There’s always something to do at a stable yard and at the Healing with Horses Therapeutic Centre we have learned to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself.

So when our Wednesday session with KGVI gets cancelled but a few die-hard volunteers still arrive, we don’t just offer them a quick cup of coffee and send them away with a few hours to kill. We put them to work – schooling our cremellos!

We worked the horses in the round school so they learn to feel safe in the space where our therapeutic riding sessions take place. And once they walked around a few times and practiced stopping and starting, the games began. The dogs joined in and we played catch and a bit of soccer with a big floppy yellow ball. It was barely controlled chaos with Echo running off with the ball with Finch holding on to his tail. But the cremellos were stars. Crumble was particularly sweet, standing calm even when an errant throw  caused the ball to hit him square in the face. (We’re not naming names, Debbie!!)

Crumble learns what a giant tennis ball is from Cynthia.

It’s not always easy to tell what the cremellos are thinking… They have a subdued energy that can sometimes be difficult to read. Our guess, based on their quiet curiosity and their gradually increasing willingness to work and play with us, is that they had a good time. But it was pretty clear what the humans in the group thought. We all left the round school smiling!

Meet and Greet – Guiness and Crumble

Wednesday volunteers

• Sandy Paul
• Debbie Paul
• Tracy May (with camera!)
• Craig Johnstone

Freshly Ground – loving the attention from Beth