1984 March Newsletter

---

The Lower Connecticut Valley Educational Riding Association, Inc. L.C.V.E.R.A. Hadlyme, Ct.

06439 Vol.

3 No.

Nonprofit. tax exempt organization

March

1

1984

A LETTER FHOM fHE PRES I OENf Usu.al 1 y January, Febn.1ar·y arid March are quiet times for LCVERA. Not so this year.

Twenty or more volunteers, some experienced and some new to LCVERA, have been taking the volunteer enrichment and instructor training course y1ven

by Natalie Bieber and Anne gained a Wr-ight.

All of us have better · Ltn derstanding of our more about the riders as we learn spec,fic disabilities we are working with . We have also come t..o respect Nat and Anne for the ) emendous amount of knowledge and dedication they bring ta the A high point of th e pr ·ogram. course will be on March 25th at Tekla Farm i n Ches te r . Bet.h RPT and colleagues of Stanford, hers from The Thorncroft Therapeutic Riding Ce nter in d~y Pennsylvania wil l give an all lecture and mounted se ssi on. ?tll interested volunteers are welcome .

We hope to see you there. early

These pa;st f ew mont hs ha~en · t be en quiet for the new]y formed Transition Committee either.

As you will read elsewhere in th is newslet t er, they have been busy wo rk ing on endless job descriptions and met.hods for a smooth tr ·ansi ti on r<m personally on May 1st. delighted that the Board of 1·rustees last night approved th e -ansition Committee's reco mmend c ion that we hire an Executive Director · to or ·ga nize and dj rect the program and hire pald 1 n the r· 1ng. ins tr· u ctor s to teach Tins is a gr ·eat step +orw.awd and will ensure that t he qual Jt y of our program is better than ever .

Jt is March.

I could n ' t wr it e to you all without reminding yo u that March brings warme r w~a the r and the beginning of LCVERA's spring sessions . I t has been a J o ng winter and we are all anxious to be back in the ring.

I look forward to seeing all our rider s and volunteers the week of Ma rch of y ou who recei ve 26 th.

For those of this newsletter and are f r iends LCVERA, please come visit the program at any time - Mond ay Cluo, nights at the Wes t brook ~~nt Tuesdays at Kingswood Stable, · and Wednesdays a t Westbrook Thursdays afternoons at the Goulds . You ' ll love it With sadness, muc h affec ti on and a great deal of gratitude my to our letter ends with a goodbye beloved Santa Claus.

You all remember the story of this wonderful horse in our last newsletter.

He had to be put d o wn Until the end he on March 6th. all he had to LC\JEHA and to gave his riders who loved him so n~c h . fhank you, Santa, f r-om all of u s .

We shall miss yuu.

Jud y Lig ht. f oot

Tk

Tr,t

FRIENDS OF LCVERA Last November your Board set up a Transition Committee to help smooth the changes which will come about through the resignation of Anne Wright who has been instrumental in much of LCVERA's progress in the past ten years.

Your Transition Committee is composed of the following people: Marianne Pfeiffer, chairperson; Sally Aubrey; Natalie Bieber; Edi Griswold; Judy Lightfoot; Judy Lovelace; Patti Peoples and Anne Wright.

Using Anne's excellent "Proposal for Transition" as the initial framework for ideas and discussions, we have arrived at a number of recommendations to the Board.

First we helped set up the Education Committee's training course for potential instructors (an enrichment for volunteers).It has twenty odd participants.

It will continue into April for potential instructors under the guidance of Anne Wright and Nat Bieber, Next this committee has formulated job descriptions covering all the functions which need to be covered, plus those which have been "discussed and recommended by many individuals and committees in the last few years of growth and self stLidy.

We feel the best road to a successful future for LCVERA lies in a strong support system giving both guidance and assistance to a paid director.

Therefore we have recommended that a guidance committee be formed composed of the chairpersons of present committees dealing with the program itself (Program Development, Volunteer, Horse, Education, Finance),our therapists and our President.

