By Elaine Cosby | Executive Director
283 is the number of sessions our rescued horses have done with clients since you started supporting us through our project on GlobalGiving. And the number gets bigger every week. But each one is not a number, it's a horse and it's a person - a person who is being empowered through the therapeutic interaction with our rescued horses.
One such person is Lara, age 5, who works with Boo, our youngest and smallest horse. Lara has global developmental delays and a smile that brightens everyone's day each time she sees Boo! In our latest satisfaction survey, her parents reported big improvements in all areas we focused on: balance and posture, focus and ability to follow directions, willingness to try new things, empathy, independence, and her ability to ride and be safe around the horse. They also observed progress in her fine and gross motor abilities and communication skills. Her mom stated: We are thrilled to see her "excitement and commitment for something she loves. We love the services and the results we see in our daughter. It does feel like family taking good care of family...services provided were above and beyond my expectations."
And how did your gift make this possible? You have supported the physical and emotional wellbeing of our horses so that they can willingly and happily help empower people in need. This support has included services such as training sessions for horses and volunteers ($700), nutritious feed and supplements ($3,100), medical supplies and treatments (approx. $900), regular hoof and dental care from professionals ($2,200), veterinary visits, chiropractic care, and vaccinations ($2,500), and adaptive equipment ($2,100) to add to their comfort as well as that of our clients. Our total expenses since we started this project have been $30,800. Of this, more than $10,000 has been for the direct care and rehabilitation of our horses.
As for our individual horses, 4 of the 5 - KTJ, Jibaron, Yunque, and Boo - are now living their best lives as therapy horses. As with any job, however, not every horse finds this to be their true calling. Since the start of our project, two horses - Rio and Che - have shown us that while capable, they are not happy working with people of varying abilities and behaviors. For them, it creates stressors, in addition to those they brought to us as rescues. As a result, we have found a new home with a wonderful animal rescue leader for Rio, and are in the process of finding a forever home for Che. And soon, we will need to add another horse to our program, while also starting to build our run-in shelters for the herd.
The journey continues and YOU are with us every step. THANK YOU from humans and horses alike!
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
