Author: judyleejenkins

The program today was one more success. We were a smaller group so everyone got lots of time to ride a horse. We started with Riley who is sturdy and steady, such a great personality for a lesson horse. He waits patiently and is ready to take a fun trail ride at a moment's notice. Riley is a quarter horse, gelding (male horse) with a beautiful bay coat.

He was a ranch horse in his previous career so he’s good at spinning to change direction, and is happy to go at a slow trot when asked. The two clients from Side by Side both enjoyed Riley and rode around the arena all on their own then went on a trail ride.

Mary has been to Pegasus several times and she gets better and more confident every time. Today she was helping Kameo pick out Sunny’s hooves, making sure to remove any rocks or gravel that could hurt his feet. Sunny has horse shoes on the front 2 feet and barefoot on the back feet. This is a common practice. Mary is a pro at leading Pawnee around so he gets some exercise.

The kids don’t ride Pawnee but enjoy his energetic spirit and crazy blue eyes.

Our other student was Remmi and it was his first time at Pegasus. His mom told me that Remmi had been working for some time now to gain access to horse therapy. He was pretty nervous and asked for his mom to stay. Remmi has a large vocabulary and is quite talkative. He soaked up the horse therapy like a dry sponge, he loved it all and kept telling us so. He got the hang of steering Sunny and had quite a fun time guiding him around the arena. By the end he was declaring he’d be back next time. Here is a picture of Mary on Riley.

(Names are changed for confidentiality)

Today we had a ground work only session, that means no riding on top of the horse. There are so many different activities with horses besides riding, I teach an entire college class about horses with no riding.

We had two girls today and both have been to Pegasus before so it was an easy day. Pawnee has never been a riding horse so it was no different for him. He’s this energetic, semi-retired paint horse whose markings make him always look a little surprised. He craves attention and gets a nice walk around the property and a roll in the arena.

The horses have been going through a bout of pigeon fever, a virus that humans do NOT get or transmit. It comes from flies and several of the horses have come down with the condition. During this time we give the horses time off from riding since they have pigeon bumps all over their bellies. However, they still line up for grooming, hand walking and general love. The students are happy to oblige. We also had fun with the mini donkeys, Fiona & Daisy, because these little cuties are only with us temporarily, they go home at the beginning of November.

Then, to make sure we all had big fun, we finished up with some stall cleaning - in other words ‘scooped poop’. The right tools and washing up when done make this not such a terrible experience, and besides we are helping the horses.

(Names are changed for anonymity)

Today we had 3 young girls join us for the program. Its refreshing to see the horses greet each participant as an individual.

This week we were lucky to have Bob to ride. He looks like Riley’s twin and acts similar too. The kiddos all had a chance to enjoy a ride and short trail ride.

This young girl, Janna, has a wonderful smile and shares it easily. It made me notice how a genuine smile can shine and raise the group energy. The warm weather gave us a thirst for cold water and we drank deeply.

The mini donkeys are fun to visit with Fiona, the one pictured trying to sniff my ear has a bit of extra fat pockets, but that doesn't stop her telling Daisy (light colored girl in front) just where to go. Daisy & Fiona get tiny halters put on and then we walk them around the farm. All the horses keep a close eye on them as we pass. When we take off their halters in the arena usually they rollover on their back scratching in the warm arena sand. Some days they get a wild hair and start running around, we call that mini ‘zoomies’ and stand back as they gallop around in big circles.

Bob had some nice riding time with all the girls today.

(Names are changed for confidentiality)

With the start of the school year, we moved our program to Wednesday after school. We had 3 clients today, one new girl and 2 returning clients.

Today was his 2nd time, and Danny ‘s confidence and skill level was much higher than last time. The first time he attended he was so nervous he asked if his mom could stay with us, this time dad dropped him off and Danny was ready to roll. We worked with DD today and rode bareback with a pad. When riding without a saddle the person needs to have good balance and it takes more confidence to stay up on the horse, and DD is a tall horse. The mini donkeys got some fun time in the arena with kids and a few treats, celery is their low calorie treat.

