It was great to see so many volunteers attend our first training session of the year before our Riders started the term. It was a good opportunity for us all to learn from each other and do some brainstorming on “best practices” for our group.

I was thrilled to experience the reason we do what we do in the first week of Term 1 when we had two new riders start with us. Both riders are in the same class and came with both parents. As always, there is no certainty of how the riders will react, and their parents had expressed doubt as to how the ride would go, and if indeed, the riders would even get on.
Well, the ponies and our volunteers  worked their magic!! Both riders completed a full mounted session, after a softly softly then firm but kind approach. They finished with big smiles and high fives. And both Mums’ had tears in their eyes. It so rewarding to see how a rider can transition from extreme anxiety to unreserved joy, in such a small length of time.
This is why we do this!!. Keep up the good work, let’s keep changing lives for the better, with the help of our super star equines!
   
Happy riding.
Judith Finch, Coach