And the List Goes On.

Often I sit down to write and the words pour out in a flurry of clacking keys, my fingers barely keeping up with everything I’d like to say.  Inspired by a morning hippotherapy session, or profound progress in adaptive riding, I begin to compose sentences before even sitting down at my desk.  But there are also days where my creativity can’t live up to the subject at hand, and I sit in front of a blank screen hoping for my muse to mosey by.

NCEFT is built upon the strength of volunteers and despite no fewer than four attempts at writing a thank you note, I couldn’t hit on a point of view that did justice to the people who make our job possible.  I first tried to describe their otherworldly flexibility; a willingness to accept inclement weather, last minute requests, and a schedule that can only be described as dynamic.  However, “tractability” is hardly our volunteers’ most admirable trait, and focusing on that alone discounts many other noteworthy qualities.

My next idea was inspired by a Buddhist concept called “mudita,” the idea of unselfish joy.  While NCEFT has yet to tout itself as a Buddhist retreat, there are countless examples of mudita at work within our gates.   We sometimes talk about the sacrifices volunteers make, about their selflessness and capacity for giving.  What we give less recognition to is their ability to experience vicarious happiness.  They give of themselves not to be rewarded directly, but to find reward in the happiness they give to others.  As I tried to flesh out this perspective I found myself frustrated.  How do I get across the degree to which our volunteers give; of their time, their energy, their love.  Exclamation points, all caps, and italics can only go so far towards infusing written words with the emotion behind them.  OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE IRREPLACABLE!!!

So, thank you.  We can’t begin to list all the qualities that make volunteers so special, but we can express our deepest gratitude for bringing those qualities to our organization.  With your help we touch the lives of countless children and adults.  There may only be a single week dedicated to volunteers, but know that every minute you spend with us is a minute in which you are appreciated.

The World’s Best Caffeine

I often speak as the collective voice of NCEFT, piecing together disparate voices and experiences to form one linear story.   Sometimes though, I need to tell a story as myself, and this happens to be just such a moment.

As an adaptive riding instructor I spend the better part of my afternoon trying to engage children in work disguised as games.  Tempting as it may sound to play like a 9 year old, in reality it’s exhausting to be that enthusiastic, that effusive, for more than a short period of time.  Intimidating as my schedule seems at 8am with the sun barely risen, the day passes more quickly than expected, aided by moments that serve to energize.

Each week like clockwork she’s there, a midafternoon boost to see me through the rest of the day.  Her session starts by walking hand-in-hand through the arena gate; she’ll hold it until we reach the top of the mounting block, her attention then turning to the bay pony waiting nearby.  I count to three with my fingers held up and then she’s on, throwing her leg over the pony’s back and settling into the saddle.  She looks at me and I shrug, miming confusion, “What should we do?”  She pats the saddle and places her hand on her chest.  Go, please.

I could list all the gains she’s made—the new signs she’s learning, how she’ll hold the reins and pull up to whoa—but she’s much more than validation of my work.  When we’re standing still she’ll often turn to me and pause with a smile on her face, holding that ever elusive eye contact for what seems like ages.  In that moment she emerges from the periphery of being and makes a connection, “I see you” her eyes say.

Those moments are better than any can of Red Bull or espresso shot.  They fill you up, contentedness working its way from the inside-out.  I know everyone at NCEFT, from therapists to volunteers, have similar experiences of fulfillment.  Next week I’ll go back to telling their stories, passing on the moments of joy we work so hard to help create.

What’s Outside Counts Too

Our facility is fundamentally positive.  Without forethought or planning we look past life expectancies, prognoses, and symptoms.  However, reality sometimes reaches in and shouts for our attention.  Last year we shared the story of a little girl fighting for her future (https://nceftspeaks.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/be-worthy/).

