Development Director

NCEFT goes International

August 1, 2012 by Development Director

Check out the following newsletter article from Julie, our Volunteer Coordinator:

NCEFT was pleased to welcome a few very special visitors July 2-5. Four students from Korea National Sport University (KNSU) in Seoul South Korea won a traveling grant called Global Challenge through their school. They were required to choose a subject close to their major and give a presentation to a panel of professors. They are majoring in Adaptive Physical Education and chose Hippotherapy as their subject because they volunteered as sidewalkers for Hippotherapy in Korea. The professors said they won 1st place out of 30 because of their passionate presentation on why Hippotherapy is so important.

177515_501484716533383_774402735_o — Students pose with Ben before sidewalking for a Hippotherapy session

How and why did they choose NCEFT were the big questions. They found NCEFT through PATH and AHA. Based on all the reviews they read about us and other places is why they chose NCEFT out of the entire world! This is a pretty big deal. For those of you that don’t know, there are hundreds of PATH centers all over the world! Needless to say, we were very honored they chose us. They also liked our website the best as well.

They observed Hippotherapy and Adaptive Riding sessions to start with and were then trained to be sidewalkers so they could participate in actual sessions. Plus, they were able to interview some of our therapists, riding instructors and clients. They were asked what they would do with the information they gathered. They said they would present the information to their professors to finish up the project for one and their experience here will go on their resumes to help them get jobs after they graduate. More importantly, they said they want to spread the word about what great work NCEFT does and how many people we bring hope and healing to.

Be Worthy.

July 24, 2012 by Development Director

We used to lay sheepskin blankets over our horses’ backs, protecting patients’ gastrostomy tubes from catching on the nappy felt pads. We learned to work with G-tubes, tracheostomy tubes, AFOs, and hearing aids, and at some point our sense of normal was flipped on its head. Looking past the medical baggage we would see a two-year old learning to tell her horse to go and stop, or a pair of teenagers talking movies while they warmed-up their horses for a group lesson. Mundane and ordinary, our conversations rarely touched on their so-called disability. But every now and then an event would occur to shatter these attempts at normalization, and all too quickly we’re faced with a truth both sharp and dangerous.

“I had a clean MRI.” She’s a little peanut of child fresh from her day at summer camp, still wearing the hand written name tag proclaiming her assignment to the orange group. She refuses to be called Miss or Princess, she’s just herself and you better remember it. “Whatever happens, I know it’ll be okay because I’m not going to die.” She delivers these statements while clipping oversized ladybug clothespins to her horse’s mane, casually throwing it out there as if we’d asked her favorite ice cream. You realize despite the headband and floral appliquéd shirt this is not a child, this is a person who is grappling with the very adult reality of life and its fragility.

Working with a survivor is akin to a crucible, an experience that acts to distill you into your most pure self. You want to be the very best person you can be, to do everything within your power to be worthy of the person in front of you. You stop acting and start feeling. Smiles aren’t forced, laughter isn’t faked. For the next 30 minutes you give all of yourself. The session inevitably comes to end, she dismounts, goodbyes are exchanged, and the horse is led back to its stall. The saturated reality of life and death begins to fade, replaced with something softer.

Each week isn’t an epiphany. But each week we come a little closer to being worthy.

Silver Meets the Natives

July 5, 2012 by Development Director

For the past few weekends Barn Manager Bonnie MacCurdy has made the trek up North to spend time with Silver at the trainers. Each time she focuses on something different, and this past weekend Silver was introduced to one of Woodside’s indigenous animals: the cyclist. Characterized by bright plumage, they travel in packs throughout our neighborhood, emitting sounds ranging from rapid clicks to sharp bell-like tones. Their seemingly alien appearance has been known to send many a horse into a tailspin.

With the help of her son Daniel, Bonnie spent an entire day acclimating Silver to the many ways in which cyclists navigate Woodside. Daniel furiously pedaled straight at Silver only to peel off at the last second. He soundlessly approached from behind the carriage, whizzing past the horse without warning. Fast and slow, forwards and backwards, near and far, they made sure Silver was comfortable with it all. By the end of the day the horse would contentedly follow the bike while loose in pasture, walking along the fenceline with Daniel pedaling slowly on the other side.

