NATIONAL CENTER FOR EQUINE FACILITATED THERAPY
 

October 2014
 
IN THIS ISSUE
Remembering NCEFT this Holiday Season
Staff Spotlight
Tack Up Lesson - Hippotherapy Equipment

 

Purchase advance tickets to NCEFT's screening of RIDING MY WAY BACK along with an interactive panel discussion and coffee reception.

 



A Grand Gala Success!
On Saturday September 27th our arena transformed into a magical place filled with twinkly lights, delectable food and drink, musical entertainment, and, most importantly, good friends coming together for the singular purpose of generously supporting NCEFT. The evening was a wonderful success, and we raised nearly $305,000.
 Hearing from one of our own, Major Steve McCullough was the evening's highlight. If you missed it, watch the video about Steve's journey. On behalf of NCEFT's staff, Board, patients and volunteers, THANK YOU for your generosity and support. To view some special moments from the Gala, click here.


Remembering NCEFT This Holiday Season
Simple & free ways to support NCEFT

As we look ahead to the holidays, there are a number of ways you can support NCEFT while taking care of your holiday shopping! 

#Giving Tuesday: Once you have shopped 'til you've dropped on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, please keep NCEFT in mind for #GivingTuesday December 2! Giving Tuesday is a national movement encouraging everyone to give back to their favorite non-profit after all the flurry of shopping the previous weekend. Keep an eye out for special links to NCEFT's #GivingTuesday donation page coming later in November.


Amazon Smile: If you are an Amazon shopper, making one small change to your shopping habit can make a huge impact for NCEFT - join AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support us every time you shop at Amazon, at no cost to you. When you go to shop at Amazon, start at smile.amazon.com, and you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to NCEFT! Sign up at Amazon.com and start shopping today. 

eScrip: eScrip is a simple way for you to direct the stores and online sites you regularly shop to donate a percentage of sales to NCEFT. This program is easy and like AmazonSmile, is free to you (you are not paying for the donation, instead just directing the stores to donate their own funds to the non-profits of your choice)! 

If you are a current eScrip subscriber, make sure NCEFT is one of the nonprofits your eScrip dollars supports (go to the "My eScrip" and check your account settings). If you are new to eScrip, visit www.eScrip.com and register for the program, listing NCEFT as your beneficiary. It only takes a few minutes and from then on, as you use your registered cards, donations will be made to us automatically! Don't forget to register those Safeway and Molly Stones rewards cards! Finally, if you are a frequent internet shopper, consider downloading eScrip's Autoearn button, which will alert you as you browse shopping websites if you are on a eScrip merchant site. More information can be found here: http://shopping.escrip.com
 
2014 CALENDAR
 
Nov 8:  RIDING MY WAY BACK Movie -
 
Nov 27-28:  Thanksgiving Holiday (NCEFT closed) 

Dec 2:  #GivingTuesday 

Dec 7:  NCEFT Family Holiday Party 

Dec 22-Jan 2:  Session Break  (NCEFT closed) 
About Us
For more than four decades, NCEFT has helped thousands of children and adults with special needs move beyond their boundaries through the healing powers of the horse and the skills of dedicated professionals and volunteers.  Internationally recognized as a leader in the field, NCEFT offers Hippotherapy, Adaptive Riding  Carriage Driving, Veterans programs and School programs at its beautiful, 12-acre facility in Woodside, California. We are a 501(c)3 organization with a 5-star rating from www.GreatNonProfits.org and a bronze www.GuideStar.org participant.

