"Finally," Buddy says, "the Fall Semester is off and running!" Many thanks to all of you for your patience with scheduling and my special thanks to our Program Director, Kate Jeton, who has been juggling the rapidly changing schedule needs of our clients and their families as schools have been making last minute (and after the last minute!) changes to their schedules. We have been happy to welcome back some more clients this fall and will be watching closely as everyone's bubbles are expanding considerably with the start of in-person school classes.
On another note, the fall is also the start of Flu season. Flu shots are now widely available at most pharmacies and doctors' offices. We encourage you to follow your doctor's advice to get a flu shot if appropriate. Most importantly, if you are not feeling well, please do not come to the farm! We are working very hard to keep everyone healthy at the farm and are asking everyone (staff, volunteers and clients) that if you are not feeling well, to please stay home. Thanks in advance for your adherence to this policy.
Our newsletters will be monthly going forward--if you have a topic that you'd like to learn more about, please let me know! There's lots of great info in this newsletter including updates on this year's Triple B (all families and volunteers can attend virtually free of charge!), more on equine body work, the return of Curbside visits and some great "learn from home" information about our horses!
I hope that the fall transition is going well for all of you. The transition from summer to fall is always difficult, but 2020 has been exceptionally challenging. Please know that we are here for you and we're hoping that a bit of horse time, in person or virtually will help to ease the way.
Be well,
~Sarah
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Triple B Goes Virtual in October!! |
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As might be expected the 2020 Triple B will be held virtually! The good news is that now everyone can attend this party with a purpose--no need to worry about child care, travel to/from or a long evening! Now you can enjoy the event from the comfort of your home! To make attendance possible for all, RTT clients/families and volunteers will receive free registration to this event. Keep checking our website for regular updates. Also new this year is an Online Auction!! We are still looking for donations of new items for this auction—if you have an idea, a talent or know of an area business(es) who might be willing to donate an item(s) please email Lorena in the front office.!! Art work, gift cards and outdoor experiences are just a few ideas.
Many thanks to our Reserve Grand Champion and Trail Blazer sponsors who have signed on for this year:
· IDEXX
· Norway Savings Bank
· Portland Volvo Cars
· Spectrum Healthcare Partners
· Jackson & MacNichol Attorneys at Law
· Under The Covers
There is still time for businesses or individuals to join us as event sponsors—click here to see our Sponsorship levels. If you have questions please contact Susan Cole.
The Online Auction will begin the week of October 5th and the LIVESTREAM event will be Saturday, October 17th from 7-8 PM. Looking forward to "seeing" you all in October at the Triple B!
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Learn from Home--Why Do Horses Shed? |
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We've been noticing some changes in the horses this month! We thought in honor of school being back in session that we'd give you a quick quiz! Use the link below to take our quiz about shedding and then scroll down through the newsletter to learn more about why horses shed!
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Continuing Education for Volunteers |
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Introduction to Equine Body Work 10-12 pm |
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Many thanks to Margi Huber who shared her knowledge on Equine Body Work back in August. The result was a group of happy horses and volunteers! As others expressed interest in learning about this valuable work for our horses, on Saturday, September 19th from 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Margi will again be offering her Introduction to Body Work workshop. During this 2 hour workshop, Margi will discuss the different ways that you can connect with horses and how to help horses release tension. She will demonstrate several acupressure points for anxiety and colic prevention, and one of the Masterson Method Techniques known as the Bladder Meridian on a horse. Each participant will be paired with a RTT horse. You will learn what to look and listen for from the horse, and observe their different behaviors, while practicing the acupressure points and Bladder Meridian. The workshop will be limited to 5 participants.
Margi has been a volunteer at Riding to the Top since 2009 and is certified as a Masterson Method Equine Specialist and a Reiki practitioner.
Contact Kate to sign up - Space is Limited!
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About our Equine Body Work Team Members
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In our last newsletter we interviewed some members of our Volunteer Schooling Team who ride and drive our horses. We also have a group of volunteers who have attended trainings and workshops on various equine body work techniques (Masterson Method, massage, Reiki and Acupressure to name a few) and who share their skills with our horses (and our humans--like Margi!). Stacie Hamilton-Waldron in the video on the right is one member of our Body Work Team. |
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The video to the left is of releases that Flynn had following a body work session with Stacie. At the time she wasn't sure what he was processing, but when she finished up, this is what he did! Yawning, tongue movements, licking and chewing and eye blinking are all different ways that horses release tension. Thanks to Stacie's daughter Gabriela for catching this on video!
Thank you to all our Body Work Team members! To learn more about our Volunteer Schooling Team and how to get involved contact our Equine Manager, Kristin.
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Now that we're back in session we wanted to offer some Curbside visits again for folks who are not yet able to return based on our re-opening guidelines or for anyone who would like to visit RTT (and our horses) from their cars. On the following dates we will have staff and horses available for "curbside" visits. To help us with staffing please email Kate to let her know if you plan on stopping by the farm!
Monday, Sept. 21st from 3:30-4:15
Wednesday, Sept. 23th from 3:15-4:00
Thursday, Oct. 1st from 3:15-4:00
Friday, Oct. 2nd from 3:15-4:00
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Learn from Home--More about shedding! |
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Healthy horses shed twice a year and grow two distinct coats--a winter coat of longer hairs and a summer coat of shorter hairs. The growth of these coats and the shedding is tied not to temperature, but to the length (or photoperiod) of the day. So for some of our horses who are very sensitive to the length of daylight hours, they will start to shed their summer coats shortly after the Summer Solstice on June 21st and they will begin to shed their winter coats just after the Winter Solstice on December 21st--This seems crazy doesn't it!! Right now many of our horses have been shedding their summer coats and growing in their winter coats--they are all looking (and feeling) quite a bit fuzzier! Look at all the hair that came off of Cookie this spring!
We use the curry comb all year long to help with lifting dirt, mud and dander, but during shedding season, it's particularly helpful and frequently we see curry comb "waffles" in the grooming area--circles of hair that comes off with the curry comb. Another tool that is very helpful is the shedding blade. If you have a dog at home, you might have a similar tool to help them when they shed.
For some horses their coloring changes significantly from their summer to their winter coat--they may get darker or lighter and many horses get dapples (spots of color) with the change in their coats. Some horses also shed in very funny patterns--especially paints (like Champ) can shed out one of their colors before the other, giving their coat a 3-D appearance!
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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 RTT Safe at Home Activities and Resources!
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Shopping from home? Shop for RTT! |
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