The only good thing about Monday's is the weekend update...
Friday night I went to dinner with Bestie and her new hubby to celebrate his birthday and to say adios as they were leaving for their Honeymoon to the Dominican Republic on Saturday.
Saturday my mom and I got up early to spend the day with horses and children. In my town there is an organization called Bit by Bit. Bit by Bit is a therapeutic riding program that is currently part of the local college in my hometown. The program specializes in equine therapy for those individuals who have special needs or cope with challenges in their lives.
From their website:
The benefits of therapeutic horseback riding are varied:
- Builds strength
- Improves balance
- Increases mobility
- Promotes speech
- Develops self-esteem
- Works on improving emotional health
- Creates a fun and challenging learning environment
Therapeutic horseback riding is a growing resource for health, behavioral and educational specialists. Students who have lost the ability to move in a three-dimensional way, make great progress through the experience of riding and reintegrating the use of:
- muscles
- cognitive processing
- motor planning and strength
- maintaining balanced emotional stability
- skills to be successful in school, work and life
Students termed “at risk” benefit from the emotional bond of handling the horse, performing tasks of responsible care-giving as well as the accomplishment of horsemanship skills, that carry over to the home, family relationships, self-esteem and school activities.
Saturday was a special camp day. They organized a day where children who are undergoing treatment for cancer could come out and spend the day riding horses, go on a hay ride, visit a petting zoo, and decorate their mini horses for a parade, this was my favorite part.
It combined my two passions...helping people with cancer and mini horses.
It was a great day, even if it was 108 degrees outside...it was a special day. Just seeing the huge smile on the kids faces as they rode their horses and played with the animals and for a brief second forgot all about the treatments, the doctors, the hospitals...they just got to be kids.
Which is what they are supposed to be.
The day was just perfect and after hearing about the tragedy in Colorado...spending the day with kids and animals and hearing laughs and watching them run around...that was refreshing.
Not to mention the fact I have this weird crazy obsession with mini horses...pretty sure seeing them and getting to decorate them(the horses loved it) and watch the parade was like a real life "My little Pony" day for me.
Please take note of the glitter...lots and lots of glitter.
Seriously...how freaking cute are these mini's? The littlest one is just a baby.
This is such a great organization...growing up with horses, I am a firm believer that they can make everything better. They are such gentle animals.
I've seen a saying and as cheezy as it may sound...it is so very true.
"My therapist lives in a barn"
Have a great Monday y'all.
