Wish List in RGJ Today!...

March 29, 2010

Organization: Horses for the Spirit, founded in 2005, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to offering equine-assisted learning programs to youths in Northern Nevada. The programs have been developed to teach positive life and social skills to youths 12 to 18. Although the primary target audience is children at risk of failing in traditional settings, it is the group’s desire to serve all children in the community who have a desire or need to participate in one of our programs.

Magical Magic...

Magic and her big buddy Wally spent their first night at the Horses for the Spirit facility last night.

Magic, true to her name, was magically out of her pen this morning and in the big pen with Wally.  She was just relaxing and enjoying some morning sun.

When I went in to round her up and put her back in her pen so she could eat her breakfast in peace, she decided it was play time and started hurriedly walking around the perimeter of the corral, playing Catch Me If You Can. And seeing as it was Monday morning and I was trying to get to work in a timely fashion, this game was even more hilarious to her because I didn’t really want to play that game.

Wally just followed me around like a puppy dog while I tried to turn the tables on Magic and play If You Want to Run Away from Me, Here, I’ll Help You… it only took a few moments of my game and a nicely timed step in her direction to get her to submit to being caught. Whew! I wasn’t going to be late for work afterall.

I was able to get her back in her pen and tied the gate shut tightly so she wouldn’t be able to use her magical powers of pushing the panels apart so she could get out again.

She’s one smart cookie. I am looking forward to more Magical Magic stories as she stays with us over the next 2 months and gets to play with the kids.

We cannot thank Bruce and Landess Witmer of PetFolio Magazine enough for generously allowing us to use their horses and to sponsor them as well!

Wally and Magic Ready to Join the Herd...

Landess Witmer of PetFolio Magazine sent an email today letting us know that Wally and Magic are ready to join our herd next week when we start our program with McGee Center.

Wally can be seen here with his friend Taylor…

Wally the gentle giant poses with his friend Taylor

Dexter, Landess’ son, spent some time getting Magic all prettied up for us and she’s ready to take the HFTS herd by storm!

Dexter and Magic the pony

Landess also sent over a photo of Magic giving all she’s got to “The Girls” (Bella, Kiowa and Dakota who are quite the clique when they are together). It is a great example of body language and herd dynamics!

Magic Gives "The Clique" a Lesson in Dominance

Good News! Reno Rodeo Foundation Recognition...

We are very proud of our blossoming relationship with the Reno Rodeo Foundation. We received recognition from the Foundation today along with many other great organizations and that means a lot to us! The Foundation is a very prominent organization in our community with an impeccable reputation – we are thrilled to be counted among the organizations they support!

The RRF Recognizes Horses for the Spirit for our contribution to the community!

March 2010 News...

Dear Friends,
Thank you to all the volunteers, young and young at heart, who spent part of their
day February 28th helping us with the not-so-fun chores that are necessary for our
continued safety and success when we run our programs.

If you aren’t able to join us to volunteer in person, but want to support our upcoming
programs, please consider making a financial donation.

Simply click the donate button at the right and you are only a few seconds away from
making a great impact on our organization!

We’ll be starting with McGee Center at the end of March and should have a start
date nailed down with Social Services and Children’s Cabinet soon. We’re really
looking forward to our programs starting up again!

Sincerely,
Deb Conrad
Interim Executive Director
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PROGRAM UPDATES – VOLUNTEER OR VISIT!
We have a confirmed start date for a program with McGee Center for Monday, March
29th. The program runs from noon to 3 pm every Monday through May 17.

VISIT: Want to come by and observe the kids in action? Please contact Deb [mailto:deb@horsesforthespirit.org]
to schedule.

VOLUNTEER: If you have completed our volunteer training and are interested in volunteering
for this program, please email Pam or call 343-2566. Space is somewhat limited, so please respond soon.

We are still trying to coordinate programs with Children’s Cabinet and Social Services,
although it is slow-going in the process!
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NEWS
Check out our Wish List slated to run in the Reno Gazette-Journal on Monday, March 22nd to see what we need!
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INTRODUCING…
We’d like to introduce Magic the pony who will be joining our herd on loan from
Landess Witmer of PetFolio Magazine.

According to Landess, Magic loves kids and treats, but not in that order. (I bet
we’ll find that Magic is on the Left Brain side of the Horsenality Chart — this
is something our kids learn about in our programs.)

She can hold her own with the big horses, but prefers to be on her own. She’s also
on what Landess calls the “air diet,” because it seems she gains weight just by
breathing! (In other words, she’s an easy keeper.) Magic is 9 hands, 8 years old
and we know Sabel and Dex, Landess’ son and daughter, will miss her while she’s with us.

We’re looking forward to having a pint-size herd member as part of our teaching
team.

We are also borrowing Wally from Landess. He’s over 17 hands and a sweetheart of
a giant horse. He’s about as opposite Magic as possible… she short and sassy
(really sassy — she likes to “drive” her human around rather than being led by
her human) and he’s tall and one of those “I’ll do anything you want as long as
I can figure out what that is” kinds of horses.

THANK YOU LANDESS AND THE WHOLE WITMER FAMILY!
We want to sincerely thank Landess and her family for supporting Horses for the
Spirit. She is not only allowing us to borrow two of her horses, she is also fully
sponsoring them so that we have more funds to help put kids through our programs.
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GRADUATION DAY AT “NV OF THE WEST” EVENT
Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 22nd and join us for our graduation day celebration
at the Reno Rodeo Foundation’s NV of the West event.

Watch the kids play with their horses in celebration of all that they have accomplished
and get a chance to talk with them one on one about what the program has meant to
them. We felt this would be a great opportunity for the kids and for those of you
in the community who would like to get a personal feel for why our programs are
successful.

