Hearts and Hooves is a Registered Charity that rescues, rehabilitates, and provides homes formini horses. After they are healthy, they are then brought indoors with the purpose of inspiring meaningful encounters with people in our community.
Hearts and Hooves had a busy year. They had attended a variety of visits to Hospitals, Senior Homes, Special Needs programs, individuals and groups of people of all ages whom benefit from the love, rejuvenation, and joy that the mini horses offer.
“The minis truly spark conversation among people of all ages, which ultimately makes the program rewarding for both the participants and volunteers,” remarks Diane Comeau, a summer student at Hearts and Hooves.
Comeau recounts a story about an elder she had met this past summer:
“At Lynwood we had so little time to visit so many seniors. One of my favorites: Bill. Bill sat infront of a window in his wheelchair all day, every day. He could not respond as he could not move or speak, and was almost completely blind. The recreational therapist was going to skip his room but Roy, the mini, was already making his way inside. So off we went. I took Bill's handand let him pet Roy, but there was no response. Roy enjoyed it, so we figured we would sit and speak with Bill’s daughter until Roy got bored. After a few minutes of relaxing with Bill, Roy put the weight of his head in his hands (he has a big head!) and licked Bill's hands. Bill instantly errupted in laughter. The therapist even called the nurses in to see his excitement. His daughter began to cry. Never had she seen him have a response.”
“At Lynwood we had so little time to visit so many seniors. One of my favorites: Bill. Bill sat infront of a window in his wheelchair all day, every day. He could not respond as he could not move or speak, and was almost completely blind. The recreational therapist was going to skip his room but Roy, the mini, was already making his way inside. So off we went. I took Bill's handand let him pet Roy, but there was no response. Roy enjoyed it, so we figured we would sit and speak with Bill’s daughter until Roy got bored. After a few minutes of relaxing with Bill, Roy put the weight of his head in his hands (he has a big head!) and licked Bill's hands. Bill instantly errupted in laughter. The therapist even called the nurses in to see his excitement. His daughter began to cry. Never had she seen him have a response.”
The volunteers, as young as 11 and as old as 90, spend time at Hearts and Hooves’ home base near Sherwood Park, Alberta. The volunteers are crucial to Hearts and Hooves. They help care for the miniature horses, prepare them for community trips, as well as create the family atmosphere that is experienced at the farm.
“The horses won’t just get into an elevator, let me tell you; it takes a lot of training,” quips Michelle Kropp, executive director of Edmonton’s Hearts and Hooves. Preparing the horses is truly crucial to the success of the visits. They must be willing and able to basically go wherever they are led.
Along with the special training that the miniature horses require to go indoors into hospitals and centres, there is also a pretty penny incorporated with their care. Since they are smaller, they require more visits to the farrier than the average large horse, as well as more visits to the vet to get their teeth floated. Of course, the benefits of having miniature horses far exceeds the cost, so the Hearts and Hooves Team is constantly at work for creating different fundraising activities. Different fundraising events that have happened this year include two Silent Auctions at Average Joes, a booth at the RCMP musical ride, selling flower pots, and much more. For the future, we would like to host a country concert, a pie auction, and have a booth at Farm Fair.
Besides having the horses attend visits, there are also opportunities to adopt them. If you are interested in adopting a mini or in sharing the experiences with other Hearts and Hooves volunteers, call (780) 940-7839 or email at hearts_and_hooves@yahoo.ca. You can also donate, sponsor a horse, or sponsor a visit all of which becomes tax deductible for anythingover $20.
www.heartsandhoovescanada.org
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