Volunteer of the Year 2010

Hello Readers!!

We would like to take the time to congratulate Marc Clark for receiving the 2010 Volunteer of the Year award at CTRC. Earlier this year CTRC held its annual volunteer party to show their appreciation to their volunteers. All of the staff, board members, volunteers of the month and volunteer supporters were all in attendance at the party.    

This year’s winner, Marc, is a horse leader and side walker in the hippotherapy sessions with Justine, who is a conductive therapist, and Jill, who is a physical therapist. He has two barn buddies that he works with every week, Doc and Gigi. He also helps with turn in and out when he is on the facility grounds and he is on the Training Team. He helps train new volunteers as they come in and helps make them feel welcome. Marc is extremely helpful and a very dedicated volunteer at CTRC. He is always looking out for everyone at CTRC and helps out where ever it is needed. He is always giving a little extra effort, at the end of every session he had a gift for each of his riders. As you can tell he is a very caring and generous person and he always has a smile on his face. To top it off, he is approaching giving 2000 volunteer hours!

It was not hard for the staff to agree that Marc deserved this year’s award because he has been so helpful around CTRC. Besides all of his work that he does at the facility, he puts in a lot of time outside of the organization as well. Marc brings in many new volunteers and gets many people to donate to the Paint the Pony event each year. He also cooks up all sorts of treats every week for the CTRC staff and volunteers. One of the therapists he works with, Jill, had many reasons for Marc to receive this award, “his reliability, helpfulness to other volunteers, willingness to pitch in, and the food! He definitely just goes above and beyond his role as a volunteer and truly enjoys his relationships with his riders. He is always positive no matter what the situation.” Whenever Melissa, the volunteer coordinator, something needs done around the facility he is always the first to step in and help out.

 

Along with the recognition, Marc was presented with a horse statue with an engraved plaque and a license plate cover that declares him "VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR 2010" for his new truck. He is very deserving of this honor at CTRC. Marc’s dedication and efforts are appreciated and noticed by the staff, other volunteers, riders and families, and even the horses. Congratulations to Marc Clark and thank you for reading! If you have a nice story of Marc, please share it below. 

Trompo

Trompo with his polo Mohawk!

• Breed: Argentine Criollo/ Quarter Horse/ Thoroughbred
• Color: Chestnut
• DOB: 01/01/1991
• Sex: Gelding
• Size: 15.2 hands

This past weekend I had the privilege to go out to the CTRC facility to meet one of the horses, Trompo, and his barn buddy Deborah. Over a month ago Deborah was paired with Trompo to be his barn buddy, but she already has a feel for his personality and optimism for their future. She describes him as complacent, calm, and content, which is a little surprising considering his competitive background. 

[Trompo, Deborah (Barn Buddy), Amanda (Caregiver)]

Before coming to CTRC Trompo had a very athletic and challenging career, he was a polo pony. Polo ponies are very skilled and disciplined equestrians. According to the SportPOLO website, “the equestrian sport of polo demands the quick burst of speed seen in Thoroughbred horses. And the rapid turn of play in pursuit of the ball necessitates the agility of Quarter horses.” Trompo has all of these genetics and them some. He is also part Argentina Criollo, the native horse of Argentina. They are known for their hardiness and endurance. All of these characteristics make for a great polo pony. Perhaps he excelled at the rapid turns and spins because Trompo in Spanish means “spinning top; spin.” The polo ponies have a big role in the potential and success of the polo team and Trompo has dedicated most of his life competing in Polo Sport.

[Polo match picture from http://www.sportpolo.com/Sport/default.htm]

In October Trompo joined the CTRC equestrian therapy team. He has made a great adjustment to the team and the riders. It is hard to tell that he is new because he does so well in the sessions and with the volunteers. Getting to know him is easy, Deborah already knows the way he likes his carrots, mixed in with his mash. She goes to CTRC as often as she can to clean out his stall, brush him down (which is a big job when he is losing his winter coat), pick his hooves, and give him treats. She has found that working with the horses is a very calming experience and she looks forward to the hours spent caring for Trompo. Also she is bilingual; speaking Spanish to an Argentinean horse will help with their communication. I think that their barn buddy relationship is off to a great start!

