Our beautiful Rose had a troubled past before making her way to Festina Lente, and a quote by Matshona Dhliwayo illustrates her journey from fear to being a fundamental part of our riding school: “Roses do not bloom hurriedly; for beauty, like any masterpiece, takes time to blossom.” Rose came to Festina Lente via the Irish Horse Welfare Trust in 2008. Not much was known about her or her past, other than she was rescued from a field in the Midlands with a foal at foot. She, and the other horses in the field, were starving and emaciated, and a number of horses had sadly died. Rose's foal was put on a drip for a week on arrival at the Irish Horse Welfare Trust and luckily survived. He was later rehomed to a loving new home. When Rose arrived at Festina Lente, her physical condition quickly improved, with her rain scald being treated and her muscle wastage from starvation being reversed through good feeding. However, psychologically she was still in a very bad way. It became quickly clear that whatever human contact she'd had prior to being rescued had not been pleasant, and she had an extreme fear of anyone approaching her head. This fear resulted in her throwing her head up, rapidly backing up and spinning around to avoid the contact. It took around 12 months of very gentle and consistent handling for her to understand that her new handlers were not going to do anything to either harm or frighten her. For many months, we dismantled the bridle in order to put it on her and then did it up piece by piece. Fast forward to 2020, and with that gentle handling and careful training, Rose has become a truly valued member of Festina Lente's equine team. She is an exceptional Equine Assisted Learning horse, in part because of her experienced earlier in her life. Her high level of sensitivity makes her an amazing horse to engage with, although as this is also her vulnerability we need to ensure this is carefully balanced at all times to maintain her wellbeing. Rose is also a wonderful therapeutic riding horse, and is calm and reliable for these riders with extra needs. For those with more riding experience, she is a wonderful horse for lessons, especially for those riders who understand her needs and sensitivities. She responds brilliantly to her Micklem Multi Bitless Bridle and over the past couple of weeks Jill has had the pleasure of riding out with her as part of her schooling and fitness programme while lessons are on hold.
0 Comments
Today we have a particularly special blog for you, with a guest writer! Ciara Donohue is part of our Saol Anois programme and has been working hard at Salon H in Newtownmountkennedy. She was recently profiled in You magazine, which involved a photoshoot! We'll let Ciara share her experience in her own words. My photoshoot was so so good, it made me feel like I am so famous. There were loads of cameras on you, and I got to have my makeup done by a lovely lady. There was also a lady who was a journalist, who interviewed me for the You magazine. It was for an article about people with Down Syndrome and their jobs, to celebrate world Down Syndrome day. There were other girls there too, I got to pose with the others girls for pictures.
It was in a hotel, they have a bar in there and we all went in there to have our lunch. I brought my Mum with me to watch me. A few weeks later I went to a shop with Mum to buy the magazine. We got to look at it, I gave one out to my friends and they were all surprised about it. We sent it to Denmark as well and put it on Facebook and Instagram. I felt very very famous. Well done Ciara, we can't wait to see what exciting things you do next! Since his arrival at Festina Lente in 2009, our beautiful Caltra has been a favourite amongst both our clients and our staff! Caltra is a Connemara pony, one of Ireland's five recognised horse breeds, and a truly native breed. Connemara ponies are renowned for being hardy and sure footed, traits developed from their origins on the rocky and wild West Coast of Ireland. They are also known for their lovely relaxed temperaments and suitability for a wide range of disciplines, from show jumping to endurance riding. Connemara ponies are typically either grey or dun, and Caltra is a particularly beautiful bright dun with a striking black dorsal stripe. He is 14.2 hands high. When staff first went to see Caltra and assess if he was right for Festina Lente, he was grazing calmly in a back garden with geese and dogs pottering around him and sheets flapping on the line nearby - normally very frightening experiences for a pony! We thought that if Caltra was so calm around all these different scary experiences, he'd be perfect for us. He came on trial for two weeks but deep down we already knew he'd fit in perfectly - and he did. His original name was Kingscourt, but we didn't think that quite suited him, so his name was changed to reflect the village in the West which he came from. Caltra is an incredible all-rounder, able to turn his hoof to a huge range of the activities we do at Festina Lente. He is a lovely calming presence for one-to-one grooming sessions, giving confidence to all who work with him. He has three well-balanced paces, making him a wonderful pony for learners to improve on, particularly those who are coming off the lead rein and riding independently for the first time. He is also an excellent jumping pony, and seems to particularly enjoy cross country jumping.
We love having Caltra as part of our team! Two of the Saol Anois programme's long-standing classes are the Men's and Women's groups. These two groups have continued their sessions while at home, using the creativity and initiative the Saol Anois staff and clients are becoming renowned for! The Men's Group have been concentrating on the coronovirus pandemic for their sessions, with the set up being a participatory dialogue. The men taking part all get a chance to share their opinions and understandings of the current situation, with the aim of improving their critical thinking and dialogue skills. To begin with, the first class focused on introducing the topic. Luke Campion provided an overview of the disease, with a brief outline of the outbreak and how the disease has spread worldwide. This was followed by a group discussion about the advised precautions to take, from careful handwashing through to good cough and sneeze hygiene. However perhaps the most important part of the session is the chance for the men working with us to share their feelings about what's happening worldwide, and exploring the impacts it is having on them. Some of their thoughts are below - we're sure these are very relateable to many of us during this challenging time.