This committee will work with the director who will manage LCVERA's program and commitments and who will direct a staff of paid instructors and the various volunteers.

The following job descriptions (open to revision) outline what we would e>:pect from our paid staff,

JOB DESCRIPTION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Paid independent LCVERA.

contractor

of

QUALIFICATIONS: 1 - Strong skills

administrative

2 - Knowledge of physical disabilities emotional disturbances 3

Compatible

4 E>:perience horsemanship and in

learning and

and

personality in and with horsemastership

5 - Willingness to continuing education

participate

FUNCTIONS: 1 - Administer the total coordination of the program and its satelite functions, maintain all records, act as liason to all persons and organizations involved with LCVERA, be an en-officio member of the Board and committees, handle an LCVERA phone.

2 - Supervise the design and e>:ecution of the program so as to ensure that each student will be given the opportunity to develope mentally and physically to the limits of his/her includes two ten mounted lessons, Fall), and other activities related program.

potential.

This week semesters of (Spring and e>:ta curricular to the riding

3 - Control and coordinate the activities of all instructors, volunteers, and therapists within the program, including volunteer training.

2

4 - Enforce LCVERA and safety guidelines.

NARHA

5 - Supervise ..Lients at regular ~sing input from

the

of

evaluatiorl intervals, instructors,

)therapists, parents, teachers etc 'wherever appropriate and by observing students in their cl a'ss room situations occasionally.

Establish of all

6 -

calendar

and maintain LCVERA events

in

4

Good

5

Willingness

continuing 6 -

their where

technique to

â&#x20AC;˘

participate

education.

Willingness students in

classroom

a and

teaching

to observe their school

situation

once

yearly

appropriate.

commitments.

ORGANIZATION

FUNCTIONS:

1 - Consults with and seeks advice and help of Guidance Committee members regarding their appropriate fields.

1 - Design, under supervision of therapists and E><ecutive Director, and e><ecute a course of instruction for students which insures that they will be given the opportunity to develope mentally and physically to the limits of their potential, and to become as accomplished a rider as possible â&#x20AC;˘

Reports to and takes

2 -

Trustees them.

Board of direction

from

.;, - Keeps the Board of Trustees informed as to the general progress and problems of the program.

4 -

Board

Accepts the on all safety

5 - Refers to regard to budget the

guidance of procedures.

the and

Board in finances

Signs

-

yearly

of

4 - Direct Volunteers so use their e,:pertise to best advantage, keeping in mind possibility of developing

contract.

associate

5 - Meet

6 -

employee

of

evaluating

If

2 -

Knowledge

which

he/she

Maintain each

writt2n student.

information

and records

you have any suggestions submit them to me. If you

are interE=sted know someone

QUALIFICATIONS:

with

e)~change

evaluation

LCVERA please

1 - E><perience horsemanship and

to

reg~,1 ar 1 y with to

on student's progress.

JOB DESCRIPTION I isST t<UCTOR

as

instructors.

volunteers

Paid

NARHA

3 - Direct his/her staff team of Volunteer Coordinator, Horse and Equipment Coordinator and others as he/she desires.

the

organization.

6

Enforce LCVERA and guidelines.

2 -

safety

in and with horsemastership. of

is

would April

disabilities

working.

3 - Enthusiasm.

3

in these who might

jobs or qualify,

like to hear from you 15th.

Please contact Marianne Pfeiffer 132 Whippoorwill Road Old Lyme, Ct 06371 tel. 4,:'-4-5621

before

we

Anne will be with us through May 1st.

Five weeks later the Spring semester ends.

The Guidance Committee will guide the program to the end of the semester, or until the new Director is found and familiar with his/her job.

A staff of instructors will be recruited from among qualified applicants and our course graduates.

NARHA WORKSHOP NARHA has April 27,

scheduled a Workshop 28 and 29th at the

University of Massachusetts Arena in Amherst.

