2021 Platinum Performance
Horse Welfare Award Recipients

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2021 Honorable Mention


Thomas
Official Name: Thomas
Birth Year: 2006 Gender: Gelding. Breed: Norwegian Fjord

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High & Mighty Therapeutic Riding and Driving Center
I am nominating Thomas because of the exceptional versatility he has shown over the last ten years that he has been used as a therapeutic horse. Below is a list of how he is used in program:
-Riding- some of our most challenging participants ride Thomas. They are people who use a wheelchair or have severe mobility issues. Thomas can use a traditional dressage saddle or an adaptive saddle with a back and arms for people who need the additional support. Thomas can also be used with our SureHands Full Body Support Lift. This lifts a person out of their wheelchair and gently lowers them on the back of the equine. It is a machine and is suspended from the ceiling and runs on a track, so it takes a special horse to stand still for this.
-Driving-some of our participants who use a wheelchair prefer to start out driving. We have a custom made, wheelchair accessible driving carriage. Thomas excels at driving and many participants enjoy the benefits that carriage driving brings.
-Working with veterans-We have programming for combat veterans, and some of them use a wheelchair. Thomas is a favorite in this program. He has the confidence and strength that appeals to this population. The picture I have chosen speaks volumes about who Thomas helps. Recently this rider gave a speech that was printed in our local papers. Below is a portion.

Ian Delaney, who is a participant at High & Mighty, also spoke. He is a combat veteran who uses a wheelchair and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injury. Ian noted, “Regardless of having the worst of days, to the worst of weeks, both physically and otherwise, it all seems to subside the second I pull up to the barn.” When addressing the challenges of riding a horse he states, “After all, who wouldn’t want to go from a seat with four wheels, to a saddle with four legs, eight feet up in the air?”

Relationship of Nominator to Nominee
I am the development director at High & Mighty Therapeutic Riding and Driving Center. I first met Thomas in 2012, when I was a volunteer with program. -- Dianne Ortmann