The Kids & Horses

CONNECTION

The Kids & Horses Connection is our program’s quarterly newsletter. If you would like to receive the letter as soon as it comes out, sign-up below.

March 2023

All of us at the ranch would like to take the opportunity to thank Doug and Gloria Brimm for the incredible contributions they have made to Kids & Horses. For twenty plus years, Mr. Brimm has led our organization as a member of the board of directors and as our executive director. Doug and his lovely wife Gloria worked on budgets, ran successful fundraisers, and built a donor base that has kept the non-profit center going for over 23 years. The main building was remodeled under Doug’s supervision, and it has opened the space to be able to hold events such as meetings, dinners, parties, summer camp, CLS classes and much more. Major decisions were made with the help of Mr. Brimm’s guidance to help make Kids & Horses the PATH Premier Center that it is. Thank you, Doug and Gloria!!!

A big welcome to “Farmer” Steve Wilson who has come on to lead our team as the new executive director at Kids & Horses. Farmer has been a member of the board of directors and has also been a volunteer at the ranch. It was his volunteer work and the benefits he has seen with the clients and students that encouraged him to take on this role. Our board of directors, staff, and volunteers
are looking forward to working with him.

The winter weather has been a detriment to our ability to have sessions with horses. Temperatures less than 34 degrees Fahrenheit or higher than 90 degrees are cancelled for the safety of our students, clients, volunteers, and horses. The cold temperatures also brought snow and ice. This made it difficult to move the horses from their pens to turnouts or to the covered arena due to frozen ground and the inability to see what kind of erosion may have taken place underneath the snow. Our licensed therapists continued to provide therapy for their clients in the gym and on Mikey our mechanical horse.

A shout out to all our wonderful friends! The Healthy Horse Campaign is still going on. This campaign is to help with the care and feeding of our horses. This is a wonderful opportunity to sponsor one of the fantastic program horses we have on site or just to make a contribution towards the herd. You can visit our website at www.kidsandhorses.org.

The Marlee Foundation, headed by William Hale, purchased a utility trailer for Kids & Horses this month. This trailer will enable us to take our equipment, a Kubota and two John Deere Gators, into the shop for maintenance and repair when needed. The care of the horses is dependent on this equipment as their pens are cleaned twice a day and they are fed three times a day. The Marlee
Foundation is run by a group of volunteers. They raise money and like to donate tangible items to non-profits. Thanks again to Will Hale and the Marlee Foundation.

Kids & Horses will be having their second annual horse show, the first one was before the pandemic, on Saturday May 13. It will run from 11:00 until 3:00. This is an opportunity for riders to showcase their horsemanship skills. We will have classes set up for different levels of expertise along with food, drink, and other entertainment. It’s a day of fun and accomplishment for students, volunteers, and staff. Be sure to sign up to participate in the show or volunteer to help. Donations will be accepted for sponsoring a class. Your name, or the name of your business, will be in the program and announced at the show.

Don’t forget to reach out to anyone you know with memory changes or an early stage dementia diagnosis and their care partners. Kids & Horses, in collaboration with Connected Horse®, will be sponsoring two workshops this spring. The workshops consist of three consecutive Saturday mornings. No prior horse experience is necessary as all activities are done on the ground. Participants must be ambulatory. There is no fee to participate; however, donations are gratefully accepted. Session 1: April 22, 29, and May 6. Session 2: May 27, June 3 and 10. For more information, please call Kids & Horses at 775-267-1775 or Catherine O’Brien 775-720-8614 and visit our website. www.kidsandhorses.org

Thank you for your ongoing support and please enjoy your spring!