Horse Blog

Merlin, the horse that chose us

The day we met Merlin our lives changed.

That morning, 18 months ago, I had asked my husband Jack, if he wanted to come for a ride with me but he wasn’t interested. He never really rode horses unless he had a job to do like checking the fences or mustering the cattle. We don’t own a big farm any more so he doesn’t ride at all now, the motor bike does the job.

One day, he surprised me though when he said that he might be interested in doing the carriage driving for RDA (Riding for the Disabled) sometime… maybe! This gave me hope that one day he may become interested in horses and we could do something together. Read the rest of this entry »

Tomorrow my husband Jack and I take our carriage horse in to town to take people with disabilities for a ride in the carriage. It’s generally a great afternoon, one that fills you with purpose and meaning. We meet with the other RDA (Riding for the Disabled) volunteers and together we spend the afternoon with a group of local adults with disabilities to varying degrees. Its an activity we have only just started but it is so worthwhile. There are very few activities for older adults with disabilities but carriage driving is perfect, they get to spend a day out, challenge their fears and step out of their comfort zone. It gives them something to talk about, look forward to and I think in some cases, something to dream about. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I had a visit from a friend and her 13 year old son Rhys, a great little kid who was born with severe disabilities, he doesn’t have a lot of mobility and he can’t talk but he is very expressive just the same. I asked if they wanted to come and meet my horse Winnie. When Winnie met Rhys she was so taken by him. Read the rest of this entry »