2015 (Summer) Newsletter

HIGH HOPES

SUMMER

2015

WWW.HIGHHOPESTR.ORG

SKYT0OO Look closer and you 'll realize this is not just any board game, it's an orig ina l called "Race to Critter Rock" created by volunteer Sky Todd. Sky and Julia , whom she coaches , have worked on it together since the fall of 2013.

Sky began her volunteering at High Hopes in 1999 as a side walker, then ho rse leader . Newly relocated to the area and a former rider, a recruiting flier at a local laundromat caught her eye and she decided that becoming a volunteer at High Hopes was a logical fit.

From the beginning, she felt welcomed and "part of a team." Her experience with horsesmade her a valued volunteer in mounted classes. But that was just the beg inning. Eventually Sky began working one-on -one each week in a classroom setting with Julia, who rode and had an unmounted class as well.

Sky became her coach. In addition

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zf.roul,appm ro 0('passillf( ~rrl,e kird1c11/<1/(' Ill r/1(' r!ftemoon 011 n T/1111:wlr~}JOII are /1k<'(rto .we two lieud1· hf'nf Oi'er <t hrifrht(r mloffrl gamr ' hor,rd. and fundraiser. She has also recr uited her husband, Alan , as a vo lunteer. He regu larly drives the mowe r at High Hopes and keeps the g rass unde r con trol. A fine woodworker, he also con tributes a handmade artisanal bowl to the June auction each year.

to fun, friendship, connection and a creative out let, there has a lso been learning, for both of them.

Before volunteering at High Hopes, Sky had not had previous experience with people who have d isabilit ies. One day, after volunteering for a while, she met one of the people she knew from High Hopes out with his father. A conversat ion ensued where Sky ta lked primarily with the son, whom she had spoken to before at High Hopes.

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The vo lunteer hou rs that Sky and he r husband have dona ted to High Hopes over the years have been an invaluab le con t ribution to our program and participants . And this is in addition to their generous co ntribu tions fo r the past 15 yea rs to the scholarship fu nd, annual appeal and June benefi t .

If I hadn 't been at High

Hopes I would have spoken to the father, not the son.

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Sky looks forward to her work with Julia eve ry week, planning organizationa l charts and simulation games she hopes will help prepare Julia for the world of work. At High Hopes, Skyfound there was "tremendous support for whatever the task " and there were "always peop le to help and gu ide you, whatever you wanted to do. " Since 1999 Sky has contr ibuted untold hours of her time and energy to High Hopes in a variety of capacities. Five years ago, in addition to working with participants , Sky took over hosting the annual May envelope-stuffing and lunch , opening her home to the small army of volunteers who assemb le invitations for the annual June event

IF YOU HAVE A SKILL, INTEREST OR YOU ARE LOO KING FOR A N OPPORTUN ITY TO GIVE YOUR TIM E AND RECEIVE AN EXPERIENC E THAT WILL CHA NGE LIVES. INCLUDING YOUR OWN. BECOM E A HIGH HOP ES VOLUNT EER. VIS IT HIGH HO PEST R.ORG/V OL UNT EE R OR PLEASE CO NTACT MEGAN ELLIS AT

(860) 434- 1974, EXT. 112 .

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PETRA

I \ on1•er;1a11 F1orrlmare, Pi-fro rr1111r to I l if;/1I iupf's 111l.<J.<l.<J of tlw fl'lulff r1p:cr!f.'fi)//1; and has f;l1•e11l(i_1erm·<!f r·o11s1:~tf'11f, grucious awl rkvornl S<'f'Plrl' to rlw/l ip:/,ll opt's r·om1111111i~ r f'<'f'I' si11r·< '.

She is one of the most unique looki ng horses in the herd. A brown dun with dorsal stripe , her pale golden coat is bordered by a thick, two-toned

mane, clipped to show its contrast ing colo rs. Her sweeping fore lock frames a kind , intel ligent face. Petra is as sweet as she is beau tiful. A truly versatile little horse, she is patient, to lerant and always wi lling to do wha t is asked of her in class . Petra serves High Hopes' par t ic ipants by bei ng one of our most stoic, rel iable and adaptab le horses.

It's Like They Give You A Best Friend l 1iro11 e ,v/10 /,as had tl1r11one dr(); 1/i"' 0Iw ltip:/1()¡s1re.1 4it! si11in1i o11.f il!f'rl wit/1mI1-;e1; I Nll '.5 , (//Id the Jecl ill f; n/lmr e(r ltoldi11 1-; ii toget/1<'!' ca11wul Nsl ruul /w,i ¡ hard it wasJc1 rS~,-lm:

little afraid, but she worked past her fear and kept riding. Sixyears later, she continues to take lessonsat High Hopes twice a week. "It's like they g ive you a best friend ," she tells me .

