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Volunteer Impact | Postcards from the Ponies by Carmen Miller

September 9, 2021 by Taylor Polito

WrittCarmen came up with, fundraised for, and completed this project during the Stay-at-Home order in early Spring, 2020.

Carmen (left) side-walking during a Hippotherapy session!

Carmen’s story

I have been volunteering at Madison Fields, a therapeutic riding facility, Since September, 2019. Madison Fields uses equine assisted activities to help people with neurological and physical differences. One thing I have learned from my volunteer work is how important consistent routine is to most of the riders.

The Impact of COVID-19

In late March, 2020, all activities in my area shut down because of COVID-19. The pandemic created great upheaval in the lives of people all over the world. Among the activities I had to stop was volunteering at Madison Fields.

Additionally, many of the riders did not have the privilege of understanding why their routine stopped so abruptly. It made me wonder how the riders and their families would deal with all of the changes COVID-19 would bring to their lives. I wondered if there was some way I could help with the loss of their weekly riding lessons at Madison Fields.

One of the big challenges Madison Fields faced was how to stay connected to their riders. I began to think: what I can I do from my home to help the riders and their families have a way to stay connected to the horses and the people who work and volunteer at Madison Fields?

Carmen’s Solution

To help the riders stay connected, I decided to send a postcard from each of the horses. My goal was to reassure riders and their families that we were thinking of them. Everyone missed the riders so much. My experiences taught me that a tangible object would be an effective way to show the riders that the staff and volunteers still cared about them. Postcards with their own lesson horses would add a personal touch!

I asked Taylor Polito, Madison Fields’ Volunteer Coordinator, for insight into the affect of these changes on the riders. She agreed that this time was really stressful for many of the riders and was enthusiastic about my idea. She asked me to go ahead and develop the project on my own.

I named this project Postcards from the Ponies. At the completion of the project, I had created “I miss you” postcards; one from each of the therapy horses to their riders. I also created cards to wish riders a Happy Birthday, Congratulations on their first ride, happy holidays, and even thank you cards to send to supporters, donors, and volunteers!

If you would like to sign up to be a part of our volunteer program, please fill out the form below!

Filed Under: Featured Journal Entry, Volunteering Tagged With: accessibility, Connection, COVID-19, eaat, Equine Assisted Activities, horses, path intl, post cards, postcards, therapeutic riding, volunteer opportunities, volunteer project

In the Spotlight | Max

April 27, 2020 by Taylor McCarthy

The Madison Fields EAAT team is devoted to improving our participants’ quality of life through developing and fostering healing relationships with our therapeutic riding horses. Today, we are honored to put the spotlight on one of our riders, Max! Read more to find out what his family had to say about his experience at the farm.

[Read more…] about In the Spotlight | Max

Filed Under: EAAT, In The Spotlight Tagged With: #EAAT #horses #horse TherapeuticRiding, autism, autism awareness, Autismafter21, eaat, farm, horse, horse riding, horses, Madison Fields, max, rider, Riding Program, spotlight, therapeutic riding

Build-A-Horse

April 14, 2020 by Taylor McCarthy

Colors-MarkingsDownload

Let’s get creative! First, we will learn about colors and markings on horses. Then, we will use our new knowledge and our creative minds to build our very own horse! All we have to do is download the file above to get started!

Madison Fields EAAT Team
The Madison Fields EAAT Team!

Filed Under: EAAT Tagged With: #EAAT #horses #horse TherapeuticRiding, activity, autism, autism awareness, eaat, horses, Madison Fields, madison house autism foundation

Madison Fields | Horse Breeds Activity

April 1, 2020 by Whitney Grim

At Madison Fields we have many horses with varying personalities, but have you ever wondered what breed each horse is and how it makes them special? In this horse breeds activity, we introduce you to each of our horses by name and breed and give some insight into what makes them so unique. There are even some discussion questions to keep students and families engaged while getting to know our herd a little better. Let’s continue growing together each and every day!

Equine Assisted Activities and Learning Horse BreedsDownload

Filed Under: EAAT Tagged With: #EAAT #horses #horse TherapeuticRiding, activity, community, eaat, farm life, grow together, growing together, horse breeds, horse riding, horses, Madison Fields, madison house autism foundation, therapeutic riding

Madison Fields | 30-Day Horse Trial

March 26, 2020 by Whitney Grim

Madison Fields’s Trial Period

At Madison Fields, when a new horse is brought into the herd they don’t go straight into working with riders. There is what we like to consider a trial period, where we dedicate 30 days to allow the horse to fully transition into their new role as a Therapeutic Riding (TR) horse and become comfortable with their new home.

[Read more…] about Madison Fields | 30-Day Horse Trial

Filed Under: EAAT Tagged With: #EAAT #horses #horse TherapeuticRiding, autism, autism awareness, eaat, horse, horses, Madison Fields, Riding Program, team, therapeutic riding

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