2014 Issue 6 Fall Therapeutic Riding Session ....................................... 6 “Horses for Healing Day” ................................................. 2 2014 Spring Volunteer Award........................................... 6 Special Olympics Equestrian Event .................................. 3 Farewell, but not Goodbye................................................. 7 Yippie Ki Yay! Barn Dance Fundraiser ........................... 4 Lexie Kerr, Volunteer Coordinator .................................. 7 Barn Dance Fundraiser Continued................................... 5 Friends Come Through in a Pinch .................................... 8 Boarding and Riding Lessons ............................................ 5 Sports Riding Program ...................................................... 8 INSIDE Letter from our Executive Director .................................. 2 2 For those not familiar with the results from therapeutic riding, it is remarkable what horses and ponies, and volunteers and certified PATH, Int’l instructors can do! Children with special needs who receive services at Horses for Healing have successes that many outside our field (including other professionals) never thought possible. We love it when that happens. One of the reasons so many riders have this opportunity is thanks to an innovative relationship. Horses for Healing and the Rogers and Bentonville School Districts are national models for our program that allows students with special needs from these two districts to come to the barn during the school day. Great credit is due to these School Boards, and major credit also to the Walmart Foundation for funding this unique and effective program that enhances children’s lives - oftentimes beyond belief. Letter from our Executive Director It truly takes a village to pull all this off – HFH Board members steer the ship and are champions for therapeutic riding locally and beyond. Equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) is an emerging field of study and a growing industry. HFH is happy to be building partnerships - we currently have students from multiple UA departments, FFA students from Rogers High School, and individual and corporate work teams - all indispensable spokes in the wheel to provide services to area children. In behalf of all our young riders, we are thankful for everyone’s contributions of time, talent, and treasure. If you are not involved, “just do it,” you’ll be glad you did. We know that with your help the program can continue making great strides in children’s lives. Harriette Habern, Founder Board of Directors Executive Committee Billy Towle, President Cedric Haulcy, Vice President Hannah Shepard, Secretary Chris Flynt, Treasurer Board Members Scott Caldwell Craig Patton Pam Craig Jim Necessary Glenn Habern Michelle H. Wolfe Horses For Healing Staff Linda Brown Executive Director Debbie Studyvin Operations Director Karen Davis Program Team Instructor Polly Canez Program Team Instructor Lexie Kerr Volunteer Coordinator Katrina Baxter, Sports Riding Instructor Juan Santillan Maintenance Manager Front cover: Deb Bartholomew leads therapy horse, Star as a Rogers High School volunteer assists rider, Vernon Benefield during the 2014 Special Olympics In the Hands of Strangers, A Parent’s Story Our two-year old son, Bennett, started the Horses for Healing program in March 2013 at the suggestion of his speech therapist and a fellow parent who was familiar with the success of this program and non-verbal children. My husband and I weren’t exactly sure what to expect or how a horse could even help Bennett with his sensory processing disorder and his significant speech delays, but we thought it was worth finding out. The first five weeks were daunting because Bennett screamed for the entire 45 minute sessions. As we wondered if we were making the right choice for our child after each scream-fest, the staff and parents reassured us that all of the kids struggle to adjust and that we needed to trust the process and techniques. So, after a brief irrational thought of pulling my child off his horse and running for the hills I decided to say a quick prayer and place my trust in these strangers’ hands. Honestly, we didn’t notice any major positive changes with Bennett the first 8-10 weeks that he participated in the program so when he was on a summer break we were shocked to see the negative behavior he displayed. He would scream in the car whenever we drove around a curve and threw tantrums every 6-10 minutes and was unhappy, to say the least. After three weeks, we wondered if his behavior was linked to not being on his horse so we called Karen Davis and asked if Bennett could continue to ride throughout the summer, just to see if it made a difference. Karen and the volunteers made sure Bennett was on a horse every week and it has been AMAZING to see the transformation. His first session back, he was happy and excited to see his horse, Jay-Jay, and said “walk-on” before he was completely in the saddle. We had never heard him say “walk” or “on” at home! In the few weeks he has been back in the saddle, his vestibular issues when we are in the car have almost disappeared. His