Ma. This workshop will include a full discussion of hippotherapy (therapy on horseback l given

by Dr. Ingred Strauss, medical director in charge of Krankenanstal t Hospital, Kreuth, Federal Republic of West Germany.

Many other related questions are being worked on by our committee.

We are determined to preserve the best of the past while investigating new ways and directions which will make LCVERA and all of us even stronger and more effective in giving lifelong benefits to our riders.

An Announcement was made McGowan, chairman of the Workshop Committee.

This second

consecutive

year

by Lida Special is the for

five

workshops - four i11 the USA and one in Canada.

These workshops receive financial aid from the Kellog Foundation, Battle Creek,

Marianne

MI.

Dr Strauss directs a program in therapeutic riding at her stable, Wahkirschen.

She lectured on hippotherapy at the 1982 . . international conference on r1d1ng for the disabled in West Germany.

For further details call 434-1407 To arrange carpools call Griswold at 767-8735.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Sis

Gould

Edi

ASi<

INQUIRE QUESTION We maintain volunteers.

a library

for

use

by

Our Education Committee arranges workshops, lectures, learning opportunities, etc., by request and on a regular basis.

See current Chairperson, Nat Bieber.

Reading Education

list available Chairman.

from

Ical'I, lean.

4

..

â&#x20AC;˘

On one night Anne had us all breathing into our "CORE" and making our arms invincible!

All this to show us how to conserve, relax and dominate without raising our voices OR our bloodpressures~

SPECIAL THURSDAYS

As you have read elsewhere in this newsletter during the past few weeks a group of twenty interested people have been gathering on Thursday evenings to learn more about teaching the handicapped; with special emphasis on horseback riding.

Nat Bieber and Anne Wright put their heads together and came up with this "Volunteer Enrichment and Potential Instructors Courseâ&#x20AC;˘.

As you can see these levities were breaks of humor interspersed among a gigantic task of teaching us the background, concerns, needs and wants of our clients. great than

This is a ten week course designed to acquaint us with the nature and needs of the specific disabilities of our clients.

Nat gave the first two courses and discussed the handicaps in some depth - allowing us to see that some of the things we take for granted i.e. coordinated movements ~y be quite impossible for some ,ndicapped persons who have to compensate for their lack of maneuverability in other ways.

It might seem strange to see a rider's head turn to the left because he was extending his right arm - but such is the case with some C.P.s.

This is but a grain of knowledge from this course crammed full of helpful and interesting information.

These classes have been a learning experience but more that they have been FUN.

THE SIXTH ANNUAL SCHOOL HEALTH

CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY' APRIL 4, 1984 Keller Auditorium University of Conn. Health Center Farmington, CT "THE STUDENT, THE FAMILY AND THE SCHOOLS" Problems of the 80s This program is designed for physicians, nurses, educators and other relevant school and medical personell.

The morning session will include an overview of current school health issues and other associated discussions.

Working lLmches will be followed by afternoon workshops, One of the eight workshops will be given by Nat Bieber, Anne Wright and Don Rankin,M.D. called:"Tharapeutic Horseback riding: Springboard for learning.

Some of the other topics covered will be:"The abused student"; "School refusal"; "A practical approach to the obese student"; and others.

Contact Anne at 434-9132 for further details.

One of the courses was given

by Maggie Marshall, the Director of Community Services from SARAH. Her dominant theme was "Try Another Way". We all tend to think of only one way to accomplish a task.

She proved her point by giving us all toothbrushes and paste.

The Problem: Person can't control the amount of toothpaste that squeezes out.

Result: messy sink.

We were to come up with a better way. The ~ssex School Auditorium may never ~e completely free of the scent of Pepsodent but these 20 people DID come up with as many ways to accomplish this job.

Another lesson learned.

5

LET'S

GET ACQUAINTED"

Don Rankin, M.D. Medical Committee

â&#x2014;&#x160;Chairman

of

the

Don has been a very active member of the LCVERA Board for three years.

Together with Anne Wright he planned and participated in the Grand Rounds at the Newington Children's Hospital in August 1982.

