The Herd – All our horses seem to understand the importance of their jobs. Not all horses have the mindset for this difficult work and because of that, all prospective mounts undergo an extensive evaluation process to determine who has the temperament and skills that meet our strict criteria. In addition of assessing the horse’s overall soundness, our volunteers act as riders and put horses thru the paces of gaits as well as performance in areas such as quick unexpected dismounts, sensitivity to sound, motion and touch. In addition to the standard walk/trot horses, flat-shod Tennessee Walking Horses are also used because of their special gait. Like any other working horse, we give them needed diversions and R&R time to keep them happy and challenged.
Here are some of our faithful mounts:
HOLLY – our first lesson horse from the inception of our program, Holly is a 22 year old Appaloosa mare. Now with special needs of her own, she gives a limited number of lessons to our smallest riders.
DOS - a big 9 year old Tennessee Walking Horse gelding, Dos is a gentle giant – he is a cornerstone mount for our veteran’s program and for our adult riders.
LIGHTNING – an 18 year old Arab/Connemara cross gelding, has the upbeat, active gaits many of our riders need.
ELLIE MAY – 16 year old paint mare, even tempered and tolerant of all the activities that occur in a session.
GUNNER – 30 year old Arab-cross pony – again with some dietary issues but not lacking in spirit and energy – wonderful for some of our smaller riders.
TANGO'S TOPPER – 21 Tennessee Walking Horse graciously loaned to us each winter by owner Tracy Gandin. Our therapy horses need to learn much more than riding skills – tolerance is a big and necessary attribute!
Mulberry Delight, aka "Babe" is a 21 year old black Tennessee Walking Horse mare who has just joined our program and has quickly won the hearts of all.
Classy - a 23 year old buckskin quarter horse mare who has retired from showing and has incredible patience with our timid riders.
HORSE DONATIONS – We periodically need new horses to support our program. If you think you have a good candidate for us contact us – if they sound like a good candidate we will take them on a 2 month trial to assess their suitability for this special job. call 802-426-2782 or e-mail us at RhythmOfTheRein@aol.com.
