News Flash: When we first began rescuing horses at Locket’s Meadow, we weren’t quite sure where we were going with it; we just wanted to save these beautiful animals from slaughter. It’s been a long, strange trip, but my husband, David, and I, know we wouldn’t change anything about it. Hundreds of rescues later, the farm has evolved to a place of healing and hope for countless animals and people.
Ten years ago, if you had talked to me about Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, I would have shrugged my shoulders and raised an eyebrow. Now . . . well, I swear every one of our horses was born with a PhD in psychology already uploaded into their brains. Our rescued horses, who were once abused, neglected and waiting in kill pens to ship to slaughter houses, are dedicated to helping humans work through the ups and down and pain and sorrow of life, all the while giving their “patients” reason to smile and be joyful.
Our therapeutic riding program used to be a pony ride around the indoor with each rider being led and “sidewalked” by two assistants. Today, our focus is on teaching our special needs riders total independence; most of them are riding on their own, with one side “runner” trotting along with them. I promise you, you have never seen anything as beautiful as our Monday night Star Riders program. Feel free to visit or volunteer.
We are expanding our animal communication program so that everyone can talk with the animals (just imagine it!) and the results have been spectacular.
What’s next? Well, we’ve always had a small regular riding program. While most barns teach riding as a major source of income and to support their horses, we have kept the program as a way to keep our horses in shape and give them jobs; we’ve never counted on the farm for income, rather, we see it as our mission to support and take care of the horses we have rescued and all of our resources go directly towards that end. However . . . we’ve reached a point where we now have a large group of very good-natured and well-trained horses looking to do more with their lives, and teaching humans how to ride, in a respectful, careful and gentle way should be part of our mission.
But how? With the depressed economy and families struggling to survive, never mind adding an extra like riding, who can afford it? So we’ve decided to make some changes. We’ve added a program for our volunteers; those who give eight hours or more of their time each week are qualified to take a group lesson for only $20. Volunteers can help with any number of programs including therapeutic riding, barn work, paddock maintenance or even fundraising. There is, however, a limited number of spaces for volunteer riders.
And last, we have seldom asked for help from the public in the past as we always accept responsibility for our animals and will take care of them regardless. However, we have decided that there are people who may not have time to volunteer but may want to contribute in other ways, so we are putting together a wish list of useful items. These can be things that you already have and no longer need (extra heated water buckets? Bring them on!) or even a donation to sponsor a child who can’t afford to be in our therapeutic program (it costs $100 a week for a child to participate in our Captain’s Kids group in which they learn to ride and to develop their social skills.) So visit our wish list and then check your garage for extra 2x6x10 foot untreated lumber you may have lurking in a corner (you just can’t have too many fence boards!)
As always, we remain an open facility and encourage visiting, and we thank you for taking the time to check in with us.