This program was an evaluation of horseback riding for the handicapped.

Three mothers explored this form of therapy and shared observations of their children.

This was a successful program, so it will come as no surprize that these same two dedicated people are planning a Workshop set for April 4, 1984 at. the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the University o¡f Connecticut Medical Center (See notice elsewhere in newsletter) Don has a B.A. from Colgate University and a M.D. from the University of Rochester in 1966.

He was a surgical resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1966 - 1972 with time out from 1968 1970 for a stint in the U.S. Air Force.

In 1973 he was attending Emergency Medicine at Park Citv Hospital.

He was apppointed ' Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine - a position he still holds.

He is the Medical Director - representing Bridgeport Hospital, St Vincent's Hospital and Park City Hospital -for the deveiopment of Emergency Mediacl Services in the Greater Bridgeport area.

He is also a member of the National Faculty, American Heart Association, Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course.

He teaches Life Support in Connecticut Hospitals.

Don is married is a LCVERA volunteer. in Madison and have children. team,

We're Don!

glad

you're

GOODBYE, MY HERO In this USA we deem the old useless tread Shove them off to caretakers; But

you

,my hero,

aged

and

a

gently

wise,

Spent your late days giving Courage to the fearful, Freedom to the captive, Strength to the weakened, Reins to the powerless.

And, to Down to

me, you gave everything your last breath.

Anne T. Wright March 1984

to

Nancy who They live three on our 6

I have worked on the Raffle, on Day in the Country, on the Handbook and on the Transition Committee.

I went to the Durham 4-H show,the C.P. Regional Games at Amherst and the show at Westbrook Hunt CLub as a volunteer.

I attended the NARHA meeting in November, and the advanced fall Winslow seminar, where I saw Nancy on Learning again between lectures Disabilities.

I have listened to confusing debates on back-riding and I have seen the thrilling results of its use under the supervision of a therapist.

And everywhere I went I was gratified by the honesty, intelligence and kindness ot the people I met.

,~E YEAR LATER .•••• Last March I wrote about our trip to the Winslow Seminar, from which we returned bursting with awe, appreciation and enthusiasm.

In the course of the intervening year my notebook has swollen, my bookcase has overflowed (but the flow ran upstream - even my bedroom is piled high with books to be read), and my knowledge has expanded.

Soon after the Winslow Happening another great event occured: I had a horse to ride whenever I wished, a horse to groom, to observe, to walk with and to play with, to respect and to love.

In some ways we are not suited for one another; people with short, weak legs do not belong on big tall horses with a big rib cage.

And sometimes we are much too lazy to be acceptable members of the riding community' '~t least one of us should be ,ergetic and pulled together when the other is not!).

But sometimes when the air is just the right

In January I visited Andy in Middleburg before spending foLtr days in Potomac working in my uncle's barn.

At Andy's I saw for myself that her new home is very nice indeed and everyone is happy.

In Potomac I witnessed and participated in the meticulous care of hunters and steeplechase racers.

I may be e>:aggerating just a little when I claim that every hair was in place, every muscle was tuned to perfection, every strand of straw gleamed with golden freshness, and never was there a wrinkled or lopsided blanket.

But such was the

temperature, when we have seen just the right number of deer, when there aren't too many dogs underfoot, when the leaves are fluttering with just the right amount of rustling, and the swans are gliding in the right direction, then we both wake ctp Of course and Boy do we have fun: we had

our

serious

moments

impression

inspired yet participation of the world horsemastership.

as

well, and we both stoically accepted the effort and discipline necessary to perform brillantly in our classes with Holly, because after all we knew it was good for

I came

Edi

LtS ..

And thus did the summer go by. My companions at the Winslow seminar moved away - Andy to Middleburg, where she is involved th another program, and Nancy to ,aratogo Springs, where she continues her search for knowledge about learning disabilities.

