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Spirit Open Equestrian Program Newsletter
July/August 2017
You can make a difference with us in the life of a child, teenager or senior in our community!
SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program Inc. | Phone: 703-600-9667 | Email: [email protected] pg. 1
Do you have a dirty dog or a pooch that loves pampering? Come to Weber’s Pet Super-market in Fox Mill from Aug
7–19 to use their state-of-the-art self-service dog wash
stations & Weber’s will donate $10/wash to SPIRIT! Weber’s
provides the tubs, water (temp controlled), shampoo
(oatmeal, whitening, flea/tick, hypoallergenic, etc.),
conditioners, towels, & dryers!
Hours: Mon-Fri 10 am - 7 pm; Sat 10 am - 5 pm; Sun- Closed Last Wash 30 min before close Address: 2599 John Milton Dr, Herndon, VA 20171
Riding to Summer at the Ride4SPIRIT! This summer has been a hot one and our riders were heating up the ring at most recent Ride4SPIRIT presentation! Thanks to your generous support, our therapeutic riders and their horses navigated a complex obstacle course, showing off their horsemanship and riding skills before individually joining our Equine Assisted Learning riders for riding exercises in formation. Next, our Assistants and Equine Assisted Learning riders were up! They rode in a series of friendly equitation contests, drills and games! Our next Ride4SPIRIT presentation is coming up on
August 12 so dust off your boots and riding helmet! Contact us to find out how to register!
Cool Campers Enjoy SPIRIT’s Summer Camp! The summer heat is here but SPIRIT’s campers have been having a cool time at our farm in our weekly summer camps! Campers have enjoyed meeting the herd, learning to ride,
learning horsemanship skills and even helping to decorate and paint some of our horses! It’s not too late to join us in the final weeks of summer camp. Come on out to the farm and join the SPIRIT herd in learning about horsemanship and making new friends! Registration is still open for our week-long summer camps!
Getting Down to Business is be O.K.!
The O.K. Corral Series is returning to SPIRIT! The O.K. Corral Series educates, promotes and supports professionals in the practice of authentic equine-assisted work that honors and integrates natural horse and herd behavior as a model for human mental and emotional health using the equine-assisted philosophies developed by Greg Kersten, Founder of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Join SPIRIT when we host Greg at Frying Pan Park in November. Visit the O.K. Corral Series website for more information and to register.
The Lord of Life Church Inspires SPIRIT Thank you to the Lord of Life Church who came out to the SPIRIT farm extra early on a Saturday to help us care for our farm! It was a very full morning of painting, working on and refurbishing our equipment including our driving cart, mucking stalls and grooming members of our herd! Your hard work refreshed our spirits and made our herd so much more comfortable and happy! Want to have your organization’s next service day at SPIRIT? We’d love to have you join us! Contact us here!
Summer Camps –7/17-21; 7/24-28; 7/31-8/3
Summer Session – 8/7-31
Ride4SPIRIT – 8/12
Fall Session – 9/18-10/12; 10/16-11/9
Ride4SPIRIT – 10/14
Calendar of Events
Your Dog Can Make a Difference
for SPIRIT!
Campers decorated Max with love
Suhani with Sally & her volunteers
Huckleberry & his EAL rider compete in the magazine race
Campers paint Sally with love notes
You can make a difference with us in the life of a child, teenager or senior in our community!
SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program Inc. | Phone: 703-600-9667 | Email: [email protected] pg. 2
News from the Farm!
Samson: Gentle Giant of the SPIRIT Herd! In the story from the Bible, Samson was the strongest man who ever lived. So it’s no surprise that SPIRIT gave this mighty name to the huge Belgian draft horse that we found at the
auction so many years ago. At the time, Samson was a wisp of his current self, skinny and underweight, he needed love and lots of good food! Since joining SPIRIT many years ago he has gained weight and muscle and now he stands healthy, tall and proud over every other member of the SPIRIT herd. As Belgians and other draft horses are known to be, he is a true “gentle giant”. Samson LOVES his work as a therapy horse and is extremely gentle and very cautious about where he steps with his massive hooves.
Our veterinarians believe that Samson is now in his mid-twenties. (Without knowing his history it is impossible to tell for sure). Recently, we decided to give Samson some time off from our riding programs and so he has been
participating only in our unmounted activities where he still loves greeting participants of all ages and receiving lots of love and grooming and bathing from them. However, in the last few weeks Samson has let us know that he misses his work in our therapeutic riding lessons - (he gets fussy when lessons start and he’s not part of them) – and so, SAMSON IS BACK!
Samson has rejoined our therapeutic riding and Equine Assisted Learning sessions where he is once again enjoying carrying our riders and teaching them horsemanship. He’s come a long way from the auction house and we are excited to see what new lessons he will teach us in the ring!
A great big thank you to Julia Scoville and Leslie Vernon for presenting SPIRIT and our mission at the recent Autism Expo Event! Thanks to you we made new friends and found new members of our community to support!
