Category: Take Flight Session Notes

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.

More small miracles again, we had three new clients and 4 of us volunteers. The beginning circle is improving with a little more participation and creativity.

This week we worked with: Riley to ride; Pawnee to groom and hand-walk; DD to groom; Hugo to hand-walk; QT to groom and walk; and Bob for grooming and a short walk.

The group photo at the end includes Paddington too. The horses appreciate the attention, I can see (and feel) them act calm and present with the kids.

Horse grooming is a gentle activity giving the kids a chance to nurture and help care for the horse. The horses stand so still accepting the love gratefully. It offers a good way for students to connect with such a large animal, a good starting place for anxious participants.

Riley was host to Amy first. She’s a small 6 year old and she found courage and balance riding on Riley.

Later she was industrious, helping to scoop poop with Siem.

The other two kids, Walter and Missy, were surprised to know each other from school. They chatted easily and felt relaxed right away. Walter admitted to talking more when he’s nervous, but the format is mostly one-on-one so that’s fine. Everyone did ride Riley this week.

They each got to take a short trail ride around the property. After the ride Riley got a rinse because it was heating up already. This group did great and Walter’s mom talked to us after the program about him continuing on with Pegasus.

All names changed for anonymity.

Then we had Terri, our confident 7 year old girl with long braids. She rode QT first and was a star, feeling right at home steering and guiding a big horse around by herself. She was clear, ‘I want to do it by myself.’  Her exuberant yet focused energy was nice to be around, everyone liked her. The 3rd client was 11 year old Maggie. Her mom told me that she has high anxiety and she seemed shy, starting off with her hood up but participating and staying connected. We started her at the grooming station and she got Pawnee. He stood so very still, soaking up the love from the two young girls who cared for him with gentle kindness. His being so calm helped give Maggie some confidence.  Then she moved to the next station, and rode QT. She removed her hood and kept opening up and loved the horses. Her smile was authentic and her body relaxed with the animals.

These horses respond to the energy of the program. If you listen closely, you can hear the horses respond and support the kids, subtle and steady.

I can see the effectiveness of the junior volunteers connecting to the clients. I create a safe container then let their peers teach the horse activities.

Names are changed for confidentiality 

Total success, first time at a new location, first time with a new organization, Side by Side, and I was flying solo with only junior volunteers to help. A nice change for me was that I did not provide any transportation for clients. It makes a HUGE difference. All clients arrived on time, completed some extra paperwork (without complaint) and parents left without a backward glance. One mom, however, asked if she could stay with her daughter due to anxiety.

I took one look at Mary and said sure, she had tears starting. Her mom turned out to be a nice asset to the program and supported her daughter in a quiet manner, drifting away when she was no longer needed. That was the first miracle. Mary started out in tears and finished strong, riding the horse with a proud, shy smile.

Next miracle was when Jess climbed out of the car, a young black boy and he got to pair up right away with Siem, my awesome African volunteer. They got to hang out and it was obvious Jess felt way more comfortable because Siem was there. Siem told me later, Jess kept saying, I’m not gonna walk the horse, then he walked the horse, and I’m not gonna groom the horse, then we see him helping Kamio pick out DD’s feet, then Jess tells me, I’m not gonna ride a horse, and there he is a few minutes later riding around on QT and loving it. His miracle.

And finally there was Donna who got to be my role model and brave girl to ride QT first. She gained confidence & kinda glowed with that as she went through the other 2 stations. Nice to witness her success. I liked that we were able to incorporate many horses, QT to ride, DD, Bob & Pawnee to groom, and Reilly and Hugo to hand walk in the pasture.

Both junior volunteers did great Kamio, her first time really liked it and did well helping me with horse chores. Siem has done this before with me but at a different barn and a few years ago. Hopefully he will wear long pants and boots next time.

After we finished, Kaylee came to see her horse and brought her puppy.

Note: names changes for confidentiality