It’s almost February and it is time for another peek at our herd! We have some new faces to introduce, but first we want to recognize the contributions of a couple of herd members who will be leaving our barn.
Nadia, our loving and motherly mental health companion and riding mount, will be retiring to her owner’s home in the next week or two. She has been part of our herd since 2013 and has touched countless lives in her time with Forward Stride. She is beloved by all who meet her, especially those in our Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program.
We are honored to have been able to share her wisdom and experience with our clients, and are incredibly thankful for her years of service. We wish her a happy and relaxing retirement!
Cyrus, our fun-loving riding mount, will also be leaving our barn in the next week or so. He has been a great addition to our Riding program since 2019 and has helped many riders, beginner and experienced, to gain skills and confidence. We will miss him but wish him and his family the best of luck!
If you are around the barn this week, you are welcome to say your farewells to Nadia and Cyrus.
In happier news, we are excited to welcome several new horses to our therapy herd!
Firstly, welcome to Lizzy (red halter) and Spirit (blue halter)! Lizzy is a Quarter Horse mare who did civil war reenactments in a former career! She has taken to her new career as a mount for our Riding program with enthusiasm! Spirit is a Mustang gelding who has had training in dressage. He comes from the same barn that KJ and Oso came from, and is eager to share his knowledge with his riders!
Finally, welcome to some friends in training! Epic (green striped halter) is a Dutch Warmblood in training to be a vaulting mount! Kip (black halter) is a Quarter Horse in training to be a riding mount! And Panache (solid green halter) is a Gypsy Vanner in training to be both a riding and a Rehabilitation Services mount!
We are thrilled to welcome all of these new friends and hope you’ll get to meet them soon!