[Deborah doing her barn buddy duty]

When I was visiting on Saturday morning, Trompo was quite a busy guy. He had a visit from Deborah and some breakfast. Then Amanda, a care giver, came to take him to the tack area to get him ready for his session. After she got him all saddled up and ready to go a horse leader came and took him into the arena to warm up. Shortly after, he started his hour therapy session with one of the riders. Finally around noon he would back to enjoying the warm Saturday afternoon. 

[Trompo working in a therapy session.]

Meeting Trompo was a great experience. He is a very calm, sweet, and gentle equestrian therapist. He sure didn’t mind all the extra attention and pets he received when I was there. And I swear he posed for the camera. Right before I took this picture, he gladly turned his head my direction and waited for me to snap a photo. He’s had quite a career so far and will continue it helping enrich lives at CTRC. If you have any memories with Trompo share them below! 

Volunteer With CTRC!

Are you interested in volunteering for the premier riding center in Colorado but unsure of how to get involved? Not to worry! The Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center, which has been in operations for over 30 years, is more than happy to welcome new volunteers with a passion for helping children and adults overcome obstacles, and its committed staff make volunteering easy and rewarding.

Currently the Riding Center sees about 260 volunteers a week, 1000 volunteers a year, and an impressive commitment of over 40,000 volunteer hours a year. There are many volunteer opportunities at CTRC. Today, we will cover the top two opportunities that volunteers get involved in. The firstis a Lesson Volunteer.. A lesson volunteer is active as either a side walker, as the name suggests, walks next to and aids is supporting the rider or a horse leader, again as the name suggests, leads and is responsible for the horse. No experience is necessary only a "can do" attitude as CTRC provides all the training to make you a confident and skilled lesson volunteer. All new volunteers take an initial 3 hour New Volunteer Orientation You do need to be 16 years old or 14 and have a lot of previous horse experience. Those wishing to be horse leaders attend an additional Horse Handling Clinic. The second is to become a member of one or more of CTRC's volunteer "teams".team. Generally seasoned and committed volunteers who are looking for additional applications or development of their skills become a part of the Schooling Team, Training Team or Barn Team. . The Schooling Team assists in keeping CTRC's therapy heard in excellent working condition. The training team works with new volunteers through orientation. The Barn Team "adopts" members of our therapy heard to give extra TLC to weekly.

To see a more detailed explanations of the different types of volunteer opportunities, check out the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center’s volunteer webpage at: http://www.ctrcinc.org/volunteer/opportunities.html



So now you may be asking, how do I get involved? The easiest way to get involved is to send an email to CTRC's Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@ctrcinc.org or call her at 303.652.9131. The Riding Center also encourages walk-ins to come and talk to someone in the office about how to become involved during regular working hours (9am-5pm M-F and Saturday 9am - 3:00pm when in session). The center is located at 1968 Mineral Road in Longmont. You know you found it when you see the giant “Volunteer Here!” sign. For more directions click on this link to view a map: http://www.ctrcinc.org/contact/contact_map_zoom.html.

At this point you may be thinking to yourself, why should I get involved with the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center? Aside from being able to work with some amazing and well trained horses, volunteers work with special needs children and adults who look forward to riding every week. The benefits of horse therapy are visible in each session, leaving the volunteers with a great attitude that last beyond the session. Plus, you have the opportunity to be the Volunteer of the Month, and maybe even the Volunteer of the Year!

Calling All Instructors!

Hi again readers!

Summer is approaching rapidly in the beautiful state of Colorado!  Do you have a summer job lined up?  The CTRC needs two of each position to work Monday through Thursday May 31^st to August 12.  The All Abilities Horse Camp is a day camp for children with disabilities, as well as their siblings and friends, to ride horses, do barn chores and art projects, and participate in group activities in a welcoming, happy environment. 

The position for Summer Camp Councilor work with other staff through the CTRC to lead activities as well as educate the children through team building exercises as well as solo activities.  Councilors are there to guild and encourage children through their activities and create a lasting memory for all the participants.

Summer Camp Instructors are responsible for teaching two all abilities riding groups in the morning.  Camp Instructors should be creative and responsible during classes and activities. 

There are some requirements to this unique summer job.  To learn more click on this link:  http://ctrcinc.org/about/employment.html.