We’ll provide more information as the date nears. In the meantime, visit the NV
of the West website to find out more about this incredible event!
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SPRING VOLUNTEER TRAINING WRAP UP
We had a great turn out for our volunteer training — 11 new, enthusiastic people
willing to brave the chilly classroom and the cold morning outside in the arena
to learn about how Horses for the Spirit helps kids in Washoe County… and how
they can become an integral part of our organization. We’re really excited about
our new crew!

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VOLUNTEER & SUPPORTER APPRECIATION PARTY

Saturday, March 6 was our annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. Normally we’ve held
this party at the end of the year, but this year having it just before we’re ready
to gear up for Spring programs worked out really well.

Our veteran volunteers had a chance to catch up with others whom they hadn’t seen
since last fall and new volunteers getting ready for their first training sessions
got a chance to meet some of the HFTS folks before attending the training.
It was a nice, relaxed evening with friends, food and beverages. Many of the conversations
revolved around horses and kids, of course!

Horses for the Spirit relies heavily on its dedicated volunteers and we enjoy providing
an evening where everyone can simply hang out and enjoy each others’ company! Once
we get rolling, that gets harder to do.

Thanks to Jan Koval for hooking us up with the room for our little shindig and to
everyone who attended and helped make this event a success!

January 2010 News...

Dear Friends,
We received some wonderful feedback from Jessica Ernster, Case Manager at Children’s
Cabinet regarding the program we recently concluded with them.

Here’s what she had to say:

“I would have to say that you have developed and implemented a wonderful program.
I am excited to do this program when there is more daylight going into the program.*
I expected that the youth we are working with would learn life skills through their
interaction with the horses. I think so often we talk at them about life skills
and I thought this would be a wonderful way of getting them involved. I believe
my expectations were met.I also think that the kids took something important out
of this program. The program was what I expected. I would recommend this program
to anyone. I have seen some of the most stubborn kids let down their guard in this
program.
The best part of the program was when the kids finally felt comfortable around the
horses. I learned something about each kid while watching their interaction with
not only you but also the horses. It helped me when working with them.
I appreciate everything you guys have done for the Childrens Cabinet. I am excited
to work further with you.”
We couldn’t be happier to share this kind of feedback with you.
*We embarked on this program late in the fall just before the daylight savings.
The time change and the weather posed challenges for this particular program.
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VOLUNTEER & SUPPORTER APPRECIATION PARTY
We finally nailed down a date for our Volunteer/Supporter Appreciation Party:
Saturday, March 6th from 6 pm to 8 pm.

If you receive this newsletter, you are invited to join us for an evening of good
company and a celebration in honor of all that you do to support Horses for the
Spirit. We want to thank all of you for helping Horses for the Spirit to make a
genuine contribution to our community.

Food and beverages will be served. You are welcome to join us at any time between
6 pm and 8 pm.

Please RSVP by Saturday, February 27. Email Pam [mailto:pam.horsesforthespirit@gmail.com]
to RSVP or call 343-2566 and leave a message with your name, number and the number
of people in your party.

We hope to see you there!
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CONNECTIONS
It is amazing what happens when you talk about Horses for the Spirit. I find myself
talking about it a lot! I’m proud of what we do in our community and want to spread
the word about what we offer, what we need to do our work and how others can get
involved.

GRASSROOTS BOOKS CHANCE ENCOUNTER LEADS TO MEETING WITH KIWANIS
An accidental discovery of Grassroots Books at 600 E. Grove St. in Reno led to a connection
with the Sparks Kiwanis by talking with the owner of Grassroots about Horses for the Spirit.

I always look for the open door to talk about our organization and keep brochures
in my purse to hand out whenever I can. Horses for the Spirit will be giving a presentation
to the Sparks Kiwanis bright and early on January 27th thanks to that chance encounter
at the bookstore with another person in our community who is interested in finding
ways for like-minded people and organzations to partner. Thank you Zoe and Grassroots
Bookstore for the connection with Ellen at the Sparks Kiwanis!

CRAIGSLIST POSTING LEADS TO DONATIONS FOR OUR LIBRARY
Lauren Mesaros from Santa Rosa posted an ad for a free copy of the new Parelli DVD
called “Get Started.” I thought it would be a great addition to our library for
volunteers, so I contacted her and asked if she would ship it to me if I paid for
the postage.

I told her what Horses for the Spirit does and gave her our website address. She
knows first hand how relationships with horses transform us, so she looked at our
website and fell in love with what we do. She not only donated the Get Started DVD
to us, but also purchased a copy of the new Level 1/2 kit from Parelli and donated
it to us, plus shipped us a copy of the Success Series Seven Games DVD. Wow! She
actually said she felt WE deserved the thanks for doing what we’re doing.

BROCHURE AT STARBUCKS LEADS TO POTENTIAL VOLUNTEERS
Kristy from the Sierra Nevada Job Corp picked up a brochure that was put on the
bulletin board in Starbucks. Any time I go to Starbucks, I leave brochures there.
They are interested in seeing if we have some volunteer opportunities for some of
their people and I’m pretty sure we do!

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE COULD MEAN STRENGTHENED PARTNERSHIP
Even reading a newspaper leads to connections and I don’t read the paper that often.
I saw an article in the Northern Nevada Business Weekly about Cabinet Ink — a screen
printing business started by the Children’s Cabinet to teach youth marketable skills
in the screen printing industry. Since we’ve now started working with the Children’s
Cabinet, I couldn’t think of a better way to add to the partnership by investigating
if they can do some t-shirts and other items for us. I’ll be getting a tour of the
facility on Monday, January 25th.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED
It is amazing the wonderful people you can meet and connect with when