October News From Reach 4A Star Riding Academy

October 2022

Reach 4A Star Monthly Newsletter

Help Us Celebrate

Instructor Genie Hensley completed her certification as a PATH INTL mentor. This involved 10 hours per week of online classwork with other individuals from around the country for the four weeks of September. Relationships were formed, and lots of learning took place. This certification enables REACH to begin an instructor mentoring program to develop new, highly qualified instructors into the EAAT (equine-assisted activities and therapies) industry. This is an exciting opportunity for the future growth of R4AS.

EXCITING NEWS IS COMING

Keep an eye on R4AS's Social Media.

From The Barn

We have been enjoying the fall weather; in the barn, we are preparing for the upcoming winter months. Construction for our attached shelter to the barn will begin at the end of October and will provide the mares with the proper shelter during inclement weather. It will provide more accessible care for the mares and allow enough space dedicated to the miniature horses. Lots of excitement as we wait for the project to begin. We also have insulated troughs being supplied to the barn, which will help tremendously, lowering electric bills and offering assistance when the tank heaters stop working and the trough freezes. Also, horse blankets have been inspected and are ready for wet and colder temperatures. The barn will also be supplied with heated hoses, as we haul hoses from the indoor heated tack room to the barn every winter. Regardless if the snow was deep or the weather was bitter cold, we hauled our hoses. It’ll be just a bit easier for the feeders as we eliminate that step. Everything else will stay the same as how the barn and herd are managed during the winter. We are fortunate to have dedicated volunteers and staff who come out and feed the herd in the winter regardless of the temperatures or precipitation. The love and hard work of R4AS volunteers and staff, irrespective of the weather or the holiday, make our situation magical. We donate our time because we appreciate the horses and how they serve our community. In turn, the horses serve us with their nickering when we enter the dry lot headed to the barn to begin our feeding regimen.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

The volunteer spotlight for the month of October is a special lady who has given her time and talent for approximately eight years with R4AS. She can often be found with a broom in her hand and is ready to jump in and help with any task. Thank you so much for all you do to take care of the horses, riders, and our facility Lisa Mixer.

Lisa started volunteering when she retired from Casper College in 2015, making it about 7-8 years with R4AS, and she gives credit to Rox Monterastelli for recruiting her. For years, Rox talked about the rewarding experience it was for her to volunteer with R4AS and ensured Lisa that R4AS was always looking for more volunteers.

It wasn’t a stretch for Lisa to work with individuals with disabilities & horses because she had worked for Jackson’s C-V as a cottage parent for residents with severe disabilities. Lisa states," she stays at R4AS for so many reasons. I love each component (horses, students, staff) separately, and I cannot believe the result when you mix the three! Plus, one significant part of R4AS, is the camaraderie between all the women." Lisa currently has three weekly classes, which take about 6 hours of her time. Plus, she adds a subclass or two each week, averaging 10 hours per week. Her favorite experiences are the special bonds she had established with horses. She loved Dynamo and Tonto but currently, her heart belongs to Leo.

Thank you, Lisa!

Join the Fun and Support a Great Organization!

For more information or to purchase a ticket, call 307-472-7827

WHY VOLUNTEER

Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place and is a great way to meet new people.

ESMHL TRAINING

At R4AS, we recognize that our equines are sentient beings and contributing partners in all our programs. We couldn’t do our work without them, so we care for them physically and emotionally. We achieve increased engagement and performance in all areas by giving our horses a voice and genuinely listening to them.

With the support of the United Way, Karol, Genie and Rox attended an ESMHL certificate training at Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Longmont, CO. A PATH Intl. Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning ensure the safety and well-being of the equine participating in mental health or equine-assisted learning sessions and serves as the equine expert during equine-human interactions. The ESMHL works alongside a mental health professional or educator in typically unmounted activities. Presented by Nancy Van Wyk and Antoinette DeGruccio, PATH Intl. faculty, we shared three days of training, role play, conversation, and networking with 15 other participants from across the country and a wide variety of backgrounds. The experience confirmed that R4AS is already meeting and exceeding the industry standard for the care and support of our equine partners. Now, R4AS can continue to advocate for and ensure excellent management of our healing herd.