If you love working with children and horses this could be the perfect job for you!  Feel free to contact Penelope Powell at penelope@ctrcinc.org to send in your resume and cover letter.  

National Institute of Nursing Research

Hi readers,

As you know, the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center works with children and adults with special needs through therapeutic horseback rid

ing. Starting in 2007, the Children’s Hospital worked with CTRC to examine the effects and benefits of Therapeutic Riding for children diagnosed along the autism spectrum. The study of 41 children between the ages of 6 to 16 showed extreme improvements in motor control, expressive language, hyperactivity, irritability, lethargy, and other behaviors within two years.

In 2010 The National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health awarded Children's Hospital Denver, University or Colorado Denver and CTRC a grant continue the study but on a grander scale. Specifically, the study will focus on the short term and long term effects of Therapeutic Riding on children diagnosed along the autism spectrum with a control group over 4 years. A detailed discretion of the results can be found at
http://www.ctrcinc.org/programs/PDF/IMFAR2010.pdf. The results were shared at the International Meeting for Autism Research.

The National Institute of Nursing Research conducts studies and is based around creating the best possible life for individuals with disabilities or other illnesses as well as reducing the risk of diseases. More information about the NINR here: http://www.ninr.nih.gov/AboutNINR/.

For further questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Amy Shoffner, the Community Site Director and NARHA Advanced Instructor at Amy@CTRCinc.org or leave a comment below!

Carmella

Hello again readers!

Have you ever seen a horse shorter than yourself?  How about a horse smaller than a Great Dane?  If your answer is “no” to either of these you may want to come on over to the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center and meet Carmella, or better yet, she’ll come to you!  Carmella is part of the Mini Troopers program through CTRC and she actually goes on visits to meet and interact with  groups with special needs within CTCR's community. 

You may be thinking to yourself, “How could such a small horse really make a difference in anyone’s life?”  Simple.  She is so gentle, caring, and loving towards humans that anyone can easily find a natural connection to her.  Carmella is known to brighten even the worst moods by simply placing her head on ones lap and gazing lovingly and compassionately into ones eyes.   I mean, come on, who doesn’t instantly love a mini horse?  Carmella sees so many smiles and happy people the moment she walks through the door.  To see a list of places Carmella has visited check out the CTRC’s Mini Trooper webpage at http://www.ctrcinc.org/programs/minitrooper.html. 

By now you are probably excited to meet Carmella, and she is excited to meet you too!  Last year alone she met over 800 people on many different visits to long-term care facilities, schools, parks, and even an Easter egg hunt!  As long as the conditions permit, Carmella and her posse (of at least five people including CTRC's Outreach and Education Coordinator, Sue, and volunteer members of CTRC's outreach team) would love to come and meet you and anyone with special needs.  Carmella loves going on visits because it gives anyone with special needs that is unable to come into the CTRC a chance to have a bond between a human and animal. 

So now that you are officially sold on the idea of meeting Carmella,  you ask yourself how could this get any better?  She has a daughter!  Scarlett, who is smaller and has a darker mane, is now six years old and training to be part of the Mini Trooper crew.  When neither of them are training, visiting, or entertaining, Scarlett and Carmella love to laze around in their field while eating hay and soaking up the sunlight.  If you are too excited to wait and see Carmella you can join her facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CTRC-Mini-Troopers/141340442563343. 

Summer Camp Registration!

Hello Readers,

Andrew here, from The CTRC blogging team, I would love to take a minute and encourage you or someone you know to sign up for our 2011 Summer camps. Who doesn’t want to spend the summer outside riding horses?  Don’t miss the opportunity to get outside, makes some friends, and meet our friendly horses. 

Session Dates: June 6^th- August 15^th (10 weeks)

Price: TR Group $350 / TR Private/Semi Private: $400

Hippo $350 + $45/week to Therapist

**Payment is required at the time of registration**

Registration Deadline:  April 30th

Rider Registration:

At CTRC rider registration is open to current riders, past riders and riders who have successfully completed an evaluation. Registration is held four times a year - prior to the start of each session and may be mailed, faxed or handed in at CTRC.

CTRC is now offering online registration but if you still prefer to download your registration form and fax, mail or turn in your registration form at CTRC you can still do that as well!

For registration packets please visit the following link.

http://www.ctrcinc.org/riders/registration.html#Reg