24
July 20 – August 2, 2013
Youth
www.SanTanSun.com
Play dates with horses offer bevy of benefits BY ALISON STANTON
Jeannie Hatfield has been fascinated by horses since she was a little girl growing up in Kentucky. She has fond memories of her father calling her to join him each May to watch the Kentucky Derby on television, and sitting in awe and admiring the way the horses raced around the track. Over the years, Hatfield has continued to pursue her love for horses; she has taken numerous classes about equine science and other related topics and has worked as a horse massage therapist and horseback tour guide. Now, through her work as program director at Harmony Heart Ranch in Chandler, Hatfield is helping young children learn about and appreciate horses. For the past five summers, the ranch has offered a horse play date program for children ages 6 and older. The kids—usually with their parents in tow—arrive at the ranch early in the morning and spend 2 1/2 hours with Hatfield doing a variety of activities, including brushing the horses and “painting” them with a mixture of water and food coloring. “The first thing I do is go over the ranch rules, and give the kids an introduction to horsemanship,” Hatfield says, adding that this is her first summer running the popular program. “I teach them all about safety, and then we all grab brushes and start brushing.”
LOOKING LOVELY: Two girls carefully “paint” a horse with a mixture of food coloring and water during a horse play date at Harmony Heart Ranch in Chandler. Submitted photo
After spending an hour or so brushing and painting two senior horses who Hatfield says are extremely gentle and docile with the children, the group then experiences other aspects of life on a farm. This includes meeting the ranch’s two younger and livelier horses; visiting with the two resident cows— one of whom is named Miss Piggy—and gathering eggs from the 31 chickens who call the ranch home.
“I recently had eight Girl Scouts here and they were all crawling around having a great time and the horses were just looking at them like, ‘thank you so much for brushing us and loving us today,’” Hatfield says. To keep everyone cool, Hatfield enjoys spraying a hose up into the air. When the play date session is over, the kids are given a horse-related craft to take home.
“The kids just love it,” she says. Hatfield says she truly enjoys running the horse play date program. She especially loves teaching and showing children and their parents how kind, caring and empathetic the animals can be. “I am truly living my passion and doing what I love,” she says. While Hatfield is keeping a watchful eye on the children who are happily brushing and painting the horses, she knows she is doing more than giving them the opportunity to meet the animals up close. She is also providing children and their parents the chance to experience the therapeutic benefits that horses can provide. “Horses evoke so much emotion in us. They are such amazing animals, and they are so connected with us,” Hatfield says. “They can tell when we are upset about something, and they are so loving to us.” Hatfield recalls how a young boy who recently attended a horse play date with his parents and older siblings had a great time interacting with the horses and jumping in the mud. His parents confided in Hatfield that their son had been in therapy because he was afraid of gooey substances, and were amazed at how much fun he was having. “It’s much more than just a play date with horses,” she says. “I call it being SEE HORSE PAGE 26
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