counting skills and color recognition have improved and he has started speaking in two-word phrases and begun to use spontaneous speech. For our family, Horses for Healing has been the perfect addition to Bennett’s speech and occupational therapies. He needs all three parts in order to make everything click and come together for him. I thank God each day for this program and the huge impact it has made for our son. What I know now that I didn’t know in March was, that we were putting our child in the hands of angels, not strangers. —Christine Gattin 3 2014 Horses for Healing Special Olympics Equestrian Event The 2014 Special Olympic Equestrian Event at Horses for Healing was a magical day. So many wonderful people were present to cheer on the 28 athletes that competed. Special thanks to Mrs. JoAnn Soderquist for presenting the riders with their plaques, to Mrs. K.T. Hines for being our judge, to the 30 Rogers/Heritage High School "buddies," and to our regular committed volunteers that made this a day to remember. funding significantly supports the school based program that allows these Special Olympics athletes to compete. The Walmart Foundation, just like its parent company, is on the leading edge to help people “live better”. Mother Nature graced us with unbelievable weather and a few of our riders pushed past their own goals of what we expected of them! So much happiness and gratefulness rolled into one day. If you haven't been able to attend in the past years, you may There was also a very special presentation by Karen Parker from the Walmart Foun- want to put this on your "must do” list. 2015's event is scheduled for early May – stayed tuned to the website and Facebook page. dation. Karen brought a ceremonial grant check for $100,000. This innovative Gabriel Hernandez riding Jay Jay with Maddy Wallace leading, Angie Keener (back) and a Rogers High School volunteer. Above: Marco Tinoco riding Junior Left: Eddie Andrus, Past HFH Board President, Karen Davis, Instructor, Karen Parker, Walmart Foundation, Billy Towle, HFH Board President, Polly Canez, Instructor You can't take it with you! Please remember Horses for Healing in your estate planning. Consult your tax attorney or CPA. 4 Barn Dance Child Sponsors Arkansas Regional Therapy Brad and Tiffany Blankenship Susan and Vic Bradford Mr. and Mrs. Tregg Brown Scott and Kristen Caldwell Karen and Shaun Cannaday Mr. and Mrs. Danny Castor Mary Collins Joseph and Blair Cromwell Glenn and Harriette Habern Ken and Cyndy Hatfield Richard and Melissa Hatfield Gregory and Jana Hemphill Lindsey and Randall Huskey Roger and Laura James Pete and Susan Jasan Lisa and Councill Leak Brad and Catherine Lymburner Kati Mayer Clayton and Julie McWhorter Mark and Jennifer McWhorter Vernon and Mandy Medley Katie and Brandon Moore Kevin and Denise Necessary Denise Nemec Heather & Randy Nunn Ms. Johnnie Rhoads Dr. Phil and Dr. Cara Riley John and Angela Roller Ryan and Crissy Roughley Kevin and Tracy Saxton Leroy and Peggy Schuetts Dennis and Evelyn Shaw Randy Washburn Tom and Sherry Washburn Chris and Debby Weiser Glenn and Lynley Wernke Ron and Charlotte White Ken and LuAnn Winter 2014 Golf Tournament From all the kids who benefit so profoundly from their therapeutic riding lessons, a big THANK YOU to Stafford Wilson and everyone who made the 2014 Golf Tournament a success! Yippie Ki Yay! Horses For Healing Hosts Barn Dance Fundraiser Presented By Horses for Healing held its annual Barn Dance on Saturday, June 14, at the Horses for Healing arena. Over 500 people attended, raising a record breaking amount and making this the most successful fundraiser yet! The Barn Dance’s Honorary Cowboy Leroy Schuetts presided over the event which featured a BBQ dinner, a silent auction, and a pony adoption where a therapy horse or pony could be sponsored for a year. Misty Flynt, the Barn Dance Chair, led the Roundup; a fundraiser to support sponsorships for children with special needs to participate in Horses for Healing Therapeutic Equine Assisted Activities. Local musical artists Jamie Wolfe and the Wranglers provided music and internationally known artists from The Original Butt Sketch located in Dallas, Texas provided sketches of guests’ backsides. The Barn Dance is Horses for Healing’s largest fundraiser of the year. All proceeds from the event will benefit Equine Assisted Activities for children with special needs in Northwest Arkansas. Right: Jay and Linda Oliphant cut a rug on the dance floor with other party goers. Dance instructor, Angie Smith Nix, PhD in Kinesiology, Recreation, and Dance from the U of A, (holding mic) was back by popular demand. Left: Awesome long-time volunteers, Andy Green (left) and Coach Ken Hatfield (right) Left: Sponsored by Charmin—Original Butt Sketch Artist, Krandel Newton sketches the backside of Kara Barcelo, Karen Davis and Katrina Baxter. Krandel has drawn more than 400,000 backsides since his first drawing in 1987. Each is drawn with charcoal pencil in an average of 3 minutes. Now his Original Butt Sketch business is incorporated, and he's drawn the cheeks of celebrities such as Alex Trebek, Bill Gates and John Goodman. While based in Dallas, he's now on a world tour. 5 Horses