She’s been missing lately, consumed with treatments and doctor’s appointments, too tired to climb aboard her horse.    Last week her name reappeared on the schedule, stars and hearts decorating the margins around her appointment time.  Just after lunch we heard the car door slam, feet barely touching the driveway as she ran for the office door.  She breathlessly hugged each of us before dashing off to find her helmet.

She seems so real, so present and full of life that it’s hard to believe she’s anything but perfectly healthy.  For a moment we can’t suspend reality and it instead pushes forward full bore, chugging its way down a seemingly immovable track.  Then we serpentine and figure eight.  She sits sideways and backwards, and finally picks up the reins, steering her horse in a cloverleaf around orange traffic cones.  By the time she dismounts and hugs her horse goodbye you’ve found it again.  The ability to see a little girl for what she truly is and not the challenges she’s facing.

Our job at NCEFT is to bring about change.  Whether physical, cognitive, or emotional, we work each session not to cure but to help.  We aren’t treating Down syndrome, Autism, or muscular dystrophy.  We’re helping people, children and adults who are more than medical charts, little girls who love horses and will fight tooth and nail to be strong enough to climb the mounting block each week.

NCEFT needs your votes!

Over the years you’ve seen so many of our wonderful moments captured on film.  Several of these moments are now representing NCEFT in a competition that could secure funds for our therapeutic programs.  Please consider giving a minute of your time and voting for our non-profit.

Instructions:

– Click here to open our entry page

– Click “Vote Now” to cast your vote

*You can vote once every 24 hours throughout the competition (February 18th-25th)

Thanks for your continued support!

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Wisdom from Winnie

Winnie the Pooh is rarely recognized as a sage advisor, but while digging through pages of quotes on “love” it became evident his sentiments apply beyond the Garanimals crowd.

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered.

“Yes, Piglet?”

“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”

 His words, or more accurately the words of author A.A. Milne, cut through the saccharine sweetness of Valentine’s Day and remind us of its true purpose: expressing love for those who make our lives worth living.  Romantic, familial, or friendly, it weaves itself into every nook and cranny, impressing upon us the importance of connections.  So pervasive is its reach that we sometimes overlook its very presence, failing to notice the small ways in which it shows its face.

Love is the horse that leaves his breakfast to find you at his gate, softly snorting into the palms of your hand as if to say hello.  Love is the spontaneous hug of a child who’s pushed past her fears and ridden without help.  Love is barn dogs who run to meet you, stickers shared from the mailbox, sisters holding hands, and grandparents who tirelessly give encouragement from our viewing deck.

Though we try to express our love with chalky pastel candies and construction paper hearts, the most poignant declaration is the least obtrusive.  Our therapy horses offer steady shoulders to lean on while students learn two-point and calmly accept heads on their rumps when children lay down.  They tolerate balls being thrown and countless butterfly clips in their manes.  Every day they show their love by simply being there for the children and adults who need them.  At NCEFT each hand that reaches out can be sure of them, and of us, a family of volunteers, staff, and donors just waiting to share the love.

Push

There’s a fine balance between patient and student, between therapy and riding.  Being an instructor is a lesson in balance, and much like the horses we utilize, our perception is dynamic.  We walk into the arena with a preconception of our student’s ability based on their diagnosis; a summary of symptoms, contraindications, and prognoses.  Expectations can then be modified to accommodate so called disabilities.  There.  That’s the moment where student becomes patient, and consequently where we have the ability to do the most good.

For the past few weeks a rider and horse have been reshaping our perceptions.  Gone is the “adaptive”, leaving only “riding” to represent her work in the arena.  There are no games, no colored scarves, or Simon Says.  Instead she performs intricate patterns, guiding her horse through a series of movements often beyond the grasp of able-bodied riders.  And she’s told no, or not good enough, do it again.  We push.  We ask for more, as much as she can give.  Then the moment comes when the horse softens and the stars align while she sits the trot with more poise than you thought possible.

You spin around, looking for witnesses to the harmony.  “Did you see that?” We help her out of her wheelchair and onto a horse and there the accommodations end.  Somewhere between the mounting block and the arena gate she goes from patient to student, on the back of the horse she becomes a woman complete.

