Winsong Farm is having a Spring Fundraiser! Planning and practicing for it have helped us get through this winter!!!!! And, boy, did we need help.
Some of the acts we’ve been practicing are:
-Square Dancing on Horseback. Square Dance Caller Morley Batt will be here to call the dance. He did this for us a few years ago. He was in his early 70’s then and nowadays he’s as busy as ever. Our other square dance had six horses and riders. This square dance has eight and a spare or two. With any luck we’ll have eight for each performance.
-There are some new additions to the farm. One is Faith, a 17hh black Percheron/Thoroughbred cross. We’re hoping Faith and Pax will make a stunning couple in the Square Dance.
-The “Very Decrepit Men Doing Dressage” are muttering something like, “Not this time!” We’ll see…
-K-8, the incredibly fast Border Collie, returns and does a routine with a horse to “Anything You can Do I can Do Better”.
-Caesar is in love with his paddock mate, Maria. Maria is a pony and Caesar is a horse standing well over 16hh. They’re a joy to watch.
-Kye turned 23 years old February 15. He’ll demonstrate that being a bit older means he’s a huge amount BETTER than the other equines.
-Zelador and Zeloso have been learning new things. Our challenge will be to figure out which ones we don’t have time to show you.
Here’s the information on the Winsong Farm Spring Fundraiser.
There are two shows for the Winsong Farm Spring Fundraiser for the Youthdale Riding Program, both starting at 2:00: Sunday April 14 and Sunday April 21. Pre-registration required. The cost is $10 per person. You can sign up and pay at the www.winsongfarm.ca website. You’ll see the Spring Fundraiser under “Events”.
Youthdale Riding Program
Since 2001 Youthdale has offered a therapeutic riding program for their residential programs. The program runs out of a private farm in the Hockley Valley. It goes from September to June and provides the opportunity for “at risk” youth to spend 10 weeks learning basic horsemanship skills while affording them the opportunity to connect with these wonderful animals. Under the careful supervision of a qualified instructor, volunteers and the riding program director, the children aged 12-18 develop a wide range of skills, not only pertaining to horses, but that can be transferred to themselves.
Here are some comments from course participants:
-“Thank you so much for the opportunity to explore something new and overcome my fears. I learned so much through this experience about horses and myself.” Adena
-“Thank you for giving me this ‘obstacle overcoming’ experience. It was great working with you and Tuff. Thanks so much for the experience.” Alex
-“Being with my horse, having him nuzzle me and seeing him happy has made me in turn feel happy. I’ve felt more comfortable and now know that I can accomplish anything I want to. I just have to remember not to give up and not let my anxiety stop me.” Nicole
Lorna Buck, a volunteer of two years said in her time spent at the farm she’s yet to see a child unaffected by the program. “It’s an immediate reaction they have to the horse,” she said, adding the positive experience the children gain through the intimate relationship with the animals allows them to break down emotionally stubborn walls. “A lot of the time they haven’t had a lot of positivity in their lives, so it’s something that is new to them. It teaches them compassion and it teaches them trust and respect. These are all things that sometimes they have a hard time grasping.”