Mary came to our very first session, and was so scared that she was tearful and asked if her mom could stay. What a difference, now Mary has been with us several times now and has changed dramatically. She does very well with all the horse activities. She can pick out the horse hooves and help tack them up as well. Shown here she is removing DD’s fly mask and look at the tall posture she has when riding DD. This beautiful mare is allergic to fly bites and must stay covered with fly sheets and masks worn when she’s not at work. DD is a very tall paint horse with beautiful palomino coloring.

We had a shorter session today but still made time for each client to have a chance to ride DD and get to know her a bit. The day was warm and we shared a cold drink and visited with Pawnee and other horses. Today was Jennifer’s first time and she fit in immediately with an easy friendly demeanor and was good with the horses.

Mary came to our very first session, and was so scared that she was tearful and asked if her mom could stay.

What a difference, now Mary has been with us several times now and has changed dramatically. She does very well with all the horse activities. She can pick out the horse hooves and help tack them up as well. Shown here she is removing DD’s fly mask and look at the tall posture she has when riding DD. This beautiful mare is allergic to fly bites and must stay covered with fly sheets and masks worn when she’s not at work. DD is a very tall paint horse with beautiful palomino coloring.

We had a shorter session today but still made time for each client to
have a chance to ride DD and get to know her a bit. The day was warm and we shared a cold drink and visited with Pawnee and other horses. Today was Jennifer’s fist time and she fit in immediately with an easy friendly demeanor and was good with the horses. (Names are changed for confidentiality)

The program today was successful and flowed with ease. We had 2 repeat clients, Terri and Jerry and 1 new girl, Nancy. The repeat kids feel safe and ready to ride the horse and play with the mini donkeys. Today the kids rode Riley and we groomed and connected with DD, Pawnee, Bob, Paddington and of course Fiona and Daisy, the miniature donkeys. While we waited for everyone to arrive we got the mini donkeys out for some exercise. They love to roll over in the soft arena sand and it's super cute. Fiona and Daisy both need to lose some weight, for health reasons. It's great to know we are helping them as they entertain us too.

After the opening circle we split up and started with the equine magic. This is the third time Terri has come to Pegasus. She’s only 7 years old but has no fear and is getting good with horses. She is learning how to clean the horse hooves, and her helper is holding the hoof for safety.

The new girl, Nancy, has some pet goats at home so she fits right in with all our activities. She had a nice connection with Pawnee as he’s a “special” gelding. When it was time for her to ride Riley I had Jerry help since he is feeling more confident now that he knows the routine and horses. It was great to see him grow and help out today.

Today we visited with Paddington a little bit. He's very tall and likes to get right in your face. He is relatively harmless but can be a little intimidating. The session was our last before school starts, we will find a new time and day to continue in September.

Fiona and Daisy continue to be big fun and easy to feed and walk around the farm. Fiona is a bit overweight so the exercise the kids give her helps her condition. It's not healthy for mini donkeys, horses (or people for that matter), to carry excess weight, it makes Fiona a little slower to hand walk.

Marissa came to Pegasus already this summer and has a good sense around horses, she started in the pasture walking Sunny the new horse.

It was a very hot day so I made Popsicles for the horses and it was hysterical to watch them figure out how to eat ice.

Riley was the best by far picking up the chunk and biting off a piece then having all the juice drain out of his mouth in slobbery dribbles. That’s on a video. And pictured is Paddington licking his Popsicle.

Take Flight was successful today even with the heat the magic still happens. After the session Danny’s mom asked how he could continue with Pegasus, I gave her the information.

Later on when I sent her a few photos she replied saying Danny had done so well at the barn he didn’t even have any of his turrets issues while at Pegasus, such amazing feedback, thank you.