2013: A Year in Review

Some of us have begun to pack away Holiday décor, while others are content to let the season linger a bit longer.  In either case, the year has quickly drawn to a close, giving us the opportunity to look back on what has been a wonderful 12 months.

In January NCEFT launched our inaugural “Heroes and Horsemanship” program.  Groups of veterans recovering from PTSD and TBIs spent 8 weeks learning the basics of horsemanship and riding in preparation for hitting the open range of Sun Valley, Idaho.   Offered at no cost to the twelve participants, the program added up to nearly 200 hours of adaptive horsemanship over its 8-week span.   Word quickly spread through the VA, and we’re happy to say the program is still going strong with special veterans’ lessons running on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

In April we joined the rest of the country in celebrating National Volunteer Week.  Hundreds of NCEFT volunteers donate countless hours each year by sidewalking, assisting at special events, helping in the barn, and completing a host of other tasks essential to NCEFT’s operations.  Without their tireless support and enthusiasm each week we’d be entirely unable to make such a positive impact in the lives of so many.

By May we’d decided to begin the search for a draft horse to fill the colossal shoes left by our late driving horse Sunny.  Bonnie, NCEFT’s therapeutic driving instructor, scoured the country for a horse that fit our long list of criteria.  Quiet, hard-working, patient, strong, careful, generous, you name the positive adjective and there’s a good chance it’s a requirement of a therapy horse.  After careful consideration we made the big decision, and Jack joined the family in June.

Students pose with Ben before sidewalking for a Hippotherapy session

While we frequently host visiting students and therapists, it’s less common for those visitors to hail from other countries.  In July we welcomed four students from Korea National Sport University (KNSU).  Winners of the Global Challenge travelling grant, they choose to study Hippotherapy after having volunteered as sidewalkers in Korea.

By September Jack had settled in at NCEFT and quickly stepped up to the task of therapeutic driving horse.  He not only put in his first official lesson within weeks of arriving, but also made a guest appearance at the Wounded Warriors Polo Benefit.

Of course September also includes our annual Heroes and Horses Gala.  We raised the funds that allow us to continue pursuing new opportunities to help an ever-widening group of patients.  Gala guests helped care for our therapy horses, sponsored the programs serving our wounded servicemen, built the scholarships helping those for whom the cost of therapy outstretches their resources.

In October we put some of those funds to use, making our facility more accessible and comfortable.  The handicapped parking area and outdoor mounting ramp were both covered to keep patients dry year-round.  We added a paved walkway up to the viewing area, and leveled the once steep entrance to the covered arena.  Each upgrade has been well received, especially with all the rain and mud that have been hanging around Woodside.

Our last big event of the year is always our annual Family Holiday Party.  We love being able to offer parents and children an opportunity to be themselves and enjoy the holidays.  Jack offered carriage rides, Sebastian brought Santa, and the Woodside Fire Department let kids sit shotgun in their iconic red fire truck.

With fridges stuffed to overflowing and leftover cookies stashed in every room, we called a close to the final session of the year.  Our horses are now enjoying a few weeks of turn-out and downtime as staff put the finishing touches on next year’s calendar.  We’d like to thank everyone who made NCEFT’s 2012 possible.  The warmth of generosity and outpouring of support in year-end giving was a welcome respite from the cold, rainy days of December.  It won’t be long before grooming buckets come out, mud is brushed off, and our arena once again becomes a busy, noisy, wonderful place of horses, hope, and healing.

Amongst Friends

Last Sunday was one of those days where the rain kept its distance, clouds parted, and the sun turned its face towards our facility on Runnymede Road.  Staff had been preparing for our annual holiday party all week, wrapping garlands, hanging wreaths, and bravely scaling the roof to plant pointsettias in the second floor window boxes.  Santa’s honorary reindeer had been bathed, blanketed, and bedded down in a clean stall, ready to carry in the guest of honor.

