A Note From Becky
Hello Happy Hooves friends and family,
Wine, horses, and helping Happy Hooves: what's not to love? Thank you to everyone who helped to make our 6
th
annual Wines & Equines fundraiser a fantastic success! On October 21
st
, we had a big crowd and were blessed with gorgeous fall weather. Our guests enjoyed delicious food and wine, live music, therapeutic riding demonstrations, a musical quadrille, live and silent auctions, and a therapy horse themed "dot" painting that guests helped create! We really appreciated our volunteers and staff's amazing efforts to make this year's Wines & Equines such a success. I was emotionally overwhelmed at how everyone was so giving of his or her time, talents, and resources. The best compliment I heard at Wines & Equines (and in a while!) was something our host, WSPA News Reporter Christine Scarpelli, said to me at the end of the night: "This place is overflowing with Jesus!" Wow! The money raised at Wines & Equines will help fund therapeutic riding scholarships throughout the year, feed and immunize our therapy horses, purchase new therapeutic riding equipment, and so much more! Again, a huge thank you to all who attended and to those who could not attend but supported our event.
In other news, Happy Hooves' "School at the Barn" is back in the
saddle again! Thank you so much to
Helen's Hugs
,
and Dabo and Kathleen Swinney's ALL IN TEAM Foundation
for their generosity in funding this program, which allows special needs classrooms and at-risk youth from Upstate schools to come to Eden Farms once a month. This year we have 7 schools participating this year! While there, they participate in a therapeutic riding lesson and Equine Assisted Learning (with an equine specialist, their guidance counselors, and our sweet therapy horses), as well as incorporate their school curriculum into their time at the barn. This is Happy Hooves' 14
th
year of "School at the Barn" and we are continuing to see positive results. Teachers tell us how the time spent at Eden Farms is impacting their students physically, emotionally, and cognitively, and changing their lives!
Enjoy the Fall y'all,
Becky Sweeney, Barn Manager
PS: It will be here before you know it: CHRISTMAS AT THE BARN, our 14
th
annual Happy Hooves' family friendly fundraiser is on Sunday, December 10
th
from 2pm to 5pm! Tickets are only $8 per person and include an afternoon creating Christmas memories with friends and family, "reindeer" horse and pony rides, a live interactive Nativity scene, Christmas carolers, arts and crafts to make, hot chocolate and cookies to nibble, "PeopleChase" jump courses and of course, Santa Claus will be there to visit in his heated North Pole Room! Tickets are available now To see photos of previous year's Christmas at the Barn, click here
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Deklan
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Yeehaw, I'm a Cowboy!
We were thrilled when Deklan's mom Traci agreed to give a short testimonial at our recent Wines & Equines event. The second floor of the barn was filled with guests who were anxious to learn about Deklan's journey...
"I didn't know how Deklan was going to react to the horses on our first visit to the farm," said Traci. "When your child has early developmental delay or autism, you don't know what's going to set them off. They could be perfectly fine in a situation one moment, and the next time they're acting afraid or nervous, and they start to act out against you. It's a helpless feeling. As a parent, you want your child to have fun, and you want them to experience new things. I prayed that Deklan would get something out of this. My prayers were answered. The first time Deklan came here he was so excited! He never once shied away from the horse, and when it was his turn, he got right on that saddle. He was just a different kid.
Deklan is not the type of child to ask for anything. At the time he was five years old, and had never once asked for a thing. Until that day when we got home from Eden Farms and Deklan said to me, 'I want to go horse riding again.' First, I'm stunned because he said a complete sentence. Secondly, he asked for something. To not have your child communicate with you for five years and all you wanted was for him to tell you what's going on in their world, is the best feeling. I told him that we will be going back, and he will be riding once a month. He started running around the house saying, 'I'm a cowboy; I'm a cowboy, yeehaw, yeehaw!'
Deklan then asked for the second thing he's ever asked for: a cowboy hat. I was so happy I said, 'Yes, yes, you need a cowboy hat!'
I was thrilled that Deklan had finally found something that started to bring him to life because he was never really animated, and it was hard to get smiles out of him. We weren't even getting any communication from him. Once we started coming here, he is a completely different child, especially when he's on the back of that horse. Eden Farms and Happy Hooves have given me my little boy.
Between Deklan's therapy and later summer camp, we noticed that his fine and gross motor skills have improved as well. He could barely write, but because he was learning how to hold the reins and use different muscles, his hands grew stronger. He can now write.
If Happy Hooves didn't exist or if our school didn't get the necessary grants, none of this would have been available to us. I don't know where Deklan would be today; he would probably still be a shell of himself, and my husband and I would not know how to help him. I hope by giving you some insight into Deklan's life, you can see what a wonderful program like this can be for a child who has early developmental delay or autism, or anything else that might affect them in their lives. Equine therapy can bring joy and help bring these children to the next level."
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Like us? Love us? Please review us!
Your online reviews will help others find out about the horseback riding we offer here! It's free and easy!
For Eden Farms (able-bodied riding):
Please click here to review us on Eden Farms' Facebook page
For Happy Hooves (therapeutic riding):
Please click here to review us on the Happy Hooves' Facebook page
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Supporting us just got easier, every time you shop on AMAZON!
Every time you SHOP on Amazon, you can be donating to Happy Hooves at no extra cost to you. Just start your shopping here AmazonSmile and register Happy Hooves Inc. as your charity so all of your eligible purchases will benefit Happy Hooves!
And, SHARE this with everyone you know! We are a 501c(3) organization and would LOVE your support!
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Happy Hooves Upcoming Events!
Christmas at the Barn....Sunday, December 10, 2pm to 5pm. Enjoy an afternoon of "reindeer rides", a live interactive nativity, Santa, crafts, hot chocolate, cookies, and more!
Happy Hooves episode on Scaly Adventures...not to miss! The episode airs on November 18th on the DayStar TV channel. Here is a teaser for the series: Visit our website!
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Friends of the Farm
Special thanks to our recent donors for making a difference in the lives of special needs children and at-risk youth through equine related therapies:
- Helen's Hugs
- Dabo and Kathleen Swinney's ALL IN TEAM Foundation
- First Presbyterian Church of Greenville
- Cameron Construction
- Systems Specialties
- Pam and Robbie Cole
- Mike and Ellen Johnson
- Mark and Kym Klapperich
- Diane Smock
- Amy and Gary Goudelock
- Bob and Melinda Hoover
- Levi McCall
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- Sam and Jane Wyche
- Janet Masters
- The Tack Shop
- Myra Green
- Sandy Miller
- Helen and Eric Graben
- Debra Spear
- Marilyn Jones
- Mary Anne Inglis
- Victoria Chance
- Amy Blackwell
- Jane Scheer
- Roy and Nancy Sutterfield
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Did You Know?
Happy Hooves has been a PATH International Premier Accredited Center since 2005. In fact, we are one of only six Premier Accredited Centers in South Carolina, and the only one in the Upstate. This accreditation is a rigorous process requiring centers to meet stringent requirements for staff, facilities, and programs. A program must be re-accredited every five years.
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Your contribution helps special needs children and adults, as well as at-risk children and teens.
Happy Hooves is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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