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“That won’t scare the horse?”

November 1, 2011 by Development Director

It seemed to be the question on everyone’s mind yesterday. Thankfully, our therapy horses proved good training makes even spacesuits seem normal. From Cowboys and Indians, to Disney characters and plenty of Black cats, NCEFT’s family was dressed and ready for a spooky good time!

Minnie Mouse takes a ride on Princess Valentine, with OT Brittany and Barn Manager Bonnie looking on

Buzz Lightyear was feeling a little camera shy…

Bonnie poses with her War Horse, Stormy

(From L to R): Bonnie, Brittany, and Shayna

Office mascot, Rudder, channels his inner James Dean

A Little Elbow Grease

October 25, 2011 by Development Director

Every year NCEFT would haul piles of tack and barn supplies from Woodside to Portola Valley for Webb Ranch’s Annual Tack Sale. It was no easy task moving mountains of saddles, and an idea began to travel through the office and barn: Our very own tack store. A small shed near the parking lot, holding little more than abandoned gardening tools and cobwebs, was picked to be the future location of “Bits and Pieces”, a tiny store selling gently used tack donations. Ownership of the project was handed over to the barn staff, and these industrious ladies quickly set to work evicting the spiders and replacing rotted floorboards. Paint was applied, homemade saddle-racks went up, and a transformation took place.

Weeks later Bits and Pieces held its first sale, a smashing success. Tack sale veterans, used to dusty leather and stained breeches, were surprised to find Ariat tall boots in pristine condition and racks of Wool hunt coats with dry-cleaning tags still attached. Priding itself on selling clean, like-new merchandise, the little store continues to provide some serious bargains.

Open this Saturday, October 29th, from 10am-2pm, Bits and Pieces will once again open its doors to the public. With a wonderful selection of Winter blankets, and the usual array of riding apparel, tack, and barn supplies, everyone is sure to find something they’ve been needing!

Reach for the sun

October 7, 2011 by Development Director

It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it myself. – Joyce Maynard

I was looking through a folder of photos taken some time ago, moments that had been captured and then somehow misplaced amidst the constant bustle that is a therapy center. There were beautiful shots of kids on horses, but what caught my eye was a series of a mother and son.

Everyday we see mothers and fathers who have found the strength and courage to be their child’s parent, advocate, and protector. They look past their fears and forwards towards a future that may at times seem impossibly out of reach. All parents know that raising a child is a feat of endurance, not a long race, but an inexhaustible series of short ones. But to raise a special needs child is to often run those races blind, unable to see what may lie around the next curve. Undoubtably there’s moments of exhaustion, but those are far outnumbered by occasions of extreme joy. Hearing your child howl with laughter as their horse trots down the arena, watching them put aside their walker to climb aboard their favorite pony, knowing for that half-hour they’ve forgotten about the doctor’s visits and all the times they’ve been told no. Because for that half-hour the answer is yes. Yes, you can play basketball. Yes, you can be a princess. Yes, you can be fast. So fast the rest of the world has to run to keep up.

The Cost of Therapy

September 1, 2011 by Development Director

A NCEFT Horse Handler grooms Honey, a therapy horse in training, before tacking her up for some ground driving practice.

As I was dropping hundreds of invitations to this year’s “Jewels and Jeans Gala” into the mailbox at Roberts Market, I thought about the chasm between NCEFT’s need for fundraising, and the public’s understanding of the costs associated with our facility. Our annual Gala raises roughly one-quarter of our year’s operating budget, funding horse care, patient scholarships, facility upkeep, and dozens of other areas of need. Though income from our services offered (hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, etc.) helps fund NCEFT, without the continued support from generous donors, we’d be unable to help all of the children and adults who seek therapy at our facility.

Unlike most traditional therapy centers, NCEFT employs a specialized staff with around the clock needs. These team members are at the facility 365 days a year, and accept food, board, and the occasional carrot, in exchange for their service. The 14 therapy horses under our care are vital to the success of our program, and as such, receive the best upkeep we can offer. However, employing a stable of horses comes at a cost, one that may surprise most. Let’s take a peek into the daily routine of a therapy horse, and see just what goes into keeping our barn running.

