On June 13th we hosted our first Equine Education event for kids. This was a fun event designed to teach the kids about horses, teach everyone a bit about Equine Assisted Therapy and how Horses Hearts and Hands supports the special needs, and Veteran communities within the Midland/Odessa and surrounding areas.
But who are we kidding, the kids were there for the pony rides, and who can blame them! Sparkles, who is just the right size for most of them, had her hair braided for the special occasion, and a few of her friends, Venus and Choco joined in on the fun.
We did manage to distract the little riders with some equine themed coloring, and Pin the Tail on “Sparkles” (with their homemade yarn tails) while the horses were getting ready. Shortly after they watched and waited eagerly for their turn to ride. Everyone was so well behaved even though it was a smoking hot summer day here in Gardendale!
The ages ranged from 2 up to 11 and there were smiles all around. After each kiddo took a ride around the barn on their horse of choice, they got to say “thank-you” and feed them a small carrot treat. Sparkles, Venus and Choco were happy to accept the treats in exchange for an extra day of work at the H3 ranch.
After the rides we had some horsey treats of sliced apples, small carrots and chewy ginger-snaps (my personal favorite!). Judging by the smiles and the repeat rides, we’d say everyone had a great time. We can’t wait to try this event again when the weather cools off a bit.
A special thanks to all of our volunteers who made this event possible! If you’d like to volunteer please email our Volunteer Coordinator at volcord@horsesheartsandhands.com
Please help us spread the word about Equine Assisted Therapy and our organization. If you know a child or young adult with special needs, or a veteran, who would benefit from Equine Assisted Therapy please share our site with them!
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