| A Gathering Place for Three Gaits - 2018 |
Amount Funded: $1,300.00 |
| In 2017, we delivered 3,187 units of service including 2,345 units of horseback riding, 453 units of hippotherapy, 135 units of carriage driving, and 42 field trips. In addition to our program services, Three Gaits hosts horse shows to raise funds, farm work days, volunteer training, professional development for our own staff, and industry conferences that draw people from multiple states. Our riders, families, staff, volunteers, show patrons, and professional development participants use all of our buildings and facilities, including an outdoor, covered, paved pavilion. The well-loved picnic tables and chairs currently in the pavilion are coming to the end of their usability and are not accessible for individuals with mobility challenges or who use wheelchairs. New, accessible metal picnic tables will provide an updated and more appropriate seating area for years to come. |
| This project will provide a gathering place for the many riders, family members, volunteers, show patrons, and professional development participants who frequent Three Gaits. Funds will be used to purchase two picnic tables that pass Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and feature two 72"L benches with a 96"L tabletop to accept wheelchair seating arrangements on either side of the table. They 11 gauge expanded metal mesh with a thermoplastic coating on benches and tabletop creates a smooth, high-gloss surface that stays cool to the touch for comfortable seating. Thermoplastic coating resists fading and mold and will ensure maintenance-free durability through years of high-traffic use. A galvanized tubular steel frame is shielded with a black powder coat finish for rust-prevention and resilience against the elements. Bench and table corners are beveled for safety. |
| Saddle Up, Stoughtonites! - 2015 |
Amount Funded: $900.00 |
| The Saddle Up, Stoughtonites! project will use equine oriented activities to promote and enhance the development of each riders cognitive, physical, and communicative abilities and positive self-esteem. The purpose of this request is to provide scholarship funds so that three Stoughton residents with disabilities can participate in Three Gaits activities for twelve weeks. |
| Through this project, three Stoughton residents with disabilities will experience the joy of horses as they learn riding skills and improve their balance, strength, and endurance during 12 weekly riding lessons. The impact of horse riding on Three Gaits participants is striking. Parents tell us that children who have been in various therapies all their lives get excited about coming to Three Gaits, while they may resist therapy elsewhere. Parents of adolescents tell us that “horse time” is a valuable motivator for accomplishing schoolwork and complying with behavior plans. A woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) tells us that riding was something she loved before MS; on the back of a horse, she feels like herself despite all the changes MS has made to her body. Families benefit too, as they meet other families whose children face similar challenges and share information and a listening ear. |
| Healthy Horses for Happy Riders - 2016 |
Amount Funded: $2,500.00 |
| Three Gaits could not function without our therapy partner horses. Aurora, Belle, Beauty, Darren and our five other horses are the programs heart and soul. Parents tell us that children who have been in various therapies all their lives get excited about coming to Three Gaits, while they may resist therapy elsewhere. Parents of challenging adolescents tell us that “horse time” is a valuable motivator for accomplishing schoolwork and complying with behavior plans. A woman with multiple sclerosis tells us that, on the back of a horse, she feels like herself despite all the changes MS has made to her body.
In 2015, our horses delivered 3,187 units of service including 2,345 units of horseback riding, 453 units of hippotherapy, 135 units of carriage driving, and 42 field trips. This projects purpose is to help keep our horses healthy and, in turn, our riders happy. |
| Three Gaits provides first-rate care for our therapy partner horses so that they can continue to bring joy to hundreds of riders each year. We are in need of alfalfa and grass hay ($1,200) for one month of winter care) and a set of tack ($1,300).
High quality hay is $4.00 per bale; Three Gaits feeds 10 bales per day, for a monthly total cost of $1,200. During the winter months, horses do not have access to Three Gaits pasture; they rely solely on baled hay for nourishment. We feed our horses bud alfalfa, full bloom alfalfa, and /or timothy grass hay to ensure their caloric, fiber, and crude protein intake is sufficient to maintain healthy weight and digestion.
All Three Gaits horses have a specially fitted set of tack (saddle, stirrup leathers, bridle, girth, pad)to ensure their comfort and soundness as they perform their jobs.
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