Improving the quality of life of individuals with special needs through equine therapies
Therapeutic riding is a form of therapy using horses to help persons with various disabilities. Activities involving the horse can be used to assist people with disabilities in achieving physical and mental health, and cognitive, behavioral, social and communication goals. In this context, a team approach involving therapeutic riding Instructors, health professionals and people who have disabiliti
es, is used in designing and implementing the equine guided sessions.Some of the benefits include:• Improvement of balance• Development of coordination• Mobilization of trunk and pelvis• Strengthening of muscles• Normalization of muscle tone• Prevention of contractures• Increased confidence and self-esteem• Improvement of attention span• Promotion of independence• Improvement of social integration• Access to recreation, sport and/or competition• Increased concentration, motivation and patience
Don’t forget to take the time for the Vital Signs Survey - your opinions matter!
📆 8 more days! The annual WindsorEssex Community Foundation Vital Signs wants your input and perspective to help shape the future of our region. The Vital Signs survey closes on August 9th! Fill it out here > https://buff.ly/4douzsu
A huge thank you to the Corvette Club of Windsor for bringing your families out to WETRA for a community volunteer day in honour of your 50th anniversary!
Club members, including good friend of WETRA- Rick Farrow, worked hard and played hard on a beautiful Saturday! They were digging /placing fence posts and doing some painting as well as enjoying some horseback riding and BBQ!
Thank you for your huge contribution to improving our property! (And it was fun to see the majestic horses alongside your super cool Corvettes!)
Bentley the dog, Poppy and Pippa the goats, Winnie and Briar the mini horses, and Bunzo the bunny were soaking up all the attention and love at the Kingsville Pro Rodeo this past weekend. Thanks to everyone who came over to WETRA's booth to say hi!
We're hiring! The Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Riding Association is seeking one part-time Farm Hand.
Who We Are: The Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Riding Association (WETRA) is a local non-profit organization who is committed to improving the quality of life of individuals with diverse needs through equine therapies. WETRA is an equal opportunity employer who prides themselves on providing a safe and supportive work environment for our dedicated team of staff and volunteers.
Roles and Responsibilities: Farm Hands will assist with the care of WETRA’s herd of equine therapists and other small therapy animals. Care includes daily turn out/in, cleaning and re-bedding stalls and pens, preparing and feeding meals.
Hours and Compensation: Sunday through Thursday, 7:30am to 11:30am. Minimum wage
Required Skills and Experience:
• Related horsemanship skills
• Experience caring for animals
• Knowledge and understanding of the farm environment
• Physical strength and ability to meet the demands of the job
• Good critical thinking
• Ability to adapt to changing workplace demands
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills
• Ability to prioritize workload and manage multiple tasks
• Maintain confidentiality, sensitivity, integrity, and morality
How to Apply: Interested candidates should send an updated resume to [email protected]. Please submit by Friday, August 16th, 2024, at 5:00 PM.
Horses pay attention to humans' body language, facial expressions and movements to understand people. Not only can horses understand the various moods and facial expressions of humans, but they can also communicate their own emotions by using non-verbal signals and noises to communicate. While they often talk with their ears and eyes, they show feelings through snorts and whinnies.
What do you think Jan and her 'best boy' Jake are saying to each other here?
Learn more about what makes the horse-human bond special here: https://agapepetservices.com/make-horse-human-relationships-unique/
A great visit this week with Autism Services Inc. of Windsor & Essex County! 💙
🌟 Embracing New Experiences for some and Enjoying favourite pastimes for others🌟
Life is all about trying new things and discovering what we truly enjoy. This week our Essex group took a trip to Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Riding Association to visit some of our equine friends. It was a busy day filled with activities and experiences! 🐴✨
Some highlights of our day include grooming and petting the horses, which is a calming and rewarding experience. But the real thrill came from leading through an obstacle course.
Exploring these activities helped us learn more about our likes and dislikes. Every now and then, we discover new interests that surprise us, while at other times, we are reminded of the activities we prefer instead. Are you a horse lover?
What new experience will you try next? 🌈🌟
Did you know? Our Summer Camps allow kids of all abilities to learn about equine care, while also supporting children with diverse needs in our community - as funds from WETRA camps supports our ongoing equine therapy programs!
Learning about equine care and working with horses in a practical way at a young age is not only fun and engaging, but it is also proven to build leadership skills and help develop self confidence!
It's looking like another sold out summer for WETRA camps!
Were you hoping to register a child this year? If so, we have just TWO SPACES REMAINING :) Visit www.wetra.ca/summer-camp to snag them today!
