The Horse Boy

A new book has been released about the healing power of therapeutic horseback riding!

"The Horse Boy" by Rupert Isaacson is a great story about a father's journey to heal his autistic son through therapeutic riding.

Supporters of this type of therapy need to put this book in the public eye and show the world how therapeutic riding is changing the lives of children and adults with special needs.

Check out an article on the book along with a video clip from the documentary:

http://hoofcare.blogspot.com/2009/04/horse-boy-rides-today-healing-power-of.html

A New York Times Article on the Book: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/books/15horse.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc&_r=1

How has therapeutic riding helped you or your loved one?

What Winslow means to a volunteer!

Our Spring Newsletter will be coming out this week but here is your sneak peak look at one of the articles writen by one of our amazing Volunteers Amanda Coyne!

For me, summers have always meant volunteering. Both of my parents work for most of the daylight hours, so I have spent most of my sweltering summer days in Warwick not relaxing or sleeping in, but rising at what feels like the crack of dawn to spend the day bringing toddlers to the bathroom or talking to Alzheimer’s patients in nursing homes. Last summer was the first summer that I had planned not to volunteer and to get a job instead. Thankfully, Winslow Therapeutic Riding thwarted my plan. What I didn’t expect, though, was for Winslow to change me as a person.

After a very difficult first year away at school, I was home for the summer. I hadn’t been planning on doing any volunteer work because I needed to earn money for the coming year at school, but my grandmother, a secretary at Winslow, told me about the volunteer opportunities there. I had always loved working with children and animals, so working with them together seemed like the perfect opportunity for me.
Volunteering at Winslow has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only have I met amazing people and made great friends, but Winslow has genuinely helped me grow as a person. Working with the riders has given me a greater perspective on my own life. So many of these amazing people are persevering despite major disabilities, whether they be physical, mental, or both. They don’t let their disabilities get in their way and they definitely don’t let their disabilities keep them from being happy. I have seen these people living their lives to the fullest and taking every opportunity they can.
The riders at Winslow are an inspiration for me to live my life to the fullest; I have realized that any day spent feeling sorry for yourself or letting something get in the way of what you want to do is a day wasted. Working with the riders has turned me into a more determined and driven person; if they can overcome their major obstacles to do something that they love, surely I can as well.

Winslow is advertised as a therapeutic riding center, but it is much more than that. For me, it has been a therapeutic volunteering center. The “Healing through Horses” is not exclusively reserved for the riders—working with the horses and riders at Winslow is extremely rewarding. Whenever I am not in the greatest of moods, a few hours at Winslow can quickly remedy that. If I’ve had a difficult week at school, I always look forward to coming home for the weekend and seeing everyone at Winslow. It is extremely hard to put into words what Winslow has done for me, but I hope that anyone who reads this can get an inkling of what I am trying to convey.

Picture: Amanda and Neil spending quality therapeutic time together!

What does volunteering at Winslow mean to you?!

Women's Leadership Fund Grant Recipient

Winslow just received a $3,000 grant from the Woman's Leadership Fund! This grant will go towards a program Winslow will open to the female volunteers and riders focusing on how society and culture shapes their self image. The Woman's Leadership Fund is affiliated with United Way and raised $14,000 in grant money to support organizations who work with woman and girls including the Literacy Volunteers of Western Orange County, Safe Homes, McQuade Children Services, and YWCA Orange County.

Winslow hosted the press conference in our indoor arena on Thursday, February 19th. All of the grant recipients including local media and United Way affiliates attended. It was a very inspiring day seeing all the great programs the organizations are working hard on in order to help improve the lives of local girls.

One of Winslow's horses, Lily, was on hand for the festivities standing behind the speaker's podium and giving her thanks in neighs! You can read more about the event on The Times Herald Record website http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090220/COMM/902200344/-1/NEWS. Check it out!

Just uploaded some great videos onto our YouTube account! Most of the videos were used as packages in our December telethon. There are interviews with volunteers and parents of riders, footage of the kids and the horses and an explanation of what Hippotherapy is by Winslow's own physical therapist! Here is one of the videos! Check the rest out at http://www.youtube.com/user/WinslowTherapeutic! Leave some comments and let us know what you think and what else we should have videos about!