for Healing Sends a Ten Gallon Hat Sized Thank You! Honorary Cowboy: Leroy Schuetts Barn Dance Pony Sponsors Milo Our Sponsors: Andrew and Laura James Jay Jay Billy and Cathy Towle Cedric Haulcy Susan and Pete Jasan The Stout Family The Chen Family Buddy Bart and Libby Schaller Councill and Lisa Leak Star Robert and Laney Fritz Andrew and Martha Fritz Sean and Lucinda Dorminy Missy Jim and Marilyn Necessary And To All The Many Folks Who Made Our Barn Dance A Wonderful Success! See You Next Year! Horses for Healing is a full service Boarding and Training facility. Boarding Full Board / Stall with Daily Turnout Pasture Board with Shelter Lighted Indoor and Outdoor Arena Cross Country Jump Course $425 per Month $275 per Month Riding Lessons - Discounted Lesson Packages Available Hunter/Jumper Lessons Private $50 Group $40 Camps - Horse Shows – Clinics Natural Horsemanship Lessons Horses for Healing Making Great Strides in Children’s Lives Bentonville, AR 72712 479-795-0570 www.horsesforhealingnwa.org [email protected] Otis Meza Harris Magnum Patsy Mooney Junior Schuetts Leroy and Peggy Schuetts Ken and Luanne Winter Combined Federal Campaign Horses for Healing has been accepted in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)! The CFC allows federal employees to support charitable organizations through payroll deduction. This is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the federal workplace. The CFC donation number for Horses for Healing is 42684. 6 Be a Volunteer! Volunteers must be at least 14 years old. Horse experience is helpful but not necessary. There is something for everyone to do! Volunteers are needed for the following activities: Groom, tack and untack the horses before and after classes Walk beside the riders during riding classes Help with games in the arena Lead the horses during riding class (must have horse experience) Teach or assist in stable management classes (horse care, grooming, tacking, etc.) Teach or assist with arts and crafts in the classroom Help fit helmets and keep up with time to rotate stations 2014 Fall Therapeutic Riding Session Fall Session 2: Nov 3—Dec 18 Public School Sessions: Mon - Thu 9:00AM - 12:45PM Private Clients: Tues - Thurs Evenings 4:00PM-6:30PM For more information or to sign up, contact Lexie Kerr at (479) 883-9468 or [email protected] 2014 Spring Volunteer Awards The 2014 Spring/Summer volunteer appreciation dinner was held on August 12. Kelly Hamilton, Mitchell Brewer, and Lisa Booth were presented with the 2014 Jack Carpentier Award. This award is given to volunteers that go above and beyond what is asked of them. These three volunteers were all new this year, but were a constant presence at the barn. Between the three of them, they volunteered a total of 326.7 hours in 8 months! When asked what is their favorite part of volunteering with Horses for Healing: “I enjoy working with the children. Every time I come to volunteer the children are excited and full of energy and ready to ride a horse and play games. Even if I am having a bad day when I get to the barn the children cheer me up and then when the lessons are over I always leave with a smile on my face and thinking that I can't wait till I can come volunteer again.” —Mitchell Brewer ”The kid’s faces and expressions when they make that connection with the horse is priceless. Then there are the horses that I get to interact with that just makes me the happiest person. Once you are loved by a horse, there is no other love like it.” —Lisa Booth “Having the opportunity to work with the students and the horses has brought back wonderful memories from my past. It's a great feeling when the students recall and have fun working hands on with the horses. I learn new things every day and always look forward to being here.” —Kelly Hamilton Megan Dickson and Garfield compete in the Halloween Costume Cass at the NWAHJ sanctioned Horses for Healing Charity Horse Show in October at the Horses for Healing facility. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped set up prior to the show, to the volunteers who helped the show run smoothly and to the barn families for putting in a long weekend. We appreciate all of you! Elaine Wall Alexander stepped in as Volunteer Coordinator to help out when Pam left. What a huge help she has been! Elaine is a longtime volunteer and recently passed her tests to become a Certified Instructor with PATH, International. Congratulations Elaine! And thanks for making certain that the Spring and Summer Session riders had the volunteers they needed. From left, Volunteer Coordinator Elaine Alexander, Kelly Hamilton, Mitchell Brewer, Lisa Booth 7 Farewell but Not Goodbye Wish List With one son in college and the other to be attending soon, long time Horses for Healing volunteer coordinator and computer guru, Pam Rains, has left for greener pastures enticed by a full time job at the Walmart Home Office as a Space Productivity Analyst. Pam was with HFH longer than any other staff member besides “Ole’ Reliable Me” and is a huge part of the growth and success of our program. Not only did Pam train and maintain hundreds of volunteers, teaching them about the children we serve and how to effectively