7 am – Horses get an individual portion of grass hay depending on their weight, height, and exercise level.

8 am – The Barn staff begin grooming and exercising horses set to work that day. Each horse receives an hour of individual attention.

9 am – Barn stalls and upper stall-paddock combos are cleaned and rebedded with fresh shavings.

10 am – Therapy sessions begin. Each session utilizes a horse handler, therapist, and as many as three volunteers. Up to three or four sessions may run every half hour.

12 pm – Horses get a specialized lunch with appropriate supplements and medications. Our horses receive everything from supportive care for sensitivity to diet changes to apple-flavored electrolytes.

5 pm – Therapy sessions end for the day and horses get an evening meal similar to their morning feeding.

When combined, the cost of twice daily feeding, individual grooming and exercise, stall cleaning, specialized supplemental grain, and session staffing (horse handler and therapist), comes out to between $115 and $300 a session, depending on the type of therapy.

: Chase takes a moment for a photo op on Halloween

So, we ask for your help. We ask that you consider giving to NCEFT in whatever way you can. Whether small or large, your donations make a difference to patients and families who find hope and healing within our fences. At $200, the purchase of a ticket to our Gala not only provides an evening filled with good food, great music, and fantastic company, but goes so far towards helping children like Chase. Doctors predicted Chase would never walk or talk, but four years after starting therapy at NCEFT he’s doing both.

A Game by Any Other Name

August 24, 2011 by Development Director

Though NCEFT treats patients of any age, the majority of those we see are kids. If therapy itself is like a foreign language, pediatric therapy is one of those South African dialects composed mainly of clicks and glottal stops. Not only is the patient less able to verbalize their thoughts and emotions, but often more interested in pointing out their car in the parking lot than weight bearing through their hands. It becomes a balancing act, combining the key ingredients of authority figure, playmate, and practitioner, and hoping the result is worthy of a Michelin Star. In effect, the key to a successful session rests on the ability of those involved to disguise hard work as nothing more than a simple game of basketball.

Reaching for Sebastian's mane works on acceptance of tactile stimulation and functional reach

If you’ll bear with me, I’m about to both go off on a tangent and break anonymity for a second.To many I’m the faceless voice of NCEFT, though some know my face, one often flushed and framed by flyaway hair. For those that don’t, my name is Shayna, I’m a horse handler and “Jill of All Trades” for NCEFT; I was also once a soccer coach. Here’s where the relevant story comes in: One day after practice I was approached by a parent. They expressed concerns I wasn’t running enough drills, that too much time was being spent on meaningless games. They were afraid their child, at the time only 5 years old, wasn’t cultivating the skills necessary to be a competitive player. What they didn’t realize was that a game of “Keep-a-Way” improved ball control, or that “Monkey in the Middle” was a great way of working on passing.

DSC_8658_0706 — Tossing the football to a sidewalker helps to improve hand-eye coordination and challenges postural control by occupying hands

The number of ways we use games to accomplish Physical and Occupation Therapy goals is limitless. While sitting backwards or performing a “bear stand” may appear to be simple fun, they encourage improved sensory integration, confidence, and postural control. Playing “Tug O War” with a ring or scarf is a great way to encourage acceptance of tactile input. Patients work on visual attention and problem solving while going on scavenger hunts or playing “Hide and Seek”. The simple act of getting on and off the horse involves degrees of hip extension and flexion, antigravity control, mid-range control, co-contraction around the joints, and so much more. Every minute of a session is productive, even when stopped for a break, patients are working on eye contact, sitting independently, and participating in conversations.

Think about it, how many of us would rather play a game of tennis or go kayaking than spend an hour on the treadmill? So, the next time you look at children playing, consider the ways in which they’re improving motor planning and developing appropriate social responses. Consider how strategy and flexibility factor into a game of “Sardines”, or how “Capture the Flag” promotes teamwork and cardiovascular function. Stop thinking drills and lessons, and start playing.

“That won’t scare the horse?”

“That won’t scare the horse?”

A Little Elbow Grease

Reach for the sun

The Cost of Therapy

A Game by Any Other Name

NCEFT: HORSES. HOPE. HEALING.

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