Newsletter – Summer 2006

Tis the season of Fun, Fun, Fundraisers.

So far this year we’ve had three major fundraisers. Two of which required very little work on our part, just drawing out the winning tickets and one that required a bit more of our man power.

The first two fundraisers are the motorcycle raffles that were sponsored by Cowboy’s Custom Cycle and Deb DoDa of Washington. These folks graciously held not only one motorcycle raffle for us but two. They put together the second raffle after they found out the first left us a bit short of obtaining our goal of getting a portable lightweight aluminum mounting ramp. (For more information on the first raffle, see the related story in the Spring 2006 Newsletter.) The second motorcycle raffle was drawn for on June 3, in Steele City at the 11^th Annual Dog Days of Summer Bike Show, hosted by the Margo D’Angelo and The Salty Dog. One of our riders, Justin, got to draw out the winning ticket. Justin was thrilled to be included. He’s pictured in the Photo Album section of our website in the bright green t-shirt, atop the 1999 Harley Davidson motorcycle. The bike came from Lisa Bond of KC. And boy are we ecstatic cause the funds from this second raffle combined with the funds from the first will allow us to get that portable lightweight aluminum mounting ramp we’ve been trying to obtain now for over a year. The winning ticket was sold to Lannie Heidemann, of Elk Creek, NE by DoDa herself, at Cowboy’s Custom Cycle Shop, while he was there for parts and service. Watch out for us now. We’ve become mobile and you may see us participating at local and surrounding county fairs.

The last fundraiser we had was the 4^th of July Ice Cream Social held before the fireworks in the Washington City Park. We served ice cream to the crow before the fireworks started. It was a beautiful evening and the ice cream was quickly scooped up. It was not only a night of visual enjoyment for the eyes, but also one of cool luscious flavor for the stomach. We served Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. Do you know how many different variations of these three flavors there can be?

Many help us keep our barn in Tip-Top shape.

We don’t own our own facilities, but the Washington Co. Fairboard kindly lets us use the Gold Barn and the outdoor arena for all our class riding sessions and for volunteer and equine training. It’s really a great facility and it functions quite well for us. Part of our agreement in using the building is to keep it cleaned up. It is always in need of a good general cleaning after the idle winter months, and because of various other shows and activities taking place in the building, some extra additional cleaning is often required. We have been very fortunate to have had several groups volunteer to help us with this big job. The Stick To IT 4H Club, from the Morrowville area, came and helped us with the initial clean up of the barn on a Sunday afternoon in March. They came with their buckets, rakes and sleeves rolled up, ready to jump right in and work. With some many enthusiastic and energetic hands, the work went quickly and in no time the place was in tip-top shape and ready to serve the riders attending our first Class of the year. (See picture of group in the photo album.)

Then after several shows and a sale were held in the barn it was in need of cleaning again. We were in the process of putting together a work day to do it, when a call came in with the solution to our dilemma. Washington High School counselor, Teryl Goeckel called and said that the students of Washington Junior/Senior High were organizing a community clean up day and was there anything they could do for us. So on May 5^th, six strapping young men and their two sponsors, Michelle Bruna and Laura Bott, came down and whipped the building back into shape in a little over an hour. It was a chance for the students to give something back to the communities and to hear and see first hand what it is we do for our riders. We are so grateful that they thought of us. (See picture of the young men in the photo album.)

IRS Rules on our 501-c-3 Status.

Applying for 501-c-3 status was not an easy one. There was lots and lots of paper work. It felt like we were writing a novel. The IRS reviews all of that paper work and then gives you a temporary ruling based on that information. After a given amount of time, we had to file more paper work. Several days were spent with our accountant, compiling with information for the IRS. This time to provided evidence to them that would backup all the information we gave them the first time. It has all been worth it! We have retained our 501-c-3 status and have been classified as a Public Charity. What an achievement as we celebrate our 5^th year! Yes, it’s hard to believe, but we have been operating now for five years now. Five years ago, we had all those meetings, trainings and the pilot program that we ran that first winter and we remember those great wonderful ideas, those goals that we set and the vision that we had. Although some of those ideas and goals have had to become a bit more realistic, and some have taken a bit longer to achieve, it has been a wonderful ride for us and for the people we are serving. We are making such a difference in these peoples lives. New friendships have formed, greater self-confidence has been achieved and numerous physical benefits have been received. We have riders traveling up to two hours to participate in our program. Who would have ever dreamed we’d reach out that far?

Riding Session

Class #1 of 2006 was pretty much underway and probably pretty close to being completed by the time the Spring Newsletter came out. We were short on program horses this spring and had spent several weeks evaluating new horses to be used in our riding sessions before we would start. We thought we’d found a couple of horses to fill in the empty spaces we needed to fill, but we still took on a light load of riders, to make sure that all was going to work out. Well it’s a good thing we did that. Some horses just don’t take to being surrounded by so many people so they aren’t cut out to be therapeutic riding horses and then of course injuries and sickness also occur in equines just as they do human. Because of these issues we were limited as to the number of riders we could accommodate for Class #2.

Together the instructors and the Board of Directors have been facing the problem. They have been carefully looking for the right solution. They were pursuing the idea of purchasing program horses and following up on an ad, when the solution seemed to present itself in the form of a “for sale” ad. The ad was for two Halflinger/Paint cross ponies, 16 & 17 years of age, broke to ride and drive. Well, after hearing that the ponies would be used in a therapeutic riding program, Dr. Roy Hall of Mayetta, KS instead offered to Independence Farms, the use of these two ponies for as long as we need them.

Dr. Hall shared with us over the phone all the ponies could do and had already done. It sounded to good to be true! As soon as it could be arranged, a trip was made to see the ponies and to do a preliminary evaluation. Despite the wet muddy conditions of the first visit to Dr. Hall’s place, the ponies proved their worth. We put them through as many of the paces as we could. They behaved exceptionally and tolerated it all with flying colors! The excited evaluators came back to the board and quickly put together a budget of what it would take to house these ponies and of how the use of these two ponies could expand the number of riders we were currently serving. The board reviewed the numbers and agreed that the ponies could earn their keep. Approval was given to get the ponies. Tony and Freddy made the trip here with little disruption, keeping true to all that Dr. Hall had told us about them. Evaluations are still continuing, but so far it’s looking very promising. It’s looking like Class #3 could be full when we start up again after the fair in August. The excitement is growing! Volunteers prepare yourselves for a very busy class. And yes, we could also use a few more volunteers. Come by on a Sunday afternoon, and see what it is we do, maybe it could be for you. It could be a great way to getting in some walking exercise while helping someone else at the same time. (See pictures of Tony and Freddy in our Photo Album.)

Does or club or organization need a program? How about you let us do the presentation. Call 785-325-2719 to visit with someone about it. We love what we do and we’d love to tell you and your club or organization about us!

Are you looking for a way to do community service? Contact us. We could possible help you fill that need.