assist them during lessons, but she also helped the entire staff learn how to use our computers efficiently and relatively pain free. Before Pam got ahold of me, I thought that “reboot” meant to drop kick my computer across the room, twice. She is such a patient and kind person, allowing each individual to process the information she is sharing at their own pace and making learning fun and interesting. There are so many behind the scenes things at HFH that Pam took care of that, only now with her gone, do we understand the full extent of her significance in the day to day running of the operation. Not a day goes by that someone does not say, “Pam always took care of that”. Pam still comes to the barn as she boards her good horse, Nick, with us and she has agreed to help with our website and special marketing projects so we do get to visit with her and keep up with what is going on in the world but it is not quite the same. We certainly miss her quiet, confident and level-headed outlook on life that helped us get through many daily challenges. We wish her good fortune and happiness in her new career. Walmart has hired a gem. — Debbie Studyvin Lexie Kerr, Volunteer Coordinator Lookee here! Please welcome Lexie Kerr to Horses for Healing as the Volunteer Coordinator. Lexie began volunteering at Horses for Healing in 2011 after hearing about the program while volunteering with the equine science department at the U of A. She graduated with her bachelors in Animal Science with a minor in Equine Science in the spring of 2014. She has had several years of experience working with children with special needs including helping with Camp Many Mountains, a special summer camp in Fort Smith. Norbert Ranalli, from Ranalli Farms & Equipment in Tontitown, donated this brand new brush hog to Horses for Healing! The one it replaced had more than earned its keep. Horses for Healing is proud that we do not use any state or federal tax dollars to operate. We can only do this due to the generosity of all our friends. Thank you, Norbert, for your support! Lexie is currently working towards becoming a PATH certified instructor. She is also pursuing her masters in clinical counseling and hopes to one day combine the two and work as an equine facilitated psychotherapist. Welcome to the team, Lexie! Tri tech or Bronco fly spray Saddle soap English reins Cleaning supplies Walmart gift cards 42” and 44” girths Printer Ink Thick saddle pads Glitter pens Children’s gloves Grooming brushes and slick stones Staple gun Shovels Hand-held T-post puller White card stock/ Copy paper Trash bags (contractor and tall kitchen) Laminating machine Parelli pony halters Paper towels Apple juice Animal Crackers Volunteer snacks Zero turn mower Push mower Storage shed Farm and retail gift cards Cat food Lexie and Romeo 8 Did You Know... ...that Horses for Healing operates solely on donations and grants? No insurance is billed nor tax money used. You can now donate through PayPal or set up a monthly credit card gift. Please visit www.horsesforhealingnwa.org/donations.htm and make a donation by clicking on the PayPal link, or better yet, send a donation in the enclosed return envelope. For more information, contact Horses for Healing at (479) 795-0570. FRIENDS COME THROUGH IN A PINCH A huge THANK YOU to our friend Justin Doran, owner of the Equestrian Connection in Rogers. Our barn truck was inoperable for the May show and our kids were not going to have the chance to go and compete. Justin saved the weekend and showed up at the barn at 4:30 a.m. to take two horses and 3 kids to the show. He put in 12 hours that day. Such a great role model and fellow equestrian. The kids Left to right: Instructor, Katrina Baxter, Justin Doran, Junior, had a blast!!! Molly Wolf, and Elizabeth Tanner Marion Korns presents a check from AARP, Chapter 109 of Bella Vista to HFH Executive Director, Linda Brown and Instructor, Polly Canez. Volunteers at the Bella Vista Recycling Center earn “money” that they designate to the charity of their choice. Consider donating your time to the recycling center in behalf of HFH, it’s a win-win! Sports Riding Program Congratulations to Molly Wolf! She has entered in to her first year of competitive riding with NWA Hunter/Jumper Association. Molly is a dedicated rider and an absolute joy to be around. Not only does she ride Junior at least once a week, she is moving our little Nugget forward so that he can once again be an appropriate mount for some of our younger clients This show season has been a lot of fun for all of our riders that have come up to the “show team”. Not only are these kids amazing athletes, they are helpful to individuals around them and exhibit awesome sportsmanship and manners as a team and to the other competitors. We are so proud of them!!! Our “barn family” is an amazing group of 19 riders and some of the most wonderful parents in the world. We truly are Molly Wolf riding Junior at a show at Isuba Valley. blessed. CURRENT RESIDENT OR Horses for Healing, Inc. 14673 Daniels Road Bentonville, AR 72712 NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID BENTONVILLE, AR PERMIT NO. 44
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