefit show for Grubbs, who suffered a severe stroke last month. The Grubbs family, owners of White Horse Farms in Sterett since 1992, moved the show from April 28 to April 14 to honor Grubbs on his 54th birthday.

While parked on a farm in Ocala, Fla. to sleep, Grubbs suffered a stroke inside his trailer sometime between 9 p.m. on Friday, March 9 and 7 a.m. Saturday, March 10 according to a family blog. He was taking the trip to transport a horse back to a local veternarian in Pell City.

Grubbs was transported to Munroe Regional Medical Center, where a CT scan revealed a hemorrhagic stroke. He was later stabelized in the hospital&8217;s intensive care unit.

Grubbs reamined in ICU until that Thursday when he was placed in a regular room and was discharged that weekend to Life Care in Ocala and later to the Life Care Center in Orange Park, Fla.

Therapy progressed smoothly as he was able to sing &8220;Happy Birthday&8221; to his daughter Gayle in late March.

&8220;That was the best birthday gift I could have received,&8221; Gayle said.

Last Monday the family reported that Grubbs, with the help of parallel bars therapy, took his first steps with his right leg since the stroke.

As of Monday, April 9 the family reported that Grubbs&8217; right leg was getting stronger, and he was preparing to return to Birmingham this Monday to enter rehab at HealthSouth Lakeshore Rehab.

Grubbs, a three time recipient of the AHJA Pat Hoyle Sportsmanship Award, has been the &8220;glue&8221; of the organization according to Gayle.

&8220;The assocation has been incredible in helping the family because he did so much with them,&8221; she said.

Contestant entries for Saturday&8217;s show can be made online

www.alabamahunterjumpers.com until 5 p.m. on Friday, April 13.

The show will take place at a farm off Alabama 119 in Leeds near the entrance to Lake Purdy. It is open to the public and begins at 8 a.m. A raffle will be held to help raise more money to pay Grubbs&8217; medical bills.

For updates on Grubbs visit http://mattgrubbs.blogspot.com