Celebrating Pretty Pony Pastures – 2006
You can’t stay at home your entire life. You need to get out to get noticed. And getting out we did!
The Great Lakes Haflinger Association has a show once a year, rotating through the state. This year the show was took place at the Springfield Oaks 4-H Fairgrounds. We were asked to participate and put on a short demonstration of how we use our Haflingers in our Therapeutic Riding Program. We were delighted! We demonstrated with one of our therapeutic riders and one of our barn buddies showing how we sometimes put a child on the horse backwards. By riding backwards, the person engages their reactionary postural responses which helps them to maintain their balance.
The Young Riders 4-H Club added two classes to their annual horse show just for our riders. This was great since the only time that therapeutic riding is part of a show is at the Annual Fair. Thanks to the Young Riders our riders were able to participate in a traditional show with other riders. We participated in the Open Lead Line Class and the Lead Line Trail Class. This was a wonderful opportunity for our riders to show their abilities and, because this was an open show, there were neuro-typical riders competing against our riders. We were Awesome! We had to trailer four horses to the fairgrounds which meant two trips since we only have a two-horse trailer. It was worth the trips! Our riders, their parents, and, of course, us were very happy after the two-day show.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is the year that Leslie joined our family. Leslie is half-sister to several of our horses. We purchased her as a six-year-old. She was born with a locking stifle and the breeders would not sell her until they were sure that she would not have medical issues. A locking stifle can be a detriment to horses because when that area locks, the horse cannot bend the joint just below the hip. It will drag that foot when it walks. This condition could be outgrown or treated with special shows. Leslie did wear special shoes before we purchased her. We only had two instances of her stifle locking within the first few years. Today she is the most ridden and most wanted horse in our herd! She excels with our therapeutic riders as well as in the show ring!
We got out and about and invited others to our facility with our Horse Talk Series. Every month a different topic that pertained to horses was discussed and demonstrated. We cover topics from Horse Health to Desensitizing a Horse, to How to Select the Right Horse. The series generated a lot of interest and we were happy to provide the information as well as a Healthy Horse Workshop.
Wow! That was a very active year!
Pretty Pony Pastures, an inclusive horseback riding facility, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Join the festivities on Saturday, August 19th https://fb.me/e/2Ht9VdaS2
To learn more about their riding programs, volunteer opportunities, and other programs that are available, click this link and visit their website.
Life at Pretty Pony Pastures 