Many have heard or used the term “bombproof” to describe a horse, but its use can be misleading. You may picture a horse standing drowsily at a tie rail, head hanging low, eyes half-closed while fireworks go off just feet away. The thing is, we need our horses to be attentive not comatose. There’s a story about our late Executive Director, Barb Heine, in which she asks hopeful hippotherapy practitioners to identify the most dangerous horse. In front of the group stands a handful of horses, all but one are at attention, heads up, ears pricked as they take in the environment. The last horse is much like the one described before, sleepily ignoring everyone. Which one poses the greatest risk?

When horses show emotion, whether it’s fear or contentment, they communicate with us. If a horse suddenly freezes during a session, raising its head and looking intently at the far end of the sensory trail, we can follow their gaze and see the deer that’ve made a guest appearance. The handler can adjust, soothing the horse or heading to the other side of the arena where the guests are out of sight. Imagine instead that the horse is checked out, dull to their environment. They fail to see the deer until nearly on top of them, and their seemingly sudden appearance causes the horse to startle without warning.

Silver shows a keen interest in his surroundings; simply put, he’s inquisitive. We’re encouraged by his desire to investigate everything and by doing so, to learn at an astounding pace. Like Sunny, at only three years old Silver has the wisdom of a much older horse. With the right training, we’re confident Silver will follow on the same path of his predecessor, becoming not only a therapeutic driving horse, but a member of the NCEFT family.

Our New Driving Horse…

June 29, 2012 by Development Director

Silver at the trainer’s facility getting used to traffic and being driven outside of the arena

Meet Silver! We could tell from the very beginning that this was a good horse, one whose temperament made him perfectly suited for the job. After talking extensively with Silver’s owners via e-mail and phone, Bonnie contacted her good friend Patti Jo and asked her to go take a look. Patti Jo threw the kitchen sink at the horse, making sure he was safe and calm both undersaddle and in harness. She tested his reaction to toys and other novel objects, and tried to get a good feel for his personality. Meanwhile, back in California Bonnie was sitting anxiously by the phone waiting to hear Patti Jo’s report. When the call finally came there was nothing but good news, the horse was wonderful!

Silver at the trainer’s working on riding and being comfortable around carriages. Though it may sound strange, some driving horses are scared of carriages when they’re not the ones pulling it.

Up next was the vet check to make sure Silver didn’t have any health issues that might prevent him from comfortably doing his job. We were thrilled to hear he passed the check and set to work getting his travelling papers in order. After that it was only a matter of arranging his transport from Wisconsin to California. Silver’s first stop in California was at the trainer’s facility where he’s currently spending a few months getting his riding and driving skills polished. Though he won’t be making his first appearance at NCEFT for another month or two, we’re enjoying updates from the trainer and waiting (im)patiently for his arrival!

Meet the Contestants: The Final Two

June 22, 2012 by Development Director

It was down to two horses. Moose was a beautiful gelding who’d been part of a show hitch, an experience that certainly demonstrated a calm temperament. Though he’d done parades and even a rodeo, Moose’s owners felt show life just wasn’t for him. He tried hard but wasn’t much for looking animated and showing off for the crowd, and seemed to prefer moving at a more laid back pace. While he’d never been ridden before, his excellent ground manners and unlimited patience, gave us hope he just might be our horse.

Silver was a grey gelding from out in Wisconsin. On the younger side of our desired age range, he had the temperament of a much more experienced horse. Video from his owners showed a horse who clearly had a huge amount of trust in his handlers and was willing to accept just about anything as long as his person told him it was okay. He had three great gaits and was surprisingly balanced under saddle for a young draft horse. Coupled with a genuine desire to be around people, Silver had the makings of being a great therapy horse.

One of these horses is our next therapeutic driving horse, but which will it be, the experienced show horse or the youngster with huge potential? Tune in next week for the big reveal!

NCEFT goes International

NCEFT goes International

Be Worthy.

Silver Meets the Natives

Our New Driving Horse…

Meet the Contestants: The Final Two

NCEFT: HORSES. HOPE. HEALING.

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