Hi everyone,
Welcome to week 4 of our newsletter! During the closure of RTT’s programming, I have been able to be at the barn on a weekly basis to exercise the horses. My main goal during this time is to maintain a level of fitness and core strength so they will be ready to start schooling rides again when it is safe to do so.
Groundwork is a great way to keep the horses moving and using their muscles and brains, and it takes less time than riding so I am able to work with more horses when I am there. Some of the groundwork exercises that I have been doing include walking over ground poles and raised cavaletti, lunging, and walks on the trails. Cavaletti work helps the horses to engage their core, loosen their muscles, and relieve stiffness. Lunging is a great way to get their energy out, work at the walk, trot, and canter, as well as stretch and practice voice commands and transitions. The trails include muscle strengthening hills and varied terrain, and it’s a great chance to desensitize them out there so they are ready to take their riders into the woods!
At home, I’ve been working on individual fitness and schooling plans for each horse to ensure they are ready to work when programming resumes.
The horses and I can’t wait to have the schoolers back to help with these fitness efforts, and they will be so happy to be with their riders again.
Sending horse hugs to all!
~Kristin
Equine Manager
Check out
this video
of Kristin and Lilly hitting the trails for a hill workout!
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Featured Horse of the Week... Buddy
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Buddy is a 26 year old Newfoundland-Clydesdale cross. He is bay with a broad blaze and he does look a bit like a small Budweiser Clydesdale! Before he came to RTT, Buddy was a combined driving competition horse, so what he does now is pretty tame in comparison. He has been at the farm for six years and is a trusted and much-loved member of the team. Something you might not know about Buddy is that he has allergies - learn about his allergies and how we treat them in
this video
with Denise!
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Buddy shares thoughts his with you...
Hi everyone, it’s Buddy here! I am wondering what the heck is going on with the weather these days (it’s snowing right now while I’m narrating this), and I’m wondering when I’m going to get to see all of you again! I wanted to make sure you knew the important stuff about me: I was the FIRST (and really, I think the best) member of RTT’s driving program. I have a lot of experience with this work and actually used to drive around difficult courses at a pretty high speed. I have to say I like the driving at RTT a lot. I have also become a really good therapeutic riding horse; when I first came to the farm I did not have much experience with people being on my back and I did not understand their legs being on my sides at all! But I’ve gotten very accustomed to this now. I especially like the lessons where music, games and bubbles are involved. One of the hardest things for me is that I cannot have any treats. It turns out that I am allergic to many things (which is a bummer)! Denise takes great care of my needs, giving me allergy shots so gently that I don’t even know I’m getting them. For now, I miss you all but my best friend Champ is keeping me pretty busy in our paddock. I can’t wait to see you soon!
*Champ included...
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Rider & Driver Exercises at Home
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This week, Sarah shares a core exercise to help with steering. This is great for all riders, drivers, and volunteers!
For this exercise you need a chair and an object to hold, such as a ball, weights, or a photo of your favorite horse (really anything works - even a water bucket!!).
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Learn from Home
You may have noticed that many horses have unique markings on their face. These markings can help to identify and describe different horses. Knowing the different names for markings can help you find the right horse in a crowd. Learn about different face markings
here
,
and practice drawing them with
this worksheet
. Once you're done, test your knowledge with this
quiz
! Think... what markings does your favorite horse have?
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Both Orion and Lucky are chestnut Quarter Horse geldings, who stand at about 15.1" hands high. However, Lucky has a small star and a snip while Orion has just a star. Knowing their markings helps us tell them apart!
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Continuing Education for Volunteers
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Best Practices for Leading...
In
this video
Kate talks about best practices for leading horses while Mattie and Sarah demonstrate. Here, we are focused on limiting tension on the horse's head during leading and using body language to help influence their gaits. This helps the horse feel more relaxed during leading.
Let us know
what questions you have about leading or what topics you would like to see us cover in the future!
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A message from Cheryl,
Hi everyone! Just wanted to share that during quarantine, my husband and I built a log bench and I have been sitting on it listening to the brook and dreaming of a return to RTT!
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Share
what you've been up to during these extraordinary times. We'd love to share your favorite recipe, outdoor activity, or project with the rest of the team!
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Zoom with us
**Sign up to Zoom with a Horse**
Last week we had so much fun 'Zooming and Grooming' one on one with participants! Please use this
Google Form
to select a time to Zoom with us and your favorite horse.
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Graham’s thoughts about Zoom and Groom...
“I really liked doing Zoom and Groom today! It was a really fun activity! I liked that we get to see the horses- even if it’s on the computer! It feels kind of like your are there with them! You get to talk with them and you get to see your favorite horse! You can even choose which special horse you want to Zoom and Groom with! It’s a really fun thing and I love it! I hope you will give it a try too!”
From Morgan and Brandon....
“We loved having our boys participate in Zoom and Groom! They were so excited to spend some one on one time with their favorite horse and instructor! This time allowed them to feel connected with everyone at RTT as they miss being there so very much!”
Follow us on Social Media
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Send us an e-mail
We want to
hear from you
!
Our new stuffed horse still needs a name!!
E-mail
Kate
to let us know what you think it should be!
Keeping Track!
We have been packing these newsletters full of information and resources and wanted a way to keep track of it all.
This document
contains links to everything we've shared so far!
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Shopping from home? Shop for RTT!
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