MEET GARTH, THE MCINTYRE CENTRE HORSE WE SUPPORT

Kym Cheney, our Business Unit Manager for Property Management, has recently joined the volunteer team at the McIntrye Centre, spending her Saturday mornings helping riders with disabilities participate in life changing therapeutic programs.

Mosaic Property Group has been sponsoring a horse called Garth for some time now, contributing to his vet and feed fees to ensure the McIntyre Centre has support in his care.

It’s been a wonderful experience to have a staff member spending time with Garth, and Kym has given us an insight into what these morning sessions entail.

Kym with Garth at her Induction Day

An early start is needed so that stable hands and coaches can debrief and decide which horses are to be used that day, before heading to the paddocks, removing coats, and dishing up breakfast. This can take a while as the meals differ depending on specific dietary requirements and medications for the horses.

After breakfast, the horses being used for the classes need to be brushed, have their hooves cleaned, and be saddled in preparation.

Once the horses are ready to go, clean-up of the area begins. Firstly, the arena is cleared of anything that might pose a risk to the students, and the stables are mucked out if they were occupied overnight. “You quickly get used to a shovel and wheelbarrow!”

Garth, saddled and ready for the day.

Ready for the session to start, volunteers are distributed between the horses and the children based on the abilities of each child; some children will only be led, others need support such as having a hand on their leg.

Lessons are about 30 minutes in length, varying from walking the arena to trotting, where the volunteers jog beside the horses as support. It’s amazing to see the impact that this small amount of time can have on the children.

Tara is a regular rider of Garth, however on the day of the following story, she was on another horse, Bundy.

“Tara is unable to walk or even stand and could only ride with the use of a roll to lean on – or so we thought. One day, while riding and supporting her own body particularly well, Tara’s coach saw an opportunity to remove the roll and hold her only by her hips. For the first time Tara was able to ride this way for a few precious minutes. Tara realised how clever she was and began punching the air and giving everyone in sight a big thumbs up! Later that day while sitting on the couch with her mum, inspired by her achievements, Tara rolled her own body and transferred herself independently from the sofa and down onto the floor for the first time ever! Many of us take such movements for granted, but on this day Tara had achieved a life-changing outcome and a level of independence she had only previously dreamt of!”

Some children will only be led, others need support such as having a hand on their leg.

Sometimes there will be a second round of lessons, but once all are over and the kids have left, the day is not yet finished for volunteers.

All horses need to have saddles removed, be brushed down, and fed again if required. They are then moved into the paddocks so the arena can be cleaned again.

There are always extra tasks to be done: cleaning tack, cleaning stables, cleaning the food room and dropping hay out to the paddocks for the horses to graze.

There’s no such thing as a boring day at the McIntyre Centre!

The McIntyre Centre: Riding for Disabled