Therapeutic Riding Horses

I've been out collecting pictures so I can keep the blog going in this winter weather.  After a snowshoe walk around the edge of Wodehouse Marsh the other day, I drove home past Hope Haven, a nearby centre for therapeutic riding, where we have both volunteered a bit.

It's a nice looking farm, and if I stop at the right point, I can frame the farm buildings and paddocks with the old cedar rail fence and this big old Sugar Maple.

They've got about a dozen horses, and regardless of the season those horses prefer to be outside.  The farm manager tells me there's a greater danger of over-heating staying in the barn too much than being cold outside, though they're taken in at night.

For a change these four horses were in the paddock right by the road, letting me get a close look.   But they were certainly more interested in eating than in me!

These light brown horses are Norwegian Fjord horses, very hardy, peaceful, and small of stature.  They're ideal for therapeutic riding, where the riders need gentle, patient horses.

They've got an interesting pattern in their manes, here groomed differently to help tell them apart!  And take a look at the length of their tails.

Eventually one of the other horses looked up at me.  I always enjoy driving by here to see which ones are out in the paddocks.

Hope Haven has a good reputation in the local community, running a variety of programs for riders, and attracting a large group of volunteers to help.

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