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!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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 t
he 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!Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
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!!
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!!
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!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Welcome to our BLOG!
Wow, Winslow is really moving into the social media atmosphere!! We have a facebook account (Winslow Therapeutic Center), myspace (www.myspace.com/WinslowTherapeutic), you can follow us on twitter (@winslowhorse) and now a blog!!
Besides being busy online, we are busy at our center!
Schools groups are every day of the week (except Thursdays) from around 9:30 a.m - 12 noon. We are always in need of volunteers during those hours. We have a very dedicated group of volunteers during the mornings, but if any others could make it we would always appreciate it!
Afternoon lessons generally begin around 1 p.m. and continue into the evenings so if you get bored once you come home from school remember there is never a dull moment around here!!
We are also gearing up to start a program called Horses for Heroes! It is a NARHA recognized program where we will support our amazing veterans by providing them therapy with a horse. There are double amputee vets who have no legs and by being involved with this program, it's almost as if they will be able to walk again! We want to be able to provide these vets with a little bit of relaxation as well. They have been through some pretty stressful situations in the past years and now they will be able to experience the feeling of complete "om" where they don't worry about anything but themselves in that moment. Pretty powerful tool the horse is!
A lot of stuff to work on around here! Oh and we have our upcoming telethon on December 7th from 3 p.m. -8 p.m.!! If you have Warwick Valley Telephone (WVT) it's channel 12 and if you have Cablevision it's channel 78! We are also trying to have it streamed live on the internet! More about that hopefully soon!
Besides being busy online, we are busy at our center!
Schools groups are every day of the week (except Thursdays) from around 9:30 a.m - 12 noon. We are always in need of volunteers during those hours. We have a very dedicated group of volunteers during the mornings, but if any others could make it we would always appreciate it!
Afternoon lessons generally begin around 1 p.m. and continue into the evenings so if you get bored once you come home from school remember there is never a dull moment around here!!
We are also gearing up to start a program called Horses for Heroes! It is a NARHA recognized program where we will support our amazing veterans by providing them therapy with a horse. There are double amputee vets who have no legs and by being involved with this program, it's almost as if they will be able to walk again! We want to be able to provide these vets with a little bit of relaxation as well. They have been through some pretty stressful situations in the past years and now they will be able to experience the feeling of complete "om" where they don't worry about anything but themselves in that moment. Pretty powerful tool the horse is!
A lot of stuff to work on around here! Oh and we have our upcoming telethon on December 7th from 3 p.m. -8 p.m.!! If you have Warwick Valley Telephone (WVT) it's channel 12 and if you have Cablevision it's channel 78! We are also trying to have it streamed live on the internet! More about that hopefully soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
