Winter / Spring 2013
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Inside this issue: More Than Just Classmates Interactive Vaulting The Legacy Garden Learning to Fly Hoedown & Holiday Mar ket Report High Hopes Happenings: ■ Concert ■
Pro f essiona l Deve lopme nt
More Than Just Classmates
■ Horse Show Days ■
"Patty " Wagon
Ready to Ride What Each Day Brings
In accordancewith the Americans with Disabilities Act, The High Hopes Rider is available in alternative formats upon request. Pleasecontact Susan Shulman at Ext. 128.
HIGH
H OP E S
Therapeutic Riding.Inc. Phone: 860 .434 . 1974 Fax: 860 .434 .3723
www .highhopestr .org
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imple things give clues to a cherished friendship between High Hope riders Sean Slusarz, 11 and Carson Swope, 12. Their friendship is strong, yet nuanced with thoughtful traits, such as carrying a backpack, helping out with a helmet or even enjoying quiet times playing video games. The pre-teens, both from Old Lyr:ne, knew each other as acquaintances before they started riding together in Jonnie Edwards' class, but the camaraderie formed at High Hopes helped forge a friendship. For Sean, that means he has a friend who appreciates his quirky sense of humor, said his mother, Linda Slusarz. And for Carson - who never carries his own backpack because that is something Sean likes to do - he has a friend who quietly helps out. "They're a good influence on each other - they complement each other," said Carson's grandmother, Joann Lishing, who sat amicably with Sean's mother to watch the boys take their group lesson one day in December.
Carson has been riding since he was 4 years old, and Sean has been riding since age 8. "Sean is very sensitiv e to Carson's lack of balance," noted Joann. Linda agrees, laughing at the way Sean cleared a swath of stairway at a school concert so Carson could negotiate the stairs without being jostled by passersby. Carson, said Sean's mother, is a positive influence on Sean, whose social skills can get rocky, an area where Carson is quite adept. "Carson allows Sean to be Sean," said Linda. And Carson, said his grandmother, is careful to never expose any of Sean's social weaknesses. Both boys have made great progress as riders, said their instructor Jonnie Edwards, and take pride in their gains. "My belief is that horses are truly magic, I get joy out of watching what these horses do for the riders - they give them so much freedom." "I think it's a very safe place for them, for everyone. They don't have to worry about other people looking at them and thinking they're different - because everyone is different here - nobody cares."