April 16, 2020

 

Hello EAT Volunteers, Participants and Family:

 

Well, here we are in week 4 of uncertainties and what appears to be our new normals-home schooling, working from home, forgetting what day it is and, for those of us with special challenge kiddos at home, trying to figure out what our new routines are or will be.  Just in time to then have it all change again, right?

I am not sure about you but my house looks like a scene from the movie Parenthood,  only both parents are home with 2 offices going, logging on to zoom with poor Internet service for multiple kiddos and trying to keep animals and other family members quiet when we finally get logged in and the stars align for it all to actually work.

 

While we are on this long vacation, there are still essentials that are happening at the barns. If you follow our Facebook page you may already know some of the changes but if not I will fill you in.

 

Sox and Chewy are back up at Town and Country along with Sarge.  The boys are just as anxious for classes to start back up as we are. 

Brody is on, what I will call, a short business trip…..

After spending a few hours with Brody last week, I realized how healthy & able he still is and it appears he has a desire to work.  I have sent him to a personal friend and trainer to make sure he will fit back in our riding classes again.  I will keep everyone posted on how he is doing and when he will return to Town and Country.

 

We have a few new boys at the Wildwood barn.  Some of you met Johnny Cash before we had to take a break due to the Covid 19 virus.  He is a handsome, gentle, quarter horse paint with a check mark on his left side.  Now that we have so many paints, it is important to be able to tell them all apart with their markings.

We also have welcomed Dude.  He is a white Fox Trotter who was donated to us by the Ferman family.  With his soft white coat and dark eyes and nose I am sure he will be a new favorite with our riders.

And then we have Bennett.  Bennett is a large Belgian Draft cross and is certainly what one would call a gentle giant.  And he, too, is a paint! But luckily stands out as he is tan and white.

 

Riley found a new home with a wonderful woman in Springfield, MO.  She adores him, understands him and he will be her personal horse which I think is what he needed.  He is a one person horse. I continue to keep in touch with her and he seems very happy.

 

We are still featuring a different herd member each day on our  Facebook page and we filmed our first “virtual lesson” this week, which you can view on our page as well.  It may be fun to have our riders sit on a chair and follow the lesson. As you may have seen in the eNewsletter, we are implementing an Adopt-A-Horse donation option. You can find the form link on our website under ‘Donations’. Informational content is still being organized to update the posting. 

 

We continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the State of Missouri and the CDC and limit EAT facility access to a small number of people in order to maintain our properties and care for our herds.  We appreciate everyone respecting this policy.  While I wish I had a date to say we will start back with classes, I do not.  We are awaiting the stay at home order to be lifted. And even then, it’s possible things may be different for a while with a period of adjustment to normalcy.  We can not allow the 200+ folks all back through our gates at one time and still be safe. I will say again that everyone’s class time is secure and we will get all participants back on horses just as soon as we can.

 

Our whole team and organization appreciate your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.  This is new for all of us and together we will get back to saying “walk on”.

 

Be well,