Making it work: One Heart at the Story County Fairgrounds
One Heart put its first rider up in the spring of 2002, at the Story County Fairgrounds. The program began with a newly trained new, and untested Rosie, as well as Babe, Cherokee, Sonny and Soldier. The first riders came by way of word of mouth. One Heart has never advertised for riders. If the program advertised, there would be more riders than it could accommodate. The first rider, Kia, is still with One Heart fifteen years later.
Riding at the fairgrounds was a challenge. While the arena had a roof, it was open on four sides. One Heart rode in rain, sleet and snow. The only time the program did not ride was when the tornado sirens were sounding. It was a completely mobile operation. Every riding day, either Kris or Kelly trucked the horses in from their pasture near Colo, taking with them all of the paraphernalia necessary for riding. When the lessons were over, everything made the same journey back. It was grueling. At the end of the second session, disaster struck. Cherokee contracted West Nile virus and died. Although he had been vaccinated for West Nile, he became ill anyway, and according to the Nevada Journal, was one of fourteen Story County horses to contract the disease that summer.
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It was a rugged beginning, but in spite of this tragedy, a good one. Kris commented in the One Heart newsletter about the experience of that first year. “We met our deadline of having riders on horses in June 2002! Session 1 had 10 clients. Session 2 had 10 clients. Session 3 had 11 clients. We have trained over 60 volunteers this year. . . . Looking forward: look for our services to expand as we acquire more horses. We can offer services to more clients. We are starting to develop a driving program.” The inspiration for the driving program was John, One Heart’s oldest rider, who continued to come consistently to the program into his early 80s. Kris wanted to be prepared for the day when John could no longer ride.
A number of other achievements came while One Heart was at the fairgrounds. In 2003, One Heart was able to send its very first team to compete in the Special Olympics equestrian events. Riders competed in barrel racing, pole bending, ball drop, an egg and spoon race, and a keyhole race. One Heart took home ten gold medals, and two silver medals. Eagle Scouts and Girl Scouts volunteered, and put together One Heart’s jumping standards and toy closet.
In 2007, Peanut, the first mini horse came to One Heart, so the instructors could add new programs. A mother explained the importance of the mini horses: “Chloe began with caring for and training the “minis” and that, I must say, was probably some of the most fun for me to watch! Chloe had to learn to interact with creatures that could be as stubborn and uncooperative as herself! And she didn’t like it much! However, she learned how her behaviors influenced the miniature horses and from that how better to manage herself.”
Possibilities such as these brought an increasing number of clients to One Heart. In the first year, One Heart had eighteen riders. In the second year, it had thirty-three. The average number of riders for a therapeutic riding center in North America was thirty, and One Heart was already surpassing that number. As Kris put it, “we were catching on.”
The biggest problem One Heart faced in the fairgrounds years was staffing. Maureen Howard played the essential role of instructor, while Kris organized the business end and managed the horses of the program. Volunteers made it possible for clients to ride each week. The program, however, needed another instructor. That instructor would be Jennifer Lamoreaux, a Girl Scout leader from Story City. Jen was the horse interest leader for the Story City troop, and wanted to find a project for the girls. She owned a small horse, Critter, but the Girl Scouts had exhausted his possibilities, and worn him out in the process. She volunteered the Girl Scouts to clean the barn – but One Heart didn’t own one. Undeterred, Jen showed up in the spring of 2003, asking to be a volunteer. Maureen began to train Jen. This became a critical project, when in the summer of 2004, Maureen made the decision to train to become a minister. As Kris put it, “if only her call was to be the night clerk at Casey’s, I probably could have talked her out of that, but I didn’t stand a chance against her call.” In order to maintain their certification with NAHRA, Jen would have to be trained and pass her certification test.
The certification test for a therapeutic riding instructor is a difficult one. Approximately two days of workshops precede the exam. The workshops cover a variety of topics, including safety, mounting and dismounting techniques, assessments and other important topics. A two day exam follows the workshop. There are some written tests over basic techniques, but the most important part of the exam is a practicum. The prospective instructor must write goals, objectives and a lesson plan for two riders, who will be taught at the same time. The lesson plan includes arena set up, and written instructions for the instructor, as well as the volunteers, all based on the needs of the riders. If the lesson plan is accepted by the reviewers, the plan must be taught the next day. The prospective instructor has to complete safety checks and fit helmets, demonstrate mounting and dismounting, and teach the lesson, all in twenty minutes. As Kris puts it, the test is “almost impossible.” Following the teaching demonstration, the prospective instructor also had to demonstrate his or her riding technique, in a strange arena, on a strange horse. There was a lot of pressure on Jen; she knew that One Heart would not be riding if she didn’t pass. In March of 2005, Jen successfully completed her examination. Less than a year later, Kris became certified as well.
