More Fabulous News! Seattle was accepted into horse camp for the summer! YaHoo!!! She has seriously asked me on a weekly basis for the past year and a half when she would get back on a horse again and she finally got in; So Happy! The camp is held at The Arion Therapeutic Farms and runs twice a week for four hours, right until the end of August. We have two sessions now under our belts and I say we because Ill be staying on with her for the entire season as her one-on-one care-giver, which wasnt the initial plan but after hanging around for the first afternoon, I knew that I would be staying with her as the camp is geared more towards kids with cognitive, rather than physically disabilities, especially paralysis like Seattles and no one was really prepared for her. But Im really liking being here; Im there to help Sea in the bathroom and to change clothes, as well as help her on/off the horse and to wheel her up to the clubhouse after her riding is finished. Other than that, I give her space and hang out in a nearby garden, listening to a babbling brook, singing birds and braying horses, just breathing in the surrounding beauty of this countryside. It feels strange to have an hour alone without being needed to do something for one child or another; I may have to relearn how to just relax and take it all in :) Seattle is loving her time at camp although it did get off to a rather rocky start... When we first walked into the clubhouse, there were many other camps going on, including some for non-special needs kids and literally the second we walked through the door, we were surrounded and getting the usual barrage of whats wrong with her?, why does she have those weird things on her legs?, why does she walk so funny?, can she talk?, etc... Sigh. Yes, she can talk and Im sure she would be if she wasnt enveloped by a dozen kids yelling at her... So I did my usual spiel and Seattle went on her way, while most of the room just stood there staring at her; she did tell me later though that it really bothers her and hurts her heart because no one else ever gets asked questions like that, just her and she doesnt understand why. So, yeah, that first foray into camp life wasnt awesome but it picked up when we found our group. What a great bunch of kids! And already so protective of Seattle; especially one eleven year old girl who is always helping her, holding her hand, playing with her:) Its a small group, 10 kids with Sea being the youngest by far, but only about half are there on any given day. Their afternoon starts out riding, each child usually gets 40 minutes or so on the horse, then they wait back in the barn doing crafts with their leaders while the other kids ride. After that is snack and playtime; they always do some sort of water fun play, like a slip and slide or water balloons, and last Friday they crafted boats and then raced them against each other down the brook; so much fun! Seas first ride was on a horse named Sunny and they stayed inside the arena as it was way too hot outside; they played games and just let her get the feel of being back on a horse again. Her second ride was on Bentley and she got to ride alongside her friend. They did warmups like riding with arms out or above her head, which is wonderful for her core strength. They rode around to different letters and had to stop the horses themselves and then make up a word that began with said letter; some of Seattles words- Kangaroo, Feather, Elephant, Horse, Love. Such a little smarty pants:) Then they each rode around finding hidden hoops or horseshoes, which they then played a game of tic-tac-toe with, while on horseback; that was a first and so cool! They then took a tour of the ranch, which was definitely Seattles favourite part; she asked the trainer to let go so she could make the horse run.... Oh dear. HaHa! It actually wont surprise me at all to see her trotting by next month. I figured it may take a few sessions for her to feel comfortable again on horseback but not at all; I was completely wrong on that one:) She is more at home in a saddle than I have ever seen her anywhere else. The smile on her face and the brightness in her eye is bar none and I am beyond thrilled for her that she gets an entire summer with her beloved horsies. *the pictures I included are of Sea riding the wooden therapy horse inside the barn which is good for toning her torso, my gorgeous spot to enjoy during downtime, water fun and of course her riding ( shes not happy on Sunny because thats when she had to dismount and she didnt want to lol.)
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 20:14:40 +0000
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