An inspired thank you to Patty Sullivan and all the volunteers who worked at the Ride4SPIRIT event and shared SPIRIT’s mission with our guests and helped to make the day truly special!
Congratulations and welcome to new SPIRIT Board Directors Barry Dresdner, Rob Mennell, and Jared Cox!
Volunteer Achievements,
Appreciation & Good Works!
Who in the Herd? Think you know the SPIRIT
herd? See if you can tell which horse this is by one of
their markings! Find the answer in the margin on the last page of this newsletter!
Have your next Service Day at
SPIRIT! Does your company, club or organization want a unique opportunity to serve your
community? SPIRIT welcomes all groups looking for service projects to come to our farm where you will help us create miracles for our community!
Contact us at 703-600-9668 or [email protected] to learn more and schedule your next
service day event!
Samson shows his silly side
Samson is led by some of our younger program participants
You can make a difference with us in the life of a child, teenager or senior in our community!
SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program Inc. | Phone: 703-600-9667 | Email: [email protected] pg. 3
Wisdom, Tips & Guidance from the
Volunteer Handbook Picks, Shoes & Frogs: Care for a Horse’s Hooves Walking, trotting, cantering, dressage, jumping and trail rides. These are the fun activities that we and our horses enjoy together. A horse needs lots of care to enjoy these activities and one of the most important is healthy feet! Healthy feet keep our horses comfortable, balanced and free of foot illnesses. A horse who is limping is said to be “lame”. Lameness can happen to any horse for many reasons but there are steps that we can take to try to prevent lameness!
Hooves are made from the same material as fingernails. Just like fingernails, hooves grow all the time. Overgrown hooves can be uncomfortable so there are farriers who trim the hooves and keep them balanced and shaped. Some horses also wear shoes for extra stability. Trimming hooves and shoeing are work for professionals, but we can help by picking their hooves!
Hoof pics are used to remove any caked in dirt, sand, or manure in the horse’s hoof. This caked in stuff can provide a cushion for the horse’s feet if you will be riding over gravel or rocks, but upon returning the hooves should be picked out. If left in the foot, the rocks can cause bruises on the sole of the horse’s foot or cause an abcess or infection up inside the horse’s foot. Moisture from mud or wet manure can also lead to thrush. Thrush is a smelly fungus that grows in moist spots in the horse’s hoof. Regular picking helps to prevent both of these conditions. If you don’t know how to pick hooves, just ask an assistant or an instructor! They will teach you how to clean the horse’s foot while being gentle to the foot’s sensitive frog!
Don’t Forget your Riding Pass!
All EAL students are required to have a valid riding pass
from Frying Pan Park to ride on park grounds. Passes can be
purchased in the Equestrian Office.
Call Frying Pan Park for more information 703-437-9101
John Kottmeier I am an eight year old boy who has cerebral palsy. I have done lots of therapy since I was a baby. Then this past September I started horseback riding. I love it! Its way more fun than regular therapy. My favorite part is when they throw the rings to me to catch while riding. One time I caught all the rings thrown to my right hand. I also love to do two-point. In a few short months I became a self-proclaimed two-point expert. I have ridden on Cocoa, Sally and Spirit. Spirit is my favorite horse because she is just the right size. I like doing around the world as well as trotting. Going on the trails is fun too. I love playing soccer and golf when I am not riding with Spirit.
Leah Lupo How long have you been with SPIRIT? Four years Who is your Favorite Horse? Huckleberry What is your Proudest Moment? Watching Leah ride with such a calm, confident and happy demeanor - Spirit has given Leah confidence and constant support. Each week she spends time with the caring volunteers and amazing horses. She has developed a deep friendship with her first mentor, Zoe and is starting new friendships with her current mentor Sabina. She is encouraged each week and feels successful when riding. Leah loves to read, draw, swim and play with her sister.
Happy 4th of July!
Do We Still Have Class Tonight?
Bad Weather? Wondering if we have class? Check SPIRIT’s
blog or Facebook page for information including
cancellations!
Sign up to receive cancellation notices as text messages here!
“Who in the Herd” answer: That’s Grace’s nose!
I Learned…
…to Ride a Horse
I Discovered…
I Learned…
…the Courage to
Chase my Dreams
We Made…
I Learned…
I Got Rescued…
YES! I want to help SPIRIT continue creating smiles and miracles for children and adults with special needs by sending my tax-deductible donation of:
$25 $50 $100 Other $
My check is enclosed (payable to SPIRIT Open Equestrian program)
I’d like to pay by credit card
Credit Card No.
Name
Signature
Expiration Date
Thank You!
SPIRIT is a nationally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International
Mail To:
SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program, Inc. P.O. Box 1342 Great Falls, VA 22066
Please apply my gift to:
A Home for SPIRIT
General Support
Wherever it will do the most good
…Lasting Friendships
…and Now Have a Safe Home