(names changed for confidentiality)

Summer has arrived and it’s heating up. We start early now and finish before the major heat of the day.

We started the day with a chore - everyone’s favorite - scooping horse manure. Hey it’s a good skill to perfect and gets us all moving & working together. Please note I heard no groans  or complaints and they did a good job. Horses poo a lot about 8 piles per day so there’s always an ample supply. 

We then got horses out for a walk - it takes some skill and leadership qualities and all were up to the challenge.

After that we groomed the horses -which includes brushing as well as hoof picking ( a harder skill) and the boys are getting better.

Of course Bubbles my dog gets right in for some attention plus ball tossing.

Then the part we are all waiting for. Let’s ride ✔️

The kids have all been with us before and their riding skills are developing nicely

By the end of the session all were satisfied and a bit tired.

Looking forward to our next meeting.

The session today was fun and a bit low-key.

We had 2 boys show up, one who had been to Pegasus before (twice) and a new boy. It's great having Siem to work with us because he’s so easy and appropriate with the boys.

Today was the first time we had the mini donkeys to include in our program. It's hard to imagine anything cuter, they are the size of a large dog and have the funniest voice when calling for attention. The kids had a blast walking and even jogging with Daisy & Fiona the mini donkeys.

We learned that donkeys can eat peanuts, shell and all, and celery for fiber and nutrition.

Andres has come to Take Flight three times now. The first time he was too nervous to ride the horse. This time he rode like a pro.

Pawnee has become a regular player in our equine program. He’s so engaging and happy to come play. We don’t ride him but he gets groomed, lunged and walked around to keep us on our toes.

The other boy, Walter, started out quiet (per usual) and finished on Riley asking him to trot on, I was only a little surprised. Some kids are nervous when the horse speeds up and some kids think it's a hoot. Walter had fun and certainly got his fill of horses and barn life today.

All names are changed for confidentiality

The session was successful and we all had fun. We got off to a slow start but finished with a giant smile.

Two of our participants are return clients, Andres and Terri. Andres had been so scared last time he had loads of fun scooping horse poo but was a bit too scared to ride on QT.

This time Andres was ready and he rode Riley with much satisfaction. It is so satisfying to see someone grow courage, he watched everyone else ride, and decided it might not be too scary this time. Andres showed his strength and felt proud after.

Terri stepped right back up and was trotting on Riley today, on the lunge line. The use of a lunge line (basically a 20 foot leash) helps the student ride at a more independent level while still having the safety of riding assistance. On the lunge line we can teach the faster gaits and lots of kids think that’s super fun as long as it's safe. Terri also got to reconnect with the horses she met before, Bob, DD and Pawnee.

The other boy was new to Pegasus and he fit right in with the structure and activities. Jerry was rather shocked when I asked him to scoop some horse poo. It's actually a skill that I take for granted, because when a person is learning to scoop they usually drop quite a bit, before getting it to the bucket. No worries, the horses aren’t critical. Besides scooping poo Jerry also rode Riley and was even trotting (on the line) before he finished.

Session 5 was successful and we are almost half way through the summer. With the summer heat the horses always get a rinse from the hose when they are done working.

We try to always make time for a Pawnee visit, he’s such a special horse and loves the attention.

Small group today, so we changed it up and had big fun. We only had 1 client today and she got the royal treatment.

Mary came to Take Flight on our 1st session. She was way more confident and she got dropped off by her sister this time, whereas last time Mary needed her mom to stay for emotional support. Success! We got right to work cleaning their hooves.

We worked with Riley & rode bareback today because it was so hot. We also started an hour earlier to beat the heat.

We worked with Riley to ride bareback, Pawnee & DD & Bob to groom and hand walk. Pawnee even got to meet the cute puppy from session 2.

The junior volunteers all got to ride today since we were low on clients. Summer heat is here to stay so we moved the time earlier, and rinse the horses with cool water after they work.

The program continues to be successful each week, and we look forward to all the new adventures that await.