We love these pictures of Hazel (WETRA Board Member, Volunteer + Trainer) and our beautiful Emmy girl!🥰
Thank you to Denica, Meghan and Caitlin for helping to make this happen 🥰
A huge thank you to Claire Arsenault who set up her "Silly Filly" table at the Cottam yard sale for the second year in a row! She sold chips, candy, water and homemade items like key chains and was able to raise $200 for WETRA!
Horseback riding, farm animals, crafts, games, bubbles, freezies, sunshine, learning made fun, new friends and countless memories made!
Week 1 of our Summer Camp was a smashing success!
Can't wait to see what week 2 brings!
Our riding instructors find so many different, creative ways to engage our riders and Summer Camp participants, so that no lesson is ever the same!
Here you can see Meghan using cards with the different horses' names on them. The riders/ campers choose a horse's name, take their horse through a pattern - picking up letters along the way - then coming back to a magnetic board to place the letters and form a word.
On the outside, this just seems like fun - but it's also helping with colour recognition, letter recognition, word recognition and spelling at the same time as working on riding techniques!
Our adaptive riding lessons may have "halted" for the Summer, but the therapeutic work that our horses do, has not!
We were honoured to bring our mini horses, Briar and Winnie, for a trip to The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County - Leamington /Erie Shores campus, for a special visit with the residents (we were even able to step into the residents' rooms and go right to their bedside in some cases).
It's no question that Briar and Winnie have a special talent for lifting spirits and touching hearts
WETRA was honoured to be the host location for the 'Advanced Osteopathic Techniques' Masterclass, focusing on equine and canine osteopathic care.
This fun and friendly group rented space at our barn for their Masterclass, and we were excited to open our doors to Osteopath trainees, students & professionals from ALL AROUND THE WORLD (all over Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc.).
**Special thank you to Rachel Pechek for coordinating the event and for the ease of working with you throughout the process!
London College of Animal Osteopathy - LCAO
Michael - seen here riding Quincy, WETRA's "Equicizer" - is using his core to engage Quincy's movement, allowing its barrel and rhythmic, repetitive motion to loosen his joints, and relax muscles.
Quincy can be used by instructors in place of a live horse to reap some of the same benefits. Quincy offers a welcoming first introduction to those who may feel afraid, and often breaks the ice for new riders in terms of mounting, holding reins and steering. Additionally, he can be used as an educational tool to introduce things like grooming, tacking and braiding.
You can find Quincy in our warm up/ physio space in the Family Viewing Area.
(And of course you can often find Hazel napping wherever Paige is.)
We love this beautiful moment between Max and Dixie!
"Max has significantly increased his affinity for animals since coming to WETRA," his dad tells us.
Max was very afraid of animals, and would be nervous when a bird would land near him. Since coming to WETRA, his liking for animals and his ability to form connections with them has notably changed!
We are so privileged to be a witness to the horse-human connection.
This magic moment is only made possible because of our donors!
Donate today, and you can support many more magic moments like this! https://www.wetra.ca/make-donation/
WETRA's Equine-Assisted Cognitive Processing Therapy program (E.A.C.P.T.) is a program for first responders, aimed at helping to facilitate growth and recovery from Operational Stress Impact and Injuries. Goals of the program include improving emotional and cognitive health and promoting a sense of confidence. Our qualified staff are able to facilitate this individualized CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) in an equine-assisted format.
We recently received the following feedback on the program from one of our client’s full-time clinicians:
“I have specifically seen this program benefit first responder’s suffering from PTSD. The effectiveness of WETRA’s program is evident in the significant improvements I have witnessed in my clients. Many of them have reported a reduction in symptoms, increased coping skills, and a better overall quality of life.”
We asked Sarah and Thor if it was true... do blondes really have more fun!?
You've heard about the Emotional Regulation groups that Sonder Therapy will be hosting at WETRA this summer...
But did you know that one of the groups is for parents and kids together?
*Parent and Child Group*- offers the opportunity for parents of children with higher support needs to learn alongside their child.
Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/wetra/sonder-saturdays
Thank you to Paige and Isabelle from the Town of Essex for coming in to facilitate our re-certification training for WETRA staff.
(Hazel was very willing to participate in the training as well...
While she unfortunately did not pass her exam to become certified, we know that she IS definitely the dog to call in case of a cuddle emergency!)
Rest week = self care spa day for the horses!
Cathi and Madeline, matching, and both looking - "pretty in pink"!
The Spring Riding Session has now come to an end. It has been so wonderful to see riders' progress each week!
Aaron, Greg and Houston all love the "trot" part of the lesson! The horses Scout, Levi and Kali are always happy to bring them for a safe, smooth and exciting trot.
