Quarterly Newsletter

Fall 2011 Newsletter

Fundraising Events for High Horses

Hockey for Horses - December 20, 2011

A benefit hockey game for High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program will be held December 20 at the Hartford rink. The Hartford Hockey team is playing Hanover boys and all proceeds will benefit High Horses. Click to view Hockey Fundraiser Flyer. Erin, who rides in our Hippotherapy program, and her mom will represent High Horses and drop the game puck. Please join the fun.

Wassail Parade - December 10, 2011

High Horses invites you to the Wassail Parade, hosted by High Horses and the Green Mountain Horse Association with the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. Come see an eclectic array of festive and period costumes; outfitted carriages and mounted riders; and participants of all ages. The parade traverses through the village of Woodstock, VT starting at 1:45pm and is expected to end at 2:30pm. All interested riders must fill out the Wassail Parade Entry Form by November 28, 2011. Proceeds go to High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program.

Ride-A-Thon - October 1, 2011

The Ride-A-Thon is High Horses' major fundraiser of the year. Previously, the event has been held at the Dunn’s wonderful countryside in Norwich and the Fields’ beautiful maple filled woods and meadows in Hartland. We like to have our riders experience new areas and this year, after collecting pledges, they will embark on a beautiful trail ride at Ring Brook Farm in Plainfield NH. Staff members and our horses also participate in this event. They welcome and encourage your support, so please consider choosing a participating staff member or horse and collect pledges in their honor.
Flyer & Entry Form
Horse Sponsor Forms
First Giving

Annual Benefit Polo Match - August 13, 2011

Our annual benefit polo match is held at the Quechee Polo Field between the Quechee Polo Club and Knight’s Farm Polo Club from 2-5pm. There is a $10 entrance fee per loaded vehicle. The Polo Field is located on the Quechee Scottish Festival grounds. Coming from the East, off Route 4, take Quechee Main Street on the right to Deweys Mills Road coming from the East. Turn left onto Deweys Mills Road and the field is directly on your left. Coming from the West, Take Dewey Mills Road directly off Route 4 just after crossing the Quechee Gorge. Take Dewey Mills Road to the end. For more information, please contact: Liz.Claud@HighHorses.org

GMHA Horse Show - July 6, 2011

High Horses invites you to the Green Mountain Horse Association in Woodstock, VT for our first annual High Horses fundraiser Horse Show. The event takes place in three of GMHA's gorgeous arenas, providing Games, Hunt Seat Equitation, and Dressage. This is a great opportunity for High Horses, to collaborate with GMHA outside of the Wassail Parade in December, which we know to be a spectacular event every year. Get involved in our raffle! Our 2011 winner won a High Horses cap. We are always looking for volunteers to assist us with this fundraiser. For more information, please contact Amanda at: Volunteer@HighHorses.org

Special Olympics

September 25, 2011

High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program, Dartmouth Riding Club and Special Olympics of New Hampshire (SONH) will be hosting the Fall Special Olympics Equestrian Games at Dartmouth Riding Center in Etna, NH. We strongly encourage all riders to consider entering. Please access the registration forms and event rules from the High Horses website or through SONH. The games in the order in which they are scheduled are as follows: Pass the Baton, Equitation, Obstacle Race, and Barrel Race.

Annual Horse Show

September 17, 2011

The Horse Show is an incredible event held every year at Brookside Farm on Route 5 South. All High Horses riders are encouraged to participate and showcase their remarkable gains on horseback. We also would like to invite family and friends to come witness the rider’s joy and hard work.

Cailey Clark, instructor Cassady Clark’s sister, took pictures at this years’ show. To see our riders on their special day, go to www.photobooth.com/HighHorsesHS11.

Training & Events

September 12, 2011 (5-7pm)

This is an event for parents and guardians of our riders from 5-7pm. It is an opportunity for parents to get to know our horses on the ground and mounted in order to gain a better understanding of how our riders benefit from equine assisted therapy. This is an excellent opportunity for parents and guardians to ask questions about their riders’ lessons. For more information, please contact: Liz.Claud@HighHorses.org

August 18, 2011 (10-11:30am)

This training is for anyone who would like to lead in lessons, learn more about the horses, or practice their current leader skills with someone available to offer advice. To attend this training, please contact Amanda at: Volunteer@HighHorses.org

August 4, 2011 (9-10am)

This volunteer training event from 9-10am is open to all new volunteers and any existing volunteers interested in furthering their understanding of how the lesson plans benefit students’ needs. To sign up or for more information, please contact Amanda at: Volunteer@HighHorses.org

AHA Level l Treatment Principals Course

July 22-24, 2011

High Horses hosts a 2 1/2 day American Hippotherapy Association Level l Treatment Principles Course at Brookside Farm, July 22-24, 2011. This course is designed for therapists interested in utilizing the movement of horses in their treatment of clients. In hippotherapy, the patient engages in activities on the horse that are enjoyable and challenging. The therapist directs the horses movement and carefully grades sensory input. This treatment strategy improves neurological function and sensory processing which can be generalized to a wide range of daily activities.

The course is two and a half days of class work, hands-on practice (which includes time with patients), the AHA Course Manual, and lunch. Interested participants must have passed the AHA Equine Skills Level l course or provide a waiver documenting horse skills. After completing the Treatment Principles course, the therapist is required to perform an additional 20 hours of direct patient care under the supervision of a practicing therapist trained in hippotherapy.

Please contact Liz.Claud@HighHorses.org for further information or download the registration form.
Level I Equine Skills Waiver Request Form
Hippotherapy Brochure

WISE/High Horses

High Horses and WISE collaborate to address post-traumatic stress in domestic and sexual violence victims. Specific equine facilitated activities help participants increase self-awareness, develop strategies for personal safety, and better manage stressful encounters. Program staffing includes WISE staff member, Abby Tassel, and High Horses staff members, Lasell Bartlett MSW, LICSW and Susan Haseman, LCMHC, CEFIP-MH.

Vermont PATH Intl. Horses for Heroes Collaboration

High Horses is one of four Vermont Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) accredited therapeutic riding centers that have partnered to serve veterans by bringing PATH Intl. Horses for Heroes to all of Vermont. PATH Intl. Horses for Heroes is a national program designed to provide equine facilitated activities and therapies to veterans.

Pilot work done by Walter Reed Army Medical Center made it clear that equine assisted activities and therapies were beneficial psychologically and physically to war wounded veterans returning from the Iran and Afghanistan conflicts. The veterans showed improvements in balance, range of motion, mobility and self confidence. Over the past few years PATH Intl. Horses for Heroes was developed for personnel who have served the country in the armed forces. Guidelines and standards were set to ensure safety, understanding of unique needs, and growth for this stimulating program.

Vermont has a large base of personnel who have served our country both recently and in the past, yet as a rural state, finding services that can assist upon the return to civilian life can be difficult. For this reason four PATH Intl. centers have brought Horses for Heroes to Vermont. As Dr. Paul Spiers, a Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist wrote in support of their efforts, “… Vermont centers are helping [PATH Intl.] develop a model for how services can be provided to as many veterans as possible where their population is not concentrated around an urban center.”

Each center – High Horses, Dream on Curls, Rhythm of the Rein, and CHAMP – has collaborated over the past year to streamline access for veterans. Each center individually offers equine assisted activities and therapies year round in different regions of the state.

More information on each center is available on these websites:
CHAMP: www.vtchamp.org
Dream On Curls: www.dreamoncurls.com
High Horses: www.HighHorses.org
Rhythm of the Rein: www.rhythmoftherein.org