7

home

with"

again t □ conti;,ue my in and exploration of ho,-semanship and Griswold

OUR THANKS ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAMED

We want to gratefully acknowleo the receipt of a most generous gift from the ESSEX COMMUNITY FUND. Donations like this enable us to continue our work helping the handicapped in our community.

At the March 14th meeting of the Board, Mrs Jeffrey Lovelace was named Acting Executive Director of LCVERA until such time an Executive Director is selected.

Judy brings to this job many years of experience with LCVERA. She has been active since 1975 serving as a sidewalker for the physically handicapped and . learning disabied children.

She 1s a member of our Board of Trustees, has been chairman of the Program Development and the Nominating Committees and has been a liason between LCVERA and the Essex School system .

Judy holds ¡ an elementary school degree and has had some experience teaching the mentally retared in the Montessori method.

She has had many years of experience with the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut.

In the past she has been Service Chairman of that organization and is currentiy acting as Personnel Chairman on the New London Board.

She has been active with the Essex Auxiliary since 1972.

The Essex Cub Scouts, Essex Community Fund and the Lay Committee of St. Ann's Church have been among her other community activities.

Currently Jud y is area manager - fashion consultant to Doncaster, a division of Tanner, Inc. Judy will begin immediately to work with the people and organizations involved in LCVERA's spring semester which begins March 26th.

MANYTHANKS.

L.C.VERA

VOLUNTEERS satisfying hours each "week

HORSEBACK RIDING FOR THE HANDICAPPED OF NEW JERSEY, INC. presents "DIALOGUE AND DEMONSTi1ATIONS" 2nd Annual Seminar on Therapeutic Riding Sat. Mar.31st 8:30am - 5.00pm Headquaters of the United States Equestrian Team, Pottersville Road, Gladstone, N.J. Call 201-234-1907 for details.

8

f .,

One reads many wonderful success stories of special riders and their accomplishments.

As an \ experienced helper of handicapped to tell you children, I would like the story of another side I played - helping a handicapped foal.

.

On a lovely June day I was loaded into the familiar trailer all by myself and I wondered what was happening.

I unloaded and walked into a clean, sweet smelling barn and joined a family group with many young people.

It didn't take me long to realize what was expected of me. In the stall next to me was a five week old foal who poured his heart out to me with much whinnying and pawing.

It seemed his mother had died very mysteriously and he couldn't understand why she had disappeared out of his life.

Here was my new challenge - not taking care of children but baby sitting for a beautiful thoroughbred orphan.

He -- didn't let me get much sleep the d d~irst night as we were busy getting ,,.. to know each other.

The next day my new mistress let us out together.

My small friendwas very eager and a little too too familiar.

The first thing I had to make him understand was lhat I WASN't his mother; in fact, I wasn't even a mare! Once he understood that we became very good friends.

After all he was being fed and loved often by the whole family.

It was fun for me to get a younger point of view because I am no longer young and am getting rather set in my ways.

Everything was going smoothly when tragedy struck again and my bumptious young friend became sick.

He grew sicker every day.

The Vet came frequently but, seemingly, to no avail.

Then in the middle of one night my new family took "Dinghy" away.

I couldn't understand why they would but I n , move him when he was so ill t 1 earned 1 ater that they had taken ¡c rhim to a large animal hospital trying desperately to save his life.

He never came home. We were desperately upset and I was very lonely.

I returned to my former home.

Everyone was happy to see me again and the neighborhood children made a big fuss over me. Months went by and since all the special children who used to ride me had grown too big, I wasn't used in the program any more.

I felt uneeded and useless.

Then the good word came II We need Pancho again for new childrren."

I am now back in the program and so happy to be needed and useful again.

I have learned so much since I have become a part of LCVERA. Handicaps and needs are manifested in so many different ways and to be able to help in even the smallest way is the bottom line.

"Pancho" (This special interview was given to _our intrepid reporter, Sis Gould, who certainly can show us all how to â&#x20AC;˘talk to the animals'.

Pancho is now a very important part of the Riding Program and has many friends both large and small.)