Thiswas how she felt all the time . Riding changed that. Learning to control and maneuver her horse gradually taught Skylar how to control her behavior .

Learning through experience and with her whole body allowed Skylar to absorb importan t lessons that she could not take in from just an exchange of words . Gracie , her horse, provided instant feedback about whether her behavior worked or not.

Skylar's regular riding partner isGracie, a ladylike paint mare. "She's very stubborn and nosy," she sayswith a laugh. "She's just like me, actually, now that I t hink about it." Thetwo even share a birthday : May 30, 1999. Skylar briefly grooms her horse, using an array of d ifferent-s ized brushes, before mount ing her.

Over t he years , Skylar had grow n increasing ly impulsive and prone to tears and anger. In school , she could not control what she said to her peers.

She's since bloc ked out the specifics , but remembers bringing them to tears. If a friend asked he r to keep a secret , she immediate ly shared it. If she misplaced a pair of scissors, she accused her schoolma tes of theft. "People didn't get along with me ," she reca lls.

Skylar needed help. With deficits in areas that made traditional learning more difficult, it had to be t he right help . When Skylar was in fourth grade , her swimming instructor suggested therapeutic horseback riding. Soon after that , Skylar and her mother came to High Hopes . Skylar was placed on a horse named Dolly. Never having been on a horse before , Skylar was a

In the indoor arena , Skylar and four other girls mount their horses and trot the perimeter under thei r instruct o r, Lauren's , watch . "We have to be proactive riders , not react ive riders," Lauren tells the girls. "What does it mean to be 'proactive'?" Skylar meekly offers "getting someone to do something ."

Lauren latches on. "That's right ! When you act reactively , you are a passenger.

You should not be a passenger w hen you are riding ," she says. "We need to be active riders. You need to be thinking three to four steps ahead of whe re your ho rse isgo ing." As a message t his is one they must work harder than most to absorb . And it' s easier to do so mounted on a horse, where the y feel at ease .

Megan, her regu lar riding inst ructor , said that Skyla r's soc ia l skills have unden iab ly improved. "I would say in the last few years, she's been gett ing into her teenage years, she's co me out of her shell a lot ," Megan said . "She's

actua lly quite social now, which is nice to see. I can see it pull her focus away from horseback riding a bit , but it's great to see her developing relationships and really getting a lot of joy out of that."

REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, MICHELE HACKMAN, AND THE YALEDAILYNEWS MAGAZINE.

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011 ./1111 e 13'1' the lfi g h /l op <'si11door riding {I /' (' /( {/ ll'{IS /r(llt,)fnrn J('d into (/fl <'1<'11i11 g off' lc[!mtc<'and i11 .1pira1io11 .

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Motown: A Night of Soul & Funkwas the culmination of a yearlong voluntee r effort lead by event chairs Hannah Childs and Jack ie Kangley. From the selection of The Sultans , a fabulous \ II

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Motown band , to the beautiful decor , volunteer committees worked hard to ensure a successful event on behalf of High Hopes. Their ef forts , alo ng w ith the generosity of hundreds of individuals who attended the benefit, he lped raise crucial funds needed to ensure that quality therapeutic riding and equ ine assisted prog rams continue to be offered to all who might benefit , regardless of t heir abil ity

to pay . High Hopes is so grateful to th is amazing community for its generous and unwa vering support! To view photos from the event please visit highh o pestr.org .

---..__'-....,_......_,,,//'-..'-..........._,,,//'--..'-....,_......_,,,/,,,.-IT' S ALMOST T IME TO BEGIN PLA NNING FOR THE 2016 J UNE BENEFIT! IF YOU HAVEAN INTEREST IN BEING PART OF A COMMITTEE, PLEA SE CONTA CT T RUD Y BURGESS AT (860) 434-1974 EXT. 123.

NON-PROFITORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT# 119 DEEP RIVER,CT

HIGH HOPESTHERAPEUTI C RIDING, INC. 36 TOWN WOODS ROAD • OLD LYME , CT 06371

JOIN THEHIGH HOPESFAMILY

OCTOBER 18, 2015 FORTWO GREATFREEEVENTS 0

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415T ANNUAL MEETING

1-3 PM

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ANNUALB

Born tou rs the chance to me et 11\1,\ • 1:\1P me mbe rs of our fant astic herd &

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{REPLYBY OCTOBER12, 2015 AT (860) 434- 1974}

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