The final gift bag had just been placed behind the tree when the first minivan pulled into our parking lot.  Soon a steady stream of wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers began pouring in, and it wasn’t long before the once empty tables were groaning beneath platters of mashed potatoes and spinach quiche.  Families loaded up paper plates and found seats between friends new and old.  Holiday music could be heard through the speakers, choral voices accompanied by the jingling of silver sleigh bells as Jack pulled the carriage around the ring.

A heart to heart with Santa

The children might tell you the best part was riding shotgun in the Woodside fire truck, or perhaps sitting with Santa and Sebastian, but the parents have something else to say.  Again and again they told us this was their party.  In a month inundated with invitations, this was often the only event to which they rsvp’d “yes.”  Our annual Family Holiday Party was the one place where their kids could not only be themselves, but where “themselves” is just like everyone else.  Service dogs lay side by side while their owners took turns petting the horses, and Santa had all the time in the world to talk to a little boy who still believes.

In the words of one Mom, NCEFT is where we can be ourselves.

In Honor

I can’t tell you his name or show you a photograph; his identity a secret guarded by the Navy.  I don’t have videos of his weekly progress; highlight reels set to carefully timed tracks, the music building until he takes his first steps without help.  What I have is a story.

He showed up a few months ago, baseball cap covering the long scar left by a bullet last Christmas.  Twenty-six and walking with the help of a VA therapist, he came looking for a way back.  Back to being able to hold his son, back to running, back to a life undefined.

Twice a week he makes his way up the mounting block where he stands, arms out, while his physical therapist fastens a gait belt about his waist.  His horse waits nearby in the blocks, head lowered and eyes half lidded.  He closes the distance in two wavering steps, hands reaching to steady himself upon the saddle horn.  He pauses, counting under his breathe, “one, two, three,” and swings his leg over.

Anger, and sadness, and frustration are chipped away by the steady beat of his horse’s hooves.  The day comes when he earns a pair of reins.  No longer a passenger but a rider capable of choice; left or right, walk or whoa.  We head out the double gate and towards the ramp, pausing while he works his feet out of the stirrups.  “Maybe it’s the man in me, but having reins was nice.  I liked that.”  A simple declaration.

He’ll get stronger and begin to ride without a gait belt.  He’ll learn to trot and enjoy his first lap of independent riding.  His physical gains will be measurable, boxes ticked off on his daily patient chart.  On that day we didn’t give him reps.  He’s a veteran, and on that day we gave him joy.

Making Connections and Changing Lives

Another year’s gala is behind us and we again return to the daily “housekeeping” that’s been neglected in favor of catering orders and sound checks.    Like family gathering on the porch, Monday found NCEFT staff making their way to the viewing deck with lunches in hand, swapping stories of the night as they walked.

We talk about the gala as a single event.  A night that starts at 5:30 with cocktails and ends at 11:00pm with the band playing us out as we walk to our cars exhausted but full.  However, what we accomplish during those few hours knows no timeline, no start and finish.   The gala isn’t one night; it’s a semi-colon in the middle of one very long sentence.  Unlike a period, which marks the end of a thought, a semicolon serves to connect.

The gala connects the work we do with the work we hope to do.  It connects those who have helped, to those who are helping, to those who will help.   We all walk away feeling more strongly connected to the family that is NCEFT; patients, staff, volunteers, and donors.  It’s our hope these newly forged bonds will continue to support the work we do within the community and beyond.

The funds raised on that night allow us to continue pursuing new opportunities to help an ever-widening group of patients and sustain our therapeutic programs.  Gala guests built the scholarships that help those who cannot help themselves, sponsored the programs serving our wounded servicemen, and backed the research that alters the lives of so many.

Words can’t express the amount of positive change accomplished during the gala, changes that will resonate for years to come.  Thanks to everyone’s help we are able to continue pushing forward, and with your continued support we will make the unimaginable possible.