As we made the list, our task quickly went from “this will be so much fun” to “80 EGGS! 80 EGGS!  What are we doing?”  And so, we called Christopher.  He is owner and chef at Mongo’s in Clearview (you must try this restaurant, it’s seriously the best food ever!)  We asked for some tips, and his response was “Come to my kitchen and I’ll help you cook…you guys are in WAY over your heads!”.  After buying the supplies (only 60 eggs!) Kristin, Mesa, and I went to Mongo’s.  It was such fun scrambling eggs, roasting bacon, cooking pancakes…  We were able to bring our food, still warm, from Clearview to Seattle, where we talked about our program, did an activity with pictures of our farm, and ate the delicious breakfast!  Thank you to Christopher for his warm heart and generous spirit, as well as his wonderful ability to teach and cook!

- Laura

Teadora, a 15 year old Andalusian.

Tea, like our youth, has a story to tell.  As a youngster, she was forced into working as a dressage (competitive equestrian sport) horse.  Tea was too young and unprepared in body and mind to work in this type of sport.  Tea also was a broodmare and had several foals.  Being a broodmare was probably traumatic for her, as she was very young and she did not have many choices.  Finally, Libby (our Executive Director) acquired her.  Tea has been with Libby for three years, and in that time has learned many important life lessons.  She is much more relaxed and willing to work.  Her personality has shifted, and she is now very bonded to people.

Tea throwing her head in frustration.

I started working with Tea at the end of November 2012, and from the start she captured my attention.  She is vibrant and playful, and has an impressive stubborn streak.  Her early dressage work taught her how to collect herself, and watching her move is enthralling because of her wonderful rocking-horse motion.  Yet, I realized quickly that she is not a truly healthy horse.  She is very anxious and has a hard time with transitions, like so many of our youth.  Despite this (or perhaps because of this), she absolutely adores youth.  She connects with them on a deeply personal level, and will tailor her reactions to the ability of the person working with her.  She makes an ideal program horse because she asks our youth to focus and ask correctly, but forgives mistakes and works just as hard as the people around her.

Tea has never lived in a herd situation and certainly does not feel comfortable around male horses.  However, we are confident that she will learn with our herd that she is safe.  As she becomes more confident with the herd, she will be more able to connect with our participants because of her new ability to draw on other horses for support.  This too is similar to our participants as they are often solitary and unable to trust each other.  It is our hope that as Tea becomes more relaxed, our youth will become more relaxed.

Scratch, our self-appointed herd leader.

Tea getting as close as she dared to Scratch. For his part, he just waited and watched her go in circles around him.

Upon arriving, Hooves with Heart had just recently acquired a herd of horses that were headed for auction.  We immediately took action to ensure that these horses received exemplary care from here forward.  So far, they have been seen by Reiki, Animal Communicator, Massage, Chiropractic, Farrier, and Veterinarian specialists.  I am happy to report that they are making great strides in their recovery, both physically and emotionally.

As is the nature of all interns, our wonderful barn crew moved on, and are working towards degrees and other career goals.  Our previous interns set the bar high, but after many interviews we have put together an amazing crew of farm hands, including Megan, Ian, and Jamie.  I am feeling confident in their abilities, and their future involvement in projects.  We are all excited about resuming work on the goat pen.

In addition to managing the barn, I am assisting our Program Director with programming needs.  I am co-facilitating sessions with YouthCare staff and youth, and working in tandem to design our program from the ground up.  So far we have had two volunteer trainings, multiple orientation sessions, and community outreach.

It is wonderful to be a part of a field that has gained so much recognition in the past few years.  I am looking forward to contributing to our field, and being a positive influence for youth who really need guidance and education.

We are running an eight week course for homeless youth, as well as introductory courses for YouthCare staff.  We are exploring concepts around relationships, focusing on different roles that we play and how individual behavior can affect the group.  Most of our participants have little to no experience with large animals.  Their faces light up when they realize that the horse is actively listening to and working with them.

One of the activities we did with YouthCare staff last week was called “Herd Observation”.  Two geldings and a mare joined us in the arena while our participants watched the various herd dynamics.  The two bonded geldings, Spud and Larry, began to play their new favorite game “move your feet first”, and showed very little interest in our group, while Faith, our mare, made her way over to us for some scratches.  She approached and introduced herself to each individual, and remained glued to our group for the rest of the day.  It was interesting to watch Faith choose to not participate in the “move your feet game’ with Spud and Larry, and instead choose to stay with us.  Folks were really drawn to Faith, and as we all watched the geldings interact, questions arose from the group.  “Are [the geldings] playing?”  “Are they fighting?”  “Why isn’t Faith with them?”  We encouraged each individual to answer these questions themselves, and as participants began interpreting what they were witnessing it became apparent to the group that people’s perceptions were based largely on past experiences and pre-conceived notions.  One participant stated that Larry and Spud appeared “clique-ish”, while another one stated that Spud wanted to join us, but Larry was preventing him from doing so.  The discussion revolved around their experiences with cliques and I asked questions such as, “Have you ever been prevented from doing something you wanted to do?”

We are a little program, but I feel we are making a big difference to help people make even bigger differences in the lives of youth who are really struggling.  We are able to provide youth with opportunities to begin to understand and make connections about what happens in life and how to change behavior.  I left that day feeling energized and grateful that I experienced the powerful connections people can make.  I can’t wait to see what the horses do next week!

Featuring Acclaimed Pianist George Winston

Saturday, September 15, 2012
5:30 to 11 p.m.

Explore our historic farm and partake in the season’s bounty. You’ll enjoy a mouthwatering menu, fine wines and the unparalleled experience of an intimate concert with this acclaimed artist. Meet our educators and animal partners to celebrate the power of the human-animal bond.

Individual ticket cost is $150; table for ten guests is $1500; corporate sponsor tables for ten are $2500. Make your reservation on our registration page. Festive ‘farm-friendly’ attire is recommended. For more information, email Shannon Clark or call 425-949-8256.