Thank you to our volunteers - Cathi, Rick, Sue, Bernadette, Dane (and ALL of our volunteers) for keeping our riders safe and helping make these lessons happen - we couldn't do it without you!
Hope to see you all back in the Fall Riding Session!
A few spaces remain for this exciting new group!
Join us at WETRA!
Group sessions summer 2024
Individual sessions start fall 2024
[email protected]
And..... We're Back!
Classes will resume Thursday June 20 through Saturday June 22.
Giddy Up 🤠
In the Fall of 2023, we were thrilled to receive a $10,000 grant from the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, on behalf of the Inspiration 100TM Association and Inspiration 100TM Endowment Fund.
These funds will go towards improving our outdoor spaces at WETRA and creating inviting outdoor spaces where clients can enjoy the quiet farm atmosphere. This will increase opportunities for our community to interact and engage with therapy animals at the farm.
We have 72 acres to utilize when providing experiential learning and a variety of therapies and activities. We look forward to planting/ installing many more shade trees, seating areas, accessible walkways, etc. so that everyone can enjoy comfortably being in the presence of horses in their natural environment for many years to come!
(The Inspiration 100TM Association is made up of a group of community-minded leaders who have each contributed to the Inspiration 100TM Endowment Fund which is held at the WindsorEssex Community Foundation. The funds donated are never touched, but the Endowment generates interest every year and that money is continually invested into community projects throughout Windsor & Essex County.)
Register for WETRA's Summer Camp before it's too late! Visit https://www.wetra.ca/camp/ for camp details and to register.
Summer Camp Dates:
July 15-19
July 29 - Aug 2
Aug 5-9
Our camps are devoted to assisting children of all abilities to care for and ride horses in a safe, fun and interactive environment. Our counsellors ensure that each experience is unique and enjoyable! Camps are an opportunity for your child to make lasting friendships while supporting the special needs children in our community as funds from WETRA camps supports our ongoing equine therapy programs.
Spaces are limited!
To the local farmer who donated 200 BALES OF HAY to help us feed our herd... We owe you bales and bales of THANKS!
Now... if we could just find another local farmer who needs this big pile of manure and wants to come pick it up!
3323 North Malden Road
Essex, ON
N8M2X6
| Monday | 8am - 4:30pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 4:30pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 4:30pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 8pm |
| Friday | 8am - 4:30pm |
| Saturday | 8am - 4:30pm |
| Sunday | 8am - 4:30pm |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Riding Association posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
50/50 WINNER: Ticket 101, Teresa Lindsay *CONGRATULATIONS!* We are contacting you right now to let you know that you have won $2010! Thank you to EVERYONE who purchased tickets! Of course, the other 50% of the money raised ($2010) will go to support programs at WETRA.
We love this beautiful moment between Max and Dixie! "Max has significantly increased his affinity for animals since coming to WETRA," his dad tells us. Max was very afraid of animals, and would be nervous when a bird would land near him. Since coming to WETRA, his liking for animals and his ability to form connections with them has notably changed! We are so privileged to be a witness to the horse-human connection. This magic moment is only made possible because of our donors! Donate today, and you can support many more magic moments like this! https://www.wetra.ca/make-donation/
A big thanks to our wonderful volunteer Jen for bringing us ice cream this week!!!! 🥵+🍦=😅 We are grateful!!! 🙏🙌
Lena got all dressed up to celebrate in honour of National Police Week! #NPW2024
RCMP pre show warm up!
Look who arrived yesterday! Welcome Wes, we love you already 🥰
The boys got a kick out of the snow today!
Here are some goat shenanigans to brighten your dreary Monday, enjoy! 🐐
We've been hard at work cleaning up the farm and removing old fencing in preparation for our new roadway, higher, drier winter paddocks and new summer pastures! 🌱🌾🌻 Stay tuned for some exciting before and after shots!
Thanks to a great team of people, our horses receive the very best care year round. Check out this awesome video of Scout getting a fancy new set of kicks! "Hot shoeing" is a process in which a farrier heats up a shoe in a forge before placing it on a freshly trimmed and rasped hoof. This creates a smooth path where the shoe will lie and allows it to align evenly with the foot. Don't worry, Scout didn't feel a thing! A horse's hoof is made up of keratin, the same protein that makes up our hair and finger nails. It can be trimmed, filed and withstand different temperatures at no discomfort to the animal. Who else could use a pedicure (or 2) this year?! 🙋♀️💅
Happy Tuesday! We are just working away on the farm! Our horses are feeling great and enjoying the snow! Here is a video of some freshly cleaned stalls, with a few special touches done by Robb! We are ready to rock and roll when the time comes! We cannot wait to have everyone back 😊 Stay safe!
