Summer is over, and Hunkapi is back in full swing again. This time, I volunteer on Tuesday mornings. All the volunteers arrive at around 9:15, and we go get all the horses we're using and bring them up. These horses are: Louie, Lily, Tuff, Junior, and Bandera. (Joe Tom will be added next week!:D)
Louie is a gray with brown specks, and he's around 18 years old. So far, I've been assigned to him each week. He used to be a search and rescue horse. And he is extremely soft. :)
Lily is an albino-- Which means she has pink skin and pure white fur, blue eyes, and she is deaf. From first glance you might think she's as sweet as could be...but no. She has an attitude sometimes! She gets parked in the direction of everyone so that she can see what's going on and not get scared.
Tuff is brown with four white socks. He is very smooth to ride. When he trots it feels like you're just floating on air! He has something wrong with one of his eyes, so he has to have medicine put on it everyday.
Junior is a very sweet sorrel Quarter Horse. I don't know much about him, but he is very calm and listens to voice commands.
And last but not least, Bandera is a bay Quarter horse(I think) mare. Of course, I have a soft spot for bays(Notice both of my horses are bay). She is quite tall and hairy. :) She broke her hip a time ago and now has a quirky gait. But, much to your surprise, that quirky gait can have huge benefits for certain kids!
After we get the horses out, we set out their grooming baskets and groom them from head to toe. :)
After that we clip the reins on their halters and put on their bareback pads.
Then we go over the lesson plan with Saundra and Chelsea and/or Terra. (They are the instructors.)
Soon after that the kids arrive in that long, yellow bus.
There is two groups that come. One group has kids with higher abilities and understanding. The second group has kids with lower abilities, and about 3 of them are wheel-chair bound.
They each come every-other week. First the 1st group, the next week the 2nd group, the week after that the 1st group...etc.
With each group, they split the kids up even more. A higher level group and a lower level group.
Then they receive name tags that have their name and the horse they're assigned to. And then they get their helmets.
The kids take turns finding the correct brushes and somewhat brushing with them.
Now the first group all mounts the horses, while the second group does another activity.
It's only been 3 weeks, but most of the higher level kids can now ride without a side walker, they can make their horse stop and go, and they can turn. Seriously, this is AMAZING progress for them! It's even more amazing because each week I'm with the same two kids and the same horse. So I get to see exactly how they're progressing, and they love to talk. :) Their personalities are so funny!
The lower level group that comes on the other weeks is even more amazing. They've only come once so far, but that one time was quite special. All the kids(except a special 2) were able to ride and pick up rings and drop them on a cone. Those two I mentioned...they are the wheel-chair bound ones. They are super cute. :) Now, just 'cause they are bound to a wheel-chair, doesn't mean they can't ride. We had two back riders who got on their horses, then the two kids were lifted on. It was so cool, because when they first got on they were extremely stiff and un-relaxed. But, by the time they got off, they were loose and and completely relaxed! They experienced freedom. They weren't stuck in a wheel-chair. They got to be up in the air with a strong horse underneath them. And you could tell they enjoyed it. :)
I look forward to every Tuesday now. Because it's so cool to see the smiles and watch these kids progress!