An additional source of stress came in the form of a health crisis for Kris. As a fifteen year old, she had survived Hodgkin’s disease, but her treatment had included massive doses of radiation. The radiation had damaged both her heart and lungs, as well as her bones, and in the summer of 2004, she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The fall session of 2004 began with Kris in the hospital in Iowa City, recovering from aortic valve replacement and a double bypass. She would be in and out of the hospital for the next several years, and the volunteers, Jennifer, Kelly, and occasionally Maureen, would fill in. When Kris was in the hospital for her major surgery, her husband suggested that One Heart cancel its session. Kris demurred, saying “if we don’t ride now, we’ll never ride again.” And so they rode.
Building the Herd: A partnership with the Sons of Norway
To have a therapeutic riding program, One Heart had to have horses. Rosie aside, One Heart began, largely, with horses no one else had use for. They were very old, and often infirm. If the program was to thrive, a stronger, younger herd was necessary. One of the most important parts of herd building was One Heart’s relationship with the Kong Sverre Lodge of the Sons of Norway, in Story City. The grandmother of a One Heart rider was a member of the lodge, and she came to Kris, asking what One Heart needed, and how the Sons of Norway could help. Her reply was that One Heart needed a Norwegian Fjord horse.
For the kind of work One Heart does, Norwegian Fjord horses are ideal. They are short and stoutly built, which allows them to carry heavier riders. Additionally, because of their short stature, the volunteers do not have to work over their heads with riders who are potentially heavier than they are. This would be particularly important in providing therapy for older, wheelchair-bound riders. A Norwegian Fjord horse had just been honored as the therapy horse of the year, making this a particularly good moment for this request. In her presentation to the Sons of Norway, Kris emphasized that this was a win-win opportunity for One Heart and an organization dedicated to Norwegian culture and pride. As she told them, “Norwegian Fjord horses have been bred since the time of the Vikings, they’re very strict with their registry. They’re a very distinct breed. So when you have a Norwegian Fjord horse in your pasture, it’s like flying a Norwegian flag in your yard.” It would be an opportunity to display Norwegian pride and support One Heart’s very specific needs.
Following Kris’s presentation and a riding demonstration, the Sons of Norway voted to devote three years of fund-raising activities to One Heart. The first year of fund-raising brought in $6000, by way of a benefit held at Story City’s antique carousel. One Heart and the Kong Sverre Lodge put together “A Day at the Races,” held on the first Saturday in May, the traditional day of the Kentucky Derby. They organized a full day of races, from the “Hi, Ho Silver,” a race for local banks and other financial institutions, to the “Old Gray Mayor,” which featured nine of the county’s fourteen mayors. The mayor of Story City won the “Old Gray Mayor,” wearing his Viking helmet. There were ten or eleven races, a post parade, and all of the fanfare of a day of racing. It was a resounding success.
Kris had begun the research to find affordable Fjord horses in advance of the Day at the Races fundraiser, and the first Norwegian Fjord horse came to One Heart by way of a donation. A 24-year old Fjord horse who had served as a brood mare became available in northern Minnesota. Rosa had been conceived in Norway, but born in Canada, and had been one of the most prolific and important brood mares to help establish the breed in North America. She had eventually found a home in Minnesota, but her owners in Minnesota were now willing to donate her to One Heart. Her owners had no idea if Rosa was broken to ride or drive, since they had only used her as a brood mare. Kris commented, “We put a rider on her. She was fine. She was just a stalwart. She was our first Norwegian Fjord horse.”
In the meantime, Kris kept on looking, and found two Fjord horse sisters in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Alma and Dagmar had been therapy horses with a program for cancer patients and cancer survivors, but their owner was interested in importing a more exotic breed, one found in the Russian fringes of Tajikistan. Kris received an e-mail with the information, and a listed price of $6000, exactly the amount raised by the Day at the Races. She said, “So I had another billboard. And I picked up the phone (no one should ever do this), I bought them sight unseen over the phone and internet, and they were delivered for free.” A volunteer was headed north to Wisconsin with her horse trailer, and picked up Alma and Dagmar on the way home.
The Sons of Norway did two more years of fundraising for One Heart. In the second year, they raised enough to purchase custom made harnesses for Alma and Dagmar. In the third year, they raised the money for carts, so One Heart could begin its driving program. The broke-to-drive Fjord horses would be able to pull a four wheel wagonette with a hydraulic lift tailgate, perfect for a wheelchair. Instead of having a driver’s seat, the wagon had a platform for a wheelchair. Beside this was a seat for an able-bodied whip, which is the technical term for the assistant.
To be continued...
