“SUMMER'S HERE AND THE TIME IS RIGHT..….For Camp!!”
Hay there Hands and Hearts for Horses readers! It’s me your friendly “NEIGH”borhood Horse Blogger! I took a week off during our first week of summer camp because things were SO busy around the barn, but now I’m back with another blog entry!
Blog Reminders
Each week in my blog there will be one hidden clue to my identity, so make sure you tune in and read my blog every week for another clue! REMEMBER, if you think you know which horse I am, shoot us a message or email Stephanie at stephanie@handsandheartsforhorses.com ! Don’t spoil the mystery for our other followers by posting your guess publicly! Can you piece together the clues and figure out which horse I am? Because I’ll never tell, well not until enough of you have guessed my secret! Once enough correct guesses have come in, I’ll post a summary of the clues that should have led you to guess my identity and we will do a big reveal!
The first person to guess my identity correctly will win a Hands and Hearts for Horses sticker and a piece of pretty Hands and Hearts for Horses themed jewelry created by our very own boss lady (or as the humans call her executive director) Susie’s own mom! So, tune in for those clues and get those guesses in! One guess per person, per week please!
I have included links to my past blogs in case you missed them so that you can look for the clues to my identity!
Week 1: https://handsandheartsforhorses.com/neighborhood-horse-blogger/2024-4-22-we-love-our-volunteers
Week 2: https://handsandheartsforhorses.com/neighborhood-horse-blogger/2024-4-29-its-gonna-be-may-f4l32
Week 5: https://handsandheartsforhorses.com/neighborhood-horse-blogger/2024-5-20-schools-out-for-summer
Week 6: https://handsandheartsforhorses.com/neighborhood-horse-blogger/2024-5-27-moves-like-jagger
We have only had one correct guess as to my secret identity! Since it was our prior winner Emily Rafferty who guessed it, the winner for this blogger round is still up for grabs! So, get your guesses in now!
Horse Yoga!
Each Wednesday of our camps, campers get to do Horse Yoga with Jaime! This helps stretch their bodies, work on focus, and gives them a break from the heat!
“Summer’s Here And The Time is Right….For Camp!!”
So, Hands and Hearts for Horses fans! I was thinking about how all of us horses have different types of movement. A lot of people may not know this but the type of movement each horse has can make a big difference in who is able to ride us. SO many things go into determining what riders should ride each horse. Not only do our carrying capacity weights influence this decision, but whether or not our movement type suits the rider, if the rider needs to utilize our mechanical lift for mounting the horse also has to be safe and comfortable with the noises of the lift and someone being put on via that method, what behaviors the horse will safely tolerate, and many others!
The movement of us horses is one of the KEY benefits of therapeutic riding. The movement of the horse mimics the human gait by being rhythmic, repeatable, and three-dimensional — all movements needed to simulate normal walking patterns. It so closely resembles our human gait that it helps riders discover the rhythm needed to initiate their own independent steps. Being astride a horse not only helps establish walking, it can also improve the quality of walking and stimulates the brain and neurological system, along with the hips and legs, preventing atrophy of walking muscles.
Smile And Wave!
One of the Step N Stones Autism Academy and Therapy Services campers smiling and waving for the camper! This group had an amazing energy and were all cheering for each other!
Wow readers! Our first week of Summer Camp was a whirlwind! Not only did we have our half day campers for our first week of camp, but we also had 3 extra groups come and ride in the afternoon from Tuesday through Thursday! Mckinney-Vento brough a group of campers on Tuesday, Camp Arrow joined us on Wednesday, and Step-N-Stones came out on Thursday!
Our half day campers got to come do rotations of different horse related activities each day, culminating with everyone’s favorite day WATER DAY! Each day they experienced different things such as learning to take horses’ temperature, pulse, and respiration, PAINTing a horse, barrel balancing challenges, roping a steer, grooming horses, and of COURSE a daily ride! Now that we have our full day camps starting this week, they ride a second time in the afternoons, help feed horses, and do other fun activities each day!
What’s the best way to end camp?
Campers got to splash and get cool on our fun water slide to wind up their camp!
Our extra afternoon camps last week got to go through their own rotations such as roping and riding and grooming to get a little taste of our program and summer camps! We have an amazing time with all our camps and love when we get to host our extra visitors! In particular, we horses love getting to see the joy on all the riders’ faces, particularly those who have never gotten to ride before!
Water day was a blast last week! Campers did fun things on horseback like blow colored bubbles out of a bubble machine, play hot potato with water balloons, carry a cup of water over their heads and work on their balance! Then all the campers got to go play on a fun looking big water slide! Unfortunately, they said it wasn’t open for horses which was QUITE disappointing!
IMPORTANT REMINDER readers, our May Hay Fundraiser is still running through the whole month of May! We are lagging behind quite a bit this year from our goal! We horses would so appreciate you donating to our sharing our cause! The humans are hoping to raise $25,000 this year to fuel our herd all year long! We horses are foragers, and need a lot of hay to keep us happy and strong!
Donations can be made multiple ways!
1) Go to: https://paypal.com/donate/?campaign_id=KAMTN52ZL2CWL&source=url
2) Our Facebook Fundraiser at our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1172764943903370/?fundraiser_source=external_url
3) Our Instagram Fundraiser on our Instagram: @handsandheartsforhorses
4) On our Venmo: @handsandheartsforhorses
We cannot reach our goal without the help of our community!
I personally worked pretty hard today and enjoyed my cool hose down after! I’m ready for a nice break so I can get ready for another fun day of camp tomorrow! Tune in next week for more fun summer updates and hopefully someone will guess my identity and I can do a big reveal soon!
Til’ next time!
XOXO Your Friendly “NEIGH”borhood Horse Blogger