by Heidi Torreiter, Green Spaces Co-ordinator
One of the most popular activities at the Ranch these days is working with our equine friends, Maggie and Pierre. Just like their namesakes, these two are larger than life in spirit, but they're oh so little in physique. The mini horses came to us 3 years ago when they were just six months old. Now they're 3 ½, they've had a year of training and they're both well-seasoned cart drivers. Participants of our Green Spaces program have been learning how to harness and hook them to the sulky cart. Once they're all hooked up, the driver gears up with a helmet and sits on the cart. Drivers review the commands for right (gee), left (haw), and stop (you guessed it, whoa), and round the riding ring they go, with Jim leading the horse.
As drivers grow more comfortable, they dipsy-doodle around the ring doing figure-8's and such. We also have a few drivers who have excelled to driving the horses round the ring without a lead.
These little guys provide us with a great opportunity for developing many things: physical activity, manual dexterity, and strength, focus and calm. One of our program participants illuminated a few other important strengths of Maggie and Pierre, pointing out that "before the car, we had to use horses." This activity brings us back to a time when we worked with horses for a lot of our farm tasks, making it a good representation of rural life and what we appreciate about it. This participant also brings to light that working with Maggie and Pierre exemplifies a "harmony between animals and man." This is what Peace Ranch is trying to achieve-providing a place for people to slow down, gain focus, and develop and strengthen skills and relationships.
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Shane, getting ready to go for a tour.
Peace Ranch News
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Winter Edition
2006-2007
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