from Starting Gaits

Xenia, OH — On Sunday (May 10), Starting Gaits Standardbred Transition Program, based near Xenia, Ohio, dropped four retired Standardbreds off at Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Program in Greenfield, Ind. Horses adopted include Keystone Alexis, Hollywood Glamour, Princess Annecy and Bruce’s Boy.

Photo courtesy of Starting Gaits

Starting Gaits Standardbred Transition Program dropped four retired Standardbreds off at Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Program.

Edelweiss is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of lives of people with special needs. Through the rider and horse relationship they offer opportunities for people to nurture independence, confidence and trust in a safe and stimulating environment. They offer programs for both youth and adults with mental and physical disabilities with both riding and driving therapy, as well as an Equine Services for Heroes program for veterans. In April 2015, Edelweiss received a grant from the Indiana Standardbred Association, and just a few days later made a trip to Starting Gaits to meet some of the available horses and see if any were a good fit for their program.

“We were hoping for one or two horses to be adopted, and were thrilled when the staff selected four of the five horses shown to come to their program,” said Mandi Cool, Executive Director of Starting Gaits. “These horses have so much to offer after they are done racing. They have been through so much training and care while racing that they easily adapt to having a new job. People helping horses helping people — we couldn’t ask for more than that.”

Chris Kelly, President of Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Program, shared her experiences.

“Four members of Edelweiss — Mary Savides-Head of Equine Committee and Board Secretary , Kathy Johnson–Lead Path Instructor, Cara Pfaff-program coordinator and Chris Kelly–President of Board — spent an exciting morning May 3 at Starting Gaits in Xenia, Ohio, with Mandi Cool selecting from the herd who would be suitable.

“We first met Mandi at Hoosier Horse Fair in April and those discussions have now come to fruition. Edelweiss is pleased to announce the arrival of four Standardbreds to our therapeutic riding and driving programs and with the new relationship with Starting Gaits — a Standardbred Transition Program.

“These horses will play an integral part of our program and we welcome Hollywood Glamour, Keystone Alexis, Princess Annecy and Bruce’s Boy. While some of them may still pull a cart in our driving arena they will also be used extensively in our riding program. The unique features about these horses include:

• their gait which is a movement conducive to autistic riders
• their high withers and slender girth serve orthopedically challenged riders
• the horses are trained to drive so a rider squeezing their sides to hang on or a random kick does not signal the horse to move forward and will provide a safe environment for horse, rider and side walkers when this occurs
• temperament; these horses are used to being handled and will allow us to work around them effortlessly while providing therapeutic lessons for our students.

“Our riders have many types of issues — physical and emotional — ranging from Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Orthopedics, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The bond between horse and rider is undeniable so whether it be a 5-year-old child, an adult or someone in our veterans program EHOOF, they will be cared for and have purposeful lives for many years to come and yes, adored by all that come into contact with them.”

For more information on Starting Gaits Standardbred Transition Program, visit them on Facebook at Facebook.com/startinggaits or their website www.startinggaits.com.

Edelweiss Equine Assisted Therapy Program can be found at www.horses4therapy.org.