Reports on Can You Make A Horse Smile? You Bet! Here's How...

Project Report | May 14, 2014
Equine Service Volunteers Receive Scholarships

By Lynn Coakley | President

Over $11,000 in scholarships were awarded to thirteen individuals to reward their volunteer service in 2013.

Six academic scholarships, including one $1,000 scholarship reserved for members of the United States Pony Clubs (USPC), and $1,500 for members of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

Two individuals received a $1,000 scholarship reserved for Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) members to advance their equestrian and/or academic education. Four individuals received a $500 scholarship reserved for Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) members to advance their equestrian and/or academic education.

New this year, the EQUUS Foundation awarded a scholarship to cover the registration fee for an individual to become a PATH Intl. Registered Level Certified Instructor.

Read the stories of these amazing individuals who are helping horses and healing people!

Alicia, Champion Scholarship Recipient, Pawtucket, RI
"My experiences with the children and the horses has changed my life and is the reason why I am pursuing a career working with children with disabilities". Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-hoffman.html

Katie, Champion Scholarship Recipient – PATH, Bozeman, MT
"I see now how my love for horses can be shared with others and how their interactions with horses can change their lives forever." Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-jacobson.html

Taylor, Champion Scholarship Recipient - USEF, Dunedin, FL
"It is impossible to have a bad day after spending time with severely challenged individuals who smile, simply because they shared time with a horse and to see them trust a horse with their life." Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-masters.html

Amelia, Champion Scholarship Recipient, Jamison, PA
When Amelia was very young, she thought horses were the most beautiful animals on the planet. Volunteering taught her about the true beauty of horses.
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-rogus.html

Alissa, Champion Scholarship Recipient, Shelton, CT
Alissa needed community service hours for high school and discovered "the profound impact horses have on the lives of people, whether able or disabled, from a simple smile to making bridges in the mind that were not previously there." Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-scinto.html

Elizabeth, Champion Scholarship Recipient, Lawrenceville, GA
"I was hooked from the first day I started volunteering. I thought that therapeutic riding only benefited the participants; however, I now realize that I was also being shaped and impacted by these horses." Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-willet.html

Claire, Champion Scholarship Recipient - USPC, Boxford, MA
"Everyone is known for something in high school, such as 'the pretty one, the class clown, the troublemaker, the geek'. I was known as 'that horse girl'."
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-siebols.html

Frances, Champion Scholarship Recipient - IHSA, Pine Village, In
A victim of teenage bullying, Fances learned that horses offered the children she worked with an escape from their harsh reality and their problems, as it did for her, and that horses healed them, as she had been healed.
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-garrett.html

Shelby, Champion Scholarship Recipient - IHSA, Highland Falls, NY
Shelby grew up on a fifty horse farm in West Point, New York. "It was the best way to grow up." She plans to pursue a career in the equestrian sport.
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-cashman.html

Brianna, Champion Scholarship Recipient - IEA, Ooltewah, TN
"I learn something new every day. I hope that one day I will get certified to be an instructor – and also a coach for an equestrian team."
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-lineberry.html

Hallie, Champion Scholarship Recipient - IEA, High Point, NC
"Horses taught me so many life lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, especially determination. If you fall off, you have to pick yourself up, dust off the dirt, and get back on."
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-austin.html

Tessa, Champion Scholarship Recipient - IEA, Sudbury, MA
For all of the differences between the students that Tessa works with and Tessa, Tessa learned that there are a million more ways in which they are similar.
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-james.html

Julianne, Champion Scholarship Recipient - IEA, Boca Raton, FL
Julianne has logged over a 1,000 service hours since she began volunteering in 7th grade when she visited a program where her autistic brother interacted with miniature horses.
Read more at http://www.equusfoundation.org/news/news-release-167-weiss.html

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Feb 24, 2014
Charlie - The Story of a Mother and a Daughter and a Special Horse!

By Lynn Coakley | President

Charlie was not a rescue in the traditional sense of the word, but he could have been if it were not for the instinct of a talented horsewoman. His story is the story of a sensitive, kind but challenging horse and the bond he formed with Sherri Barnes and her daughter Kasey, born in 1993 with Downs Syndrome.

When Charlie was only two years old, he caught the eye of Sherri Barnes. Sherri watched with interest as the cowboy riding him hit the ground with a resounding thud. But Sherri saw an extremely athletic horse that could fulfill her competitive aspirations and that all he lacked was confidence. It took two more years for Sherri to talk the owner into selling him to her.

But, in 2008, at the age of nine, Charlie was seriously injured during the start of a barrel run. Sherri, Kasey and the entire Barnes family took on the challenge to care for him. Remarkably, Charlie made a full recovery, but just as Sherri and Charlie started to rodeo again, Charlie’s career took another turn.

Kasey started barrel racing at the age of seven. ”She was on a horse as soon as she was strong enough to hold her head up”, said Sherri. By 2010, Kasey’s abilities wowed everyone who saw her ride. Already a champion barrel racer, Kasey had the opportunity to compete in the Special Olympics show - but she needed a horse. “I just decided to put her on Charlie”, said Sherri. “A lot of people looked at me like I was nuts”. But Sherri saw something in Charlie and Kasey that no one else could see.

Six weeks after Kasey and Charlie began their partnership they made their debut at their first Special Olympics show in Ponder Texas and dominated the competition earning medals in eight events. After that, Kasey and Charlie competed in National Barrel Horse Association events across the southwest against typical developing peers, winning week after week.

Charlie returned to the Special Olympics venue in 2011, 2012, and 2013 - not just with Kasey but also as the mount for other team members. Once considered too skittish for competition, Charlie emerged as a solid mature minded mount and a true all-around athlete faithfully caring for special needs riders of all abilities, happily accepting side-walkers and various horse handlers and always willing to showcase his riders’ abilities to the fullest.

Charlie's story is not just about a special horse and the special bond between a mother and a daughter, it’s a story for everyone about never giving up.