 


 
National Center for Equine Facilited Therapy - NCEFT
880 Runnymede Road
Woodside, CA  94062
(650) 851-2271
 

 

Last week, I had one of those days. At a point of exasperation, I walked out of my office, went into the NCEFT barn and put my arms around the neck of the first horse I saw - Hank. With my forehead buried in his mane, he just stood there and let me draw in his quiet strength. A few deep breaths later I felt restored enough to go back to my desk and grapple with the challenges I faced. In the grand scheme of things, my issues were minor - everyday things that any of us face. But I was struck with how even just one brief moment with Hank centered me enough to get me going in the right direction again.
On November 8 at 7pm, we are honored to host the screening of a new documentary, RIDING MY WAY BACK: A Story About a Veteran, A Horse and Hope. The movie chronicles the journey of a military Veteran back from the brink of suicide thanks to his relationship with a special horse named Fred. SSGT. Aaron Heliker was facing challenges - real challenges - traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress  disorder (PTSD) from multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and was transformed by equine therapy. Following the screening, an interactive panel of NCEFT and Veterans Administration staff and current and former Veteran patients will discuss the movie and speak directly to their own experiences of the human-horse relationship. A coffee reception will follow. 

And just announced! Joining us at our screening will be the movie's director, Robin Fryday, as well as the movie's featured Veteran, SSGT. Aaron Heliker.

Please join us for an informative, thought-provoking evening. Advance tickets ($25 each/$30 at the door) are available at 
www.nceft.org/ridingmywayback

Horses are powerful creatures for healing troubles both big and small.

 

Cherie Hammer

NCEFT Development Director
Staff Spotlight: Bonnie MacCurdy
What you didn't know about our Barn Manager 

This issue we shine the spotlight on NCEFT Barn Manager, Bonnie MacCurdy. Bonnie is the heart and soul of 

our NCEFT herd. She is in charge of all of NCEFT's horses - their care, work schedule, and overall well-being. Bonnie's quiet strength, warm smile, and sharp eye for all things equine, not to mention her fabulous carriage driving skills, bring 

a level of expertise and caring to NCEFT that is unmatched. We are so fortunate to have Bonnie on our staff. Read on to learn a little bit more about Bonnie:

 

Where were you born? Atascadero, California

How long have you been with NCEFT? 5 years

What's the strangest job you have ever had? Owning/operating a carriage driving business (and having to field frequently asked questions like, "Is that a real horse?")

Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla

What's your favorite color horse? Dapple gray

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go? Bahia de los Angeles, Baja Mexico

What is your favorite non-horse related activity? Kite boarding

iPhone or Android? iPhone

Last book you read? Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen
Favorite cartoon character? Hobbes, from Calvin & Hobbs

 


TACK UP LESSON
The special tack used in hippotherapy

As friends of NCEFT, you probably know that hippotherapy is not about riding a horse. Well, sort of. Yes, patients are on a horse's back, and they are riding around our arena. But for hippotherapy, the goal is not to teach classical riding. YuliInstead the horses' movement - the over 3,000 steps he takes and the side-to-side movement he makes - all create a moving, dymnatic platform for conducting physical, occupational and speech therapy. Think warm, fuzzy, movable fitness machines or therapy balls. I don't know about you, but I'd certainly rather ride Sebastian or Aladdin instead of working out on a cold, steel weight machine. 
Sebastian with a felt pad & surcingle going around his big belly
With the specialized use of the horse, comes specialized equipment. Since hippotherapy isn't about riding, you won't see traditional saddles and reins. Instead, for most sessions, you will see a covered felt pad held on with a surcingle. The surcingle acts like a girth (or belt), holding the pad in place and giving the rider a sturdy thick strap to hold onto if necessary. 
Aladdin with a supracor with stirrups

The other kind of tack you might see in hippo-therapy is a supra-cor pad. This pad, shaped more like an English saddle, has stirrups, but look closer and you will see it is very thin (more like the foam pad), without the stiff leather and hard structure that is built in a traditional saddle. 

So why use a surcingle/felt pad or a supracor? In a word: feeling. The whole point of hippotherapy is for the patient to feel each little movement of the horse. Thick, stiff saddles take away all the sensory input the the horse is delivering to the patient. With the foam pad or the thin supercore, the patient feels each hoof drop, each roll from side to side, each twitch of muscle. This sends continuous input into the patient's nervous system and engages their muscles, and that's where the therapy - and the healing - comes from. In addition, the patient feels the heat that comes from the horse. Again, think how much nicer a warm horse is over a cold piece of metal equipment. The heat radiates through the pads, providing another kind of sensory input, as well as a feeling of comfort and well-being to the patient.