Brrr, it’s cold out there! This has been a very chilly start to the New Year! Even though Winslow has an indoor arena, there are still times when we have to cancel lessons because of the weather.
When the temperature drops below about 20 degrees, the Winslow staff must take into consideration all of the factors involved with having a riding lesson. First, there are the horses. These guys are tough and not just when it comes to taking care of, but also when it comes to the weather. They live outside year round and they love it but when it gets cold out they don’t move around as much because they need to conserve energy to keep warm. A riding lesson is exercise for a horse. They need to have a warm up and a cool down period. If they aren’t cooled down properly after they have been sweating, the cold air will make them more susceptible to getting sick.
We do have heat in the indoor arena, but it is radiant heat. This type of heating system isn’t able to heat the arena to a temperature that allows people to be in shorts and tee shirts. It will take the chill out of the air but riders must still be dressed warm. When we do turn on the heating system, we have to be careful if there is snow on the roof. When the roof heats up, it will cause the snow to melt and slide off. The sound of falling snow in a 1,400 square foot arena can make a pretty scary noise, especially to our horses. If the horses become spooked, they could do things they wouldn’t normally do, such as not listening, running, or bucking. Who wouldn’t get a little freaked out if they heard a big noise they couldn’t explain?!
Even though the winter time is beautiful, the weather can be rough sometimes. Things happen and lessons are cancelled. Please be aware of the thought that goes into cancelling a lesson and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask Cathe, Jen or Andrea about why you can’t ride. Our phone systems are set up so when we do cancel, a message will be played when you call (845-986-6686) stating if Winslow open, closed, closed for morning programming or closed for afternoon programming. Everyone at Winslow appreciates those who want to ride no matter the weather! You keep us busy all winter! A special thanks to those volunteers who brave the cold to help us on a daily basis!

Happy Holidays from everyone at Winslow!

Busy Weekend!

Well the weekend is almost here and that can only mean one thing....Saturday's are BUSY! This Saturday is no exception. At 9 a.m. we have part 1 of volunteer training. This is such a fun time because we meet a lot of new people interested in learning more about what Winslow does and how we help so many children. Part two of volunteer training is next Saturday, (Nov. 22) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Part 2 is really exciting since you actually get to be in the barn learning how to tack and groom the horses, getting them ready for programming. The horses are so sweet and love being groomed and fussed over, but who wouldn't like being pampered?! They have the life!!

This Saturday is special because it is the second day of our Parade of Parties celebration. The Parade of Parties (Nov. 13 - 23) is an idea that one of our Board members, Lou Marquet, brought to life. Basically, you tell your friends to have parties with a purpose which would be Winslow! So if you want to throw a dinner part for your friends, you provide everything for the party and then ask your friends to make a donation to Winslow, as much as they feel comfortable with, and thn you have a good time. You don't want to beg your friends for money though, so just make a presentation about Winslow, what it means to you and how "Healing with Horses" can make such a big improvement in people's lives. Who wouldn't want to give to such a great cause?!

Jini Mazza, one of Winslow's founders, is hosting a party at Winslow's Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. It's a gold and silver party and here's the best part; you can raise money for Winslow while maing money for yourself! Everybody wins! The idea is you bring old/unwanted/worn pieces of gold and silver and professional gold dealers will tell you how much they are worth and give you money for it! There is a $15 fee (tax deductible) to come to the party but brunch will be provided! Who knows, you might make back more than the entry fee! You can just show up on Saturday or email Jini at winslow2@warwick.net. Tell your friends!!

Quest comes on Saturdays and they are such a great group. The Quest Autism Foundation is a private non-profit that assists and supports adolescents and adults with autism. They come and ride at Winslow. In the summer, they were here for a week long camp! We had a naturalist come and show us all kinds of different wildlife, like this HUGE tortise! Quest has such a good time at Winslow, must be why they have been coming here for the past 8 years!!

The weather hasn't been the best lately; rainny and cold, but at least we haven't had anymore snow. Probably shouldn't speak too soon though...you never know what tomorrow might bring!! Enjoy your weekend!