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Post by res on Nov 21, 2014 15:46:25 GMT -5
I wanted to share this 10 minute You tube video with you. It is the "Unified Trail Team" at Melwood Recreation Center. I've been volunteering with the therapeutic program at Melwood for almost 2 years now, and have been a paid employee there for almost a year. Don't get too excited - my "job" is simply caring for the horses 6 days a week - NOT teaching lessons! But I love it, and it is perfect for me. So anyway, Trail Team is a group in addition to weekly lessons. It meets every Saturday, for 6 weeks in a row, in the spring and fall. The final weekend is usually a competition - Hunter Pace, endurance ride, etc. Sometimes they have trailered 4 hours away and stay in cabins or tents. Or they might stay closer to home and use Melwood's camp cabins at night. The program is for anyone, regardless of age, riding level, or disability. If the rider wants to get out on the trails, out of the arena, then this is the program for them! Even if they cannot mount from the ground, or if they need a leader and 2 sidewalkers, there are volunteers that will make it happen. Even if it means walking 10 miles beside a horse on horse trails! Here ya go: Melwood's Fall 2014 Trail Team
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Post by Trailpal on Nov 21, 2014 17:53:59 GMT -5
What a fun slide show! Your program is pretty big!
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Post by kimkats000 on Nov 21, 2014 19:13:16 GMT -5
That is so neat! I want a job doing that!
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Post by Idaho Linda on Nov 21, 2014 23:33:29 GMT -5
Wow! What a great program!
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Post by ride4fun on Nov 22, 2014 11:11:21 GMT -5
Whoa it got dusty in here and my eyes are watering. That is such a sweet program. Kudos to you for taking care of the stars of the program. It is so awesome how the great horses will take extra care of riders that need it
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Post by DorothyB on Nov 22, 2014 12:34:07 GMT -5
Cool!
How many horses do you care for?
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Post by res on Nov 22, 2014 13:25:23 GMT -5
There are 11 permanent horses right now at Melwood. Not all of them get used for Trail Team, as some of the ponies are too small. We actually have people that volunteer their horses for this program, for Melwood to borrow. This year, we borrowed 7 horses, many of which are seasoned endurance competition mounts. A few of them completed a 75-mile ride the weekend before they were being ridden by Melwood kids.
R4F - my eyes get "dusty" just about every weekend, and every time I see the video. I see these kids and adults on the ground, I know the obstacles they face. Some are blind, some are partially paralyzed, some have non-functioning autism. But you get them on a horse, and all of a sudden, they are no longer defined by their disabilities.
It is amazing.
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Post by Marci on Nov 22, 2014 14:21:29 GMT -5
What a wonderful thing to do!
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Post by dl on Nov 23, 2014 10:21:28 GMT -5
That really is a wonderful program! I think it's great that you do that. I can imagine Rose doing something like that some day. There used to be a Down syndrome student where Rose takes lessons and they always paired Rose up with him because she really did well with him.
Awesome... thank you for sharing what you've been up to!
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