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| My "thank you" trophy for judging the show |
Yesterday two of my working students and a client went with me to the Budweiser Events Center at the county fairgrounds to help with a therapeutic riding horse show. I was the judge, and my students were ring stewards and ribbon runners. We were there all day and got to see riders with disabilities show off their skills and demonstrate what they've learned. I also got to catch up with several people I used to work with when we all were at the hippotherapy stable in Fort Collins. Notable memories were seeing the first riders with the most significant disabilities enter the arena, one girl showed a major accomplishment in being able to hold her head up. It is always cool to see the team of people working together who make it possible for someone who has no control over his limbs to mount a horse and ride around the obstacle course. It was also great to be representing in a large facility like the Events Center. I have missed working in therapeutic riding. It has been probably 10 years since I was training horses for a hippotherapy program, also doing horse leading, side-walking, training volunteers, and back-riding. The day was a great reminder of how special these programs are. It was not lost on me how close I came to being one of the riders and how blessed I am to be able to judge at a show like this.
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