Thank you, EQUUS Foundation, for providing a grant that allowed us to purchase heavy winter blankets for two of TRAC’s longest-serving program horses, Harriet and Petey. Harriet, a 22-year-old Percheron X Thoroughbred, has served TRAC for more than five years and Petey, a 29-year-old Quarter Horse, for at least a decade.

Both have served hundreds of TRAC participants through therapeutic riding, veterans programming, summer camps, and equine-assisted learning (EAL) field trips. Both have trained hundreds of program volunteers: Petey, often the one to teach volunteers who have never groomed or led before how to do so; Harriet, the horse who teaches volunteers to be better horse handlers as they learn to regulate her big step and forward-thinking mentality. Both were lesson horses for Centenary University’s Equine Studies Department before they transitioned to their jobs for TRAC. Prior to that, both had other careers – Harriet as a foxhunter and show horse; Petey as a children’s hunter. It would be hard to estimate the number of lives that these horses have impacted.

TRAC’s mission is to provide equine-assisted services to individuals with special needs and to develop leaders for the equine-assisted services industry. How have these horses informed TRAC’s mission?

Stories from Petey –

Lent courage to a five-year-old with Down syndrome who riding a horse for the first time, leading to her participating in weekly lessons for the past four years and in TRAC’s inclusive summer camp alongside two of her siblings.
Served as a trusted mount of a Centenary University undergraduate student, a childhood stroke survivor with right side hemiplegia who had the grit to ride in CU’s lesson program and on our dressage team. Petey made this possible at first and never let her down.
Provided motivation for a veteran with PTSD and severe social anxiety to come to the barn just this week in “feels like” temps of 15 degrees to groom his friend, and hand-walk an obstacle course, and find solace. Petey provides connection, motivation to move, a sense of peace.

Stories from Harriet –

TRAC’s best mount for adults with physical and cognitive disabilities –Harriet is steady, willing, an overachiever. Her rider with brain injury from childhood encephalitis now competes in virtual dressage shows and recently rode in a demonstration at a public event, introducing more than 50 spectators to TRAC’s mission.
Became partner to a survivor of assault, with PTSD and other symptoms presenting as demons in his life. He has always connected with Harriet, always felt well in her presence, always known she will respond to his requests to turn or back up, and to his need to feel her muzzle hear his heart.
Her expressiveness tells us when something is right or wrong, where she loves to be scratched and what other horses she would not like to be groomed beside. She teaches us all – instructors and future instructors – to observe. To respond in the moment. To help her be comfortable so she can be her best. What is the impact of her teaching us to watch? She is the “voice” for program horses that are not so expressive, whose signs may not be so obvious. When something is not going well, look for the horse’s why. Harriet teaches us to partner, rather than to “use.”

Both horses benefit from being outside as much as possible, all year long in almost all weather. Thank you, EQUUS Foundation for helping TRAC keep them warm and protected from the elements!