Post 10 - Beautiful Day

Sunshine and no wind, a perfect day for the children to ride and play.

The creative instructor brought out foam swords for the youngsters and challenged them to manipulate a ring on to the sword and then to quickly bring the sword across their bodies which would fling the ring off. Smiles and laughter galore. They loved watching the rings soar. The task involved stretching, focusing, coordination, and controlling movements. Other games include trying to guide the horse through a cone pattern in the ring. The horse leader actually guides the horse, but the riders are encouraged to hold the reins and encourage the horse to “go” or “whoa” as instructed.  Toward the end of the hour, the four participants played a horse version of musical chairs—no horses rushing for chairs, just moving and stopping with the music. 

Post 9 - Getting the rider ready for the horse

Each individual participating in equine therapy at the place where I volunteer is scheduled for one hour. Some of that hour is getting the rider from wheel chair to the back of the horse. Our session has two individuals in wheel chairs, but they are youngsters so the care team can lift them into the saddle rather than using the wheel chair lift apparatus. The other two have difficulty walking and receive assistance getting up the stairs where they are helped on to the horse’s back. One of the side walkers stands on the ground (a horse width from the stairs) and the horse leader guides the horse between the stair area and the side walker. The leader steadies the horse and keeps him/her calm while the instructor and side walkers help the student get on the horse. Each rider is encouraged to hold the reins and give the horse simple commands.  Our students have many challenges, and the horse therapy helps them strengthen their core which helps breathing, so important to speech, their flexibility, their balance, and their confidence. Most students relish their time on the horse, but by the end of the lesson, they are tired, tired, but happy.

Post 8 - Getting the horse ready for the rider

The horse is brought from the pasture and placed in an enclosure. There are four covered spots, open on both ends, separated by fence units sturdy enough to support saddles and supplies. And wide enough for the horse and workers. Before the horse arrives the helpers gather the items needed. Each rider has a specific type of saddle, saddle pad, and reins. Each horse has a specific bridle,

When the horse (the hero) arrives, he is groomed. The curry comb is used in a circular motion to get the dust, mud and debris from the horse’s body. Wouldn’t if be nice to receive a massage each day? The horses like this and the brushing with the hard brush that follows. Sometimes we wipe their faces of gently comb the manes with a soft brush, the on to the manicure—using the pick on the hoofs. First on the outside, then digging out any pebbles, mud, or dirt, carefully avoiding the frog area mentioned in an earlier post.

After grooming the horse receives the pad, saddle, girth. Then the halter is removed and the bridle placed on the horse and the reins (selected for a specific rider) are attached. Now the horse is ready for his class with a rider. Next post will concern the riders.

Post 7 - Two workers at the equine facility

I love this picture of a patient, loving barn buddy with a hero of the facility, a beautiful horse out for a morning snack. The barn buddy has the task of cleaning stalls, bringing the horses from pasture into the barn and feeding them. The work is not easy, but the people who do it love their job. They have a special relationship with all the horses at the center.

Post 6 - Vo.unteer Duties

Wow—I never considered how many people would be needed to facilitate one class or session for a single rider. In equine therapy, riders have different needs, and each student receives a lesson planned activity to facilitate their improvement.

Each individual who attends an equine therapy session is carefully monitored, and their session requires five volunteers or paid workers.

Barn Helpers  These volunteers feed, care for, and clean the horses. They also clean stalls, bring the horses into the barn, and feed them. Their responsibilities are 365 days a year, not just when the weather permits lessons.

Sidewalkers. Then there are two sidewalkers—one person on each side of the horse to make certain the student is safe and balanced on the back of the horse. They provide the rider with physical and emotional support and encouragement.

Horse leader. This person leads the horse through the lesson assignments as the student learns to manage the horse by vocal and physical commands.

Instructor. The instructor has a lesson plan to help improve each students’ posture, coordination, balance, flexibility, and dexterity.

All volunteers focus on safety and fostering a positive and beneficial session between the horse and the rider.

Post 5 - Weather delays

There is a saying that if you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait 5 minutes and it will change. To protect the guests, volunteers, and horses, the facility has the following policy. No classes will be held in cases of:

§  Extreme cold – temperature below 35 with wind-chill factor

§  Hazardous road conditions

§  Extreme heat – temperature above 110 with heat index factor

§  Tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms, visible lightning or hailstorms.

Even though I started posting my blog in March, I started my journey as an early morning volunteer in January—and never went to an official training or observation class that month because of the weather. Our January was cold. We did not have the snows that blanketed many other parts of the country, but we were cold, so I watched more videos and tried to learn what I could before my first horse encounter.

Post 4 - More training

Yes, I’m still watching the online videos and trying to remember all the parts of the horse. Today the video introduced cleaning the hooves of a horse. We will be doing this before each rider mounts the horse. The hoof is often impacted with mud, so we need to remove the dirt and debris. I’ll mention the instruments used in a later post. For today, notice the look of the hoof itself—the item in the top center part is called a “frog”—I don’t know why. But that area is sensitive, so the online video states we must be careful when working in that area.

Comment request---Why is that spot called a frog?

Post 3 - Hands On!

Before training on site with the horses and their riders, volunteers watch videos which show the process. One hint reminded all workers that a horse has eyes on the side of its head. Therefore, a helper should always keep a hand on the horse during grooming so the animal will know where you are. A startled animal might kick or move its hoof to the top of your foot. Important tip to remember for a person anxious around horses. On my first day at the center, I did keep my hand on the horse at all time.