I am delighted to announce that Shane has been selected by the American Morgan Horse Association as the Therapy Horse of the Year!
I wanted to post the letter submitted for the nomination. Shane wrote it (with some help from his friends :) You will have to give him an extra pat when you see him in the spring!
Dear Therapy Horse Selection Committee:
My team at One Heart is transcribing this on my behalf. My original family, the Dolans, Cairnbrae
Farm LLC, my birthplace and home to mom and dad are nominating me.
I have decided to take matters into
my own hands….er, hooves. My name is
Shane. My sister, Rosie was the AMHA
Therapy horse of the year in 2013.
Thanks for that, I guess…Thanks A LOT for that. She wears her prize halter every time out of
the pasture. She actually flaunts it, I
think. Help a brother out, here.I came to One Heart Equestrian Therapy as a six year old. One Heart is a PATH, Intl. member center. This is the only job I have ever had. I have participated in therapeutic riding for 13 years. My favorite activities are jumping and Special Olympics. Yes, jumping in therapeutic riding!
One Heart was in its second year when I arrived a couple of weeks before the first session of the year. They had NO idea I could be a therapy horse, let alone, the double-top-notch therapy animal that I am. We were a “mobile unit” back in the day, trailering to the local fairgrounds three times per week for lessons. As an aside, I am available to offer trailer loading lessons if needed, as well. My first trip to the fairgrounds seemed pretty basic. It was for volunteer training, no riders were around. The big surprise was when the life-flight helicopter cruised in over the top of the arena and landed in the grass at the end-gate. That was when we learned that this little prime piece of real estate was the transfer point for the local hospital for life-flights. This is the moment when the instructors tell everyone they learned I would be a fine therapy horse.
Don’t get me wrong, there are wacky
things daily that I get to manage. Of
course, my strength is the relationship I develop with my leader. I usually don’t get to know them too well,
but I think I have an ancestral inclination to buddy up with people. That turns out to be a good thing in therapy. Given our three sessions per year, three days
per week, three classes – or more per day…..I am going to give a rough estimate
that I have had 10 different leaders per week each session, 3 sessions per year, 13 years…hang on, this
is tough without fingers….say, 390 different people leading me. Well, honestly, I teach many of them how to
lead rather than them leading me. But I
am noted for sticking with my leader regardless of what my riders happen to be
doing. My riders are rather unbalanced
at times, but for the most part it turns out that they are noted to be totally
unpredictable.
They tell me that my specialty is
with riders diagnosed with ADHD and on the Autism spectrum. I can stand the wiggles, the screeches of
delight and other acts of spontaneity that include legs kicking, arms waving,
heads banging, giant hugs, slipping and sliding, and random movements from ears
to tail. That’s not an exaggeration,
folks. I don’t think there is a hair on me that
remains untouched by a rider. This is
usually while we are riding. Then there was the
time that the camp for children with blindness came. Statue time.
Little fingers over and over and across and back. Delicate and exploring fingers. It was cool.
This really all points again to the partnership I have with my leader –
what they say goes. I just stick with
them and things turn out ok. Some of my riders don’t have leaders. I think they still consider me green-broke
but with my independent riders, we ride and ride and ride. It doesn’t matter if I wear a bit (what’s
that?) or English or Western or just a pad and surcingle. When I have a
rider, we ride!
Please understand, just like sister
Rosie, I also get to carry the little bitty kids and the larger adults. Size helps here. I am tall and stout. I would rather view it as masculine in a
stylish manner. I have a bold look and a
high head that can intimidate a rookie leader but they usually come around. I also want to note that I don’t simply
ignore what is going on around me… I participate! I
watch the balls fly through the air, my head goes up if my rider’s arms go up,
and I am the first to figure out what the new arena game is. Don’t confuse my willingness with being a
deadhead or worse, “bomb-proof”. You
have to be pretty “with it” to manage a therapy arena.
You know, of course, that sister,
Rosie, is noted to be an instructor favorite but the chatter in the barn aisle
lets me know that I am the VOLUNTEER favorite!
Each of my riders is endearing to
me in their own way but out of the estimated 10-15 riders per week I have
carried each session for 13 years (again, counting with hooves is rough…..lets
go with 468 rides) the ones that come back year after year just to ride me are
quite special.
One lady has MS now, but used to
barrel race as a kid. She talks about
grandchildren now so no telling how long ago that was. Anyway, she’s been coming at least 10 years
and I am undoubtedly her very, most favorite.
She has never ridden Rosie, by the way.
Ha. She loves, loves, loves
me! She can’t go up the mounting block
anymore but insists on using the steps on the mounting platform. There is no way she will let them wheel her
up the ramp side. She has help getting up from her wheelchair,
up the steps and pivots around to sit on me.
Then we swing her leg across my mane so she is astride. I have noticed some changes in her seat,
posture, and strength over the years, I think they expect that. From what I’ve
heard her neurologist wouldn’t allow her to come ride until he saw what I could
do for her. Now, he signs off every year
and asks when we will get started again in the spring. He says I am the only thing that really helps
keep her going. Me – I - the Shane.
I will send pictures of my variety of
riders. What
I really want to talk about is Special Olympics. I have participated every year our team has competed
– 11 years! This is when my show horse
DNA gets to express itself. Barrels,
baton relay, doesn’t matter, even horsemanship, I go in all classes. I get the riders who can trot. Let me rephrase that, those who can trot with
me! Yes, I can trot! If they didn’t give me such a good leader I
would have all the gold medals. I love
the competition, I guess. Cheering is
all it takes. Actually, even at home, if
the instructors say, “Riders, prepare to trot",
I am already in gear, just waiting for my leader.
Let’s not mention this to Rosie – I’ve had enough of her
and her award. I’ll just wait to show up
with my halter and my excellent, special riders and we will go trotting merrily
along. Thanks for considering me for
this prestigious award. Shane.
