"I NEED SOME SPACE"
Hay there loyal Hands and Hearts for Horses readers! We have had a busy and rainy week at the barn and we horses sure are happy that some sunlight is finally making its way through!
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!
Great ways to figure out which horse I am are coming to volunteer, being one of our riders, or investigating on our social media or website!
“Not Everyone’s Favorite Thing to Hear, but I Need Some Space!”
So, Hands and Hearts for Horses fans, not only am I here to keep you up to date on the happenings around the barn, but I’m also here to give you tips about us horses! Did you know that horses actually like having their own space? Horses are prey animals, and so by nature we do not like being confined and feeling trapped. Our instincts tell us to run from danger and when we are trapped in a small space this makes us feel panicked! What does this mean for you humans? Well actually a lot!
Ashley leading Ringo!
Ashley can be seen here leading Ringo, with them having plenty of lead rope between them!
Here at Hands and Hearts for Horses, the humans have a lot of rules that they tell our participants, volunteers, and visitors. Sometimes we understand that they may seem strict, or the meaning behind the rules might not be completely understood. However, most of these rules are based on keeping you safe and us horses happy and comfortable, and a lot of them connect back to us being prey animals.
For instance, all of our lead ropes have a hot pink strip of tape which is where we want anyone leading one of us horses to hold onto. They are all 4 feet from the clasp of the lead rope. When you hold closer than this, it triggers those feelings of being trapped, because our heads aren’t able to move naturally, and our body movement comes from the movement of our heads, which can lead to us becoming irritable or panicky.
Rhetta and Sally Making Friends!
Rhetta is back from her summer of training and is getting familiar with the barn again! Isn’t she a beautiful BROWN horse?
Another of our biggest rules, and the hardest for people to follow, is not to pet the horses on their faces. This is again based on our nature. We cannot see well right in front of us, so when you walk directly up to our faces and pat them we can’t see your hand coming and unless you are someone we know really well and remember (which for us Hands and Hearts for Horses horses is mostly just going to be the human staff), it’s as if a stranger came up and put their hand in your face and touched you, I imagine humans wouldn’t like that! We horses don’t even usually greet each other this way, we usually touch withers first! This is why our humans require everyone to pet our bodies instead. We know this is hard and we are glad everyone loves us so much, but this protects not only us, but you as well. Since we can’t see your hand, we might think it is food and bite it on accident!
The humans also teach leaders not to lead horses into the ramp until the instructor tells them to. This again connects back to us being prey animals and claustrophobic. We do not like standing in small, cramped spaces for any length of time because we again feel trapped. Our ramps are designed to be tight spaces to make it safer for mounting participants, but this means we horses do NOT like being in there any longer than we must. If you load us into the ramp before the instructor and rider are ready, we may end up being in there for quite a while. The goal is to have us horses in the ramp for as little time as possible.
Buy Tickets or Vote for Homecoming Court Today!
Click the Links Below!
Tailgate 2024
We are gearing up for our big annual fundraiser! This is always such an AMAZING event for the humans and horses! Last year was a joint effort, but this year Hands and Hearts for Horses is back to hosting the event solo. And that means me and my herd mates’ favorite part of the event is returning for Tailgate 2024! That’s right readers, the Therapy Horse Homecoming Court is coming back this year!! Every dollar of a donation you make for your favorite horse counts as a vote for the horse of your choice, I sure hope I am the big winner this year! The top 3 horses will be crowned at our event!
Donations can of course be made at the event, or can be made in advance at the link below
Buy Homecoming Court Votes NOW!
This Tailgate Party will be jam packed with food, football, and fun all to show support for all the programs offered by Hands & Hearts for Horses and our work changing lives through therapeutic horsemanship. Purchase your tickets or tables NOW at the link below!
Buy Tables or Tickets for our Tailgate Today!
We hope to see a lot of you there for great music, food, and company!
Well Hands and Hearts for Horses fans, we hope that you learned a lot about us horses in this edition of our blog! We horses greatly appreciate all that our humans do for us, and we hope that you all understand why these rules are in place and will help us enforce them!
Thank you so much for all you do, and I’ll be back next week with another entry of our “NEIGH”borhood horse blog!
XOXO.
Your Friendly “NEIGH”borhood Horse Blogger