The Women's Group are also spending time together, supporting each other during this difficult time. The Women's Group have some wonderful communal activities they're taking part in over Zoom, from knitting workshops and coffee mornings to fashion shows of their favourite outfits to tours of their bedrooms for each other! The women are also putting together mood boards showcasing what they'll be doing once life returns to normal and discussing these with their peers, giving a sense of hope and excitement during lockdown. And of course during all of these activities, the women have a chance to talk with each other and share how they're feeling in a safe and supportive space.
We are so impressed with the positivity of all our men and women during this trying time, but also appreciate their openness and honesty in sharing how they are feeling. The Men's and Women's Groups are such an important way for our teams to stay connected and have an opportunity to share their emotions with their friends and tutors. Alongside mindfulness and yoga, the Saol Anois and Transition Training Programme students are developing their drama skills, as a way to combat the stresses and strains of our unusual new normal. The aims of the weekly drama and roleplaying programme include:
The drama class are working together to create a storyline for a performance, which will be performed for staff via Zoom. Each participant is developing a character they'd like to play, and we are waiting with bated breath for the themes to be revealed! Each class brings really interesting discussion and stories, some incredible performances, and most importantly a lot of laughter and fun. We can't wait to share their final product with you! One of the activities our day service clients most miss during this odd time is getting to go to the cinema with together, and have the chance to share their thoughts and opinions after the screening. Our team got creative to tackle this problem, and now the cinema going experience is recreated online on a Friday morning! Each week, one of the group will choose a movie that's available on Netflix, and all participating will watch the movie during the week. Then on Friday, everyone 'meets' on Zoom to discuss their notes and impressions, with the goal of making a group review of the film! The reviews include a brief overview of the plot and main characters, who the cast were and an overall rating and comment on the film overall. Most importantly, everyone's opinions and thoughts are compiled, and as a group a review is written. This gives our students the chance to work as a team, even though they are currently not able to physically see each other. At the end of movie club, everyone gets a chance to share some recommendations of what to watch, before the next movie club film is chosen! If you'd like to check out the reviews, Saol Anois have their own blog which is regularly updated! Perhaps you might find something new to watch? Or be reminded of old favourites? Richard Dwyer Joyce decided on 'John Wick' for the first Movie Club. You can find the film review and movie recommendations from the first week here: https://saolanois.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/john-wick/ Catherine Kidd decided on 'Shrek' for the second Movie Club. You can find the film review and movie recommendations from the second week here: https://saolanois.wordpress.com/2020/04/03/shrek/ The men and women on the day service have also been taking part in mindfulness sessions, as a useful tool to support their mental health. Mindfulness is an incredibly powerful way to release feelings of anxiety or tension, and provide a mental break from the everyday stresses we all face. During the sessions run via Zoom, the men and women are asked to find a comfortable place to lie down (with microphones muted!) and focus on calming music. The staff work through a variety of scripts, incorporating breathing exercises, relaxation guidance, exploring feelings of happiness, and guided mental journeys. It's a lovely opportunity for our amazing men and women on the service to take a break from the everyday, and allow themselves the time and space to fully relax. We'd highly recommend a bit of mindfulness in your day during these particularly trying times.
Along with lunging (described previously in this blog!), our horses and ponies are also trained using the ground-based method of longlining. At the moment while our riders are away, this method gives us another useful tool to keep our equines fit and their minds busy. ,Often referred to as 'riding from the ground', longlining or longreining uses extra long reins, clipped to the sides of the halter or bit, and then either connected to the sides of the horse or pony via the stirrups or loops on a roller or saddle (to prevent them from flapping about). From there, our team can use voice commands and a long wand to ask the horse to move forward, increase or decrease speed, and bend. Another more practical reason our staff use longlining for the horses and ponies is due to their height - the staff's height, that is. To cater for our clients of all different ages, from very young, we have a number of small ponies (such as Jacobie, shown in the photos and videos). Coaches like Jim (who is over 6 foot tall!) can't ride a pony of Jacobie's size, so longlining mimics the benefits that the pony would get from being ridden, without the physical issues. Jim has been taking the ponies outside as well to explore the sensory trails and enrich their senses - check out our Facebook page for more videos!
For many of us, exercise can help with feelings of tension or anxiety at times of stress or uncertainty. Yoga in particular can help to calm the mind and ground the body. Although our students have had their weekly routines drastically altered by the current health crisis around the world, they've kept up their yoga class with Jessica! Taking place on a Monday afternoon, the team use Zoom to go through their yoga practice from the comfort of their own homes. Using breathing techniques, stretches and concentration, the students are guided by Jessica into a calm start to the week. The final pose is savasana, which may look simple but in practice is anything but! Laying back on the floor, the students use self-awareness and breathing to come to a place of deep relaxation. The weekly yoga classes sets our students' minds and bodies up for another busy week at what is a very unusual time. The students have also brilliantly adjusted to online stable management classes. Held on a Thursday afternoon, these classes are run by Jessica and delve into the myriad responsibilities involved in caring for horses. From mucking out and bedding types to grooming and tack, the students are learning all about how to look after Festina Lente's horses and ponies! Although they can't put their learning into practice just yet, these classes help to keep the students connected to the horses and ponies, as well as encouraging self-confidence and independent learning.
Well done to Jessica and all the students for such amazing creativity and flexibility! While our riders are away, we’re keeping our horses and ponies busy and fit with a specialised programme of exercise and training. Each one of our horses and ponies has an individual plan to work with them on areas of improvement or to teach them new things. For Panda, one of our younger ponies, has a training plan that includes a whole new experience for him – walking through water! As part of our facility we have sensory trails, which our horses and riders can move through to experience different sounds, textures and smells. One of our trails includes a pool of water, which provides interesting sounds for riders to focus on. For young ponies like Panda, water can be a scary thing! In order to overcome his natural inclination to not walk through the water, our team have been using positive reinforcement training to encourage his learning and teach him there is nothing to be afraid of. Positive reinforcement training works on the basic concept of rewarding the behaviour we want to see. The pony is asked to do something, and if that request is met, a clicker sound is used along with a reward. The clicker combined with the reward makes an association for the pony, in that he associates what he is doing when he hears the clicker with something good – in Panda’s case, a mouthful of food. As the training progresses, the pony learns that doing the behaviour that results in the clicker noise means good things happen!
To help overcome Panda’s distaste for walking through water, we began the training by getting him to touch a cone with his muzzle, resulting in a click and a small treat. From there, as he approaches the water, he is asked again to touch the cone with his muzzle, which is just out of reach and he moves forward to reach the cone. As his hoof enters the water he is given a click and a small reward. This is repeated until all four hooves are in the water. At no point was Panda forced to do anything or made to feel unsafe or frightened – instead he was rewarded for the behaviour we want him to show, and allowed to back off if he was overwhelmed. The most important element of this training was timing. The click needs to happen immediately once Panda demonstrated the correct behaviour, so he can relate the reward to what he’s just done. If the click comes too late, the connection between the behaviour and the reward is lots – so our team have to be very quick with their clicking! Positive reinforcement works brilliantly for training our ponies as it is low stress, allowing them to remain in a learning mindset and to learn at their own pace. It’s a powerful learning method as the horse or pony receives immediate feedback when they do what we are training them to, reducing confusion and cementing their learning immediately. The outcome of our session with Panda resulted in a relaxed pony standing with all four hooves in our water pool, rather than a pony who is worried by water and uncertain as to what he should do. With some more training sessions scheduled, soon Panda will be taking his riders through the sensory trail with no hesitation at all! We have some exceptionally creative people in our Festina Lente community, and none more so than our Saol Anois and Transition Training Programme Teams! Both our students and staff have gone above and beyond to create learning opportunities and explore their creative sides in these particularly strange times. Normally our students in the Saol Anois Day Service and the Transition Training Programme are based onsite at Festina Lente, with work placements, trips and courses happening on a regular basis. This dramatically shifted once schools and universities were closed and our Services were required to stay home due to the covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. How would our students keep up their learning and keep their friendships strong in the face of such disruption? We're excited to share the clever ways our staff and students have used technology to keep those connections strong and brains busy! Deirdre Creasy is one of our Saol Anois facilitators, and she runs literacy classes and art workshops with our students. Art class normally happens on a Wednesday morning, and Deirdre and the students have done some amazing art challenges through Zoom to stretch those creative muscles! They've had the challenge of portraiture, drawing Deirdre from a photograph; and have had a really fun experience where they had to guess the famous character Deirdre had set them by asking questions, and then draw the character! They've produced some amazing art - see below for some examples. The group also take part in weekly literacy classes, now in a new virtual format via Zoom on a Monday morning. The students are practicing their reading by using scripts from their favourite shows and reading them aloud for each other - some of the scripts used have been Father Ted, Home Alone and Only Fools and Horses. Martin and Richard are particularly keen on this great learning activity! Discussing word patterns, such as words with suffixes like 'ion' have resulted in some really interesting conversations, and they've been using the words discussed in sentences to really cement their learning. Next week there'll be some creative writing so watch this space for some highlights! All the Saol Anois gang love as much creativity as possible and they have adapted brilliantly to the new way of attending classes. We look forward to showing you more ways our creative and adaptable team have changed up their daily routines during this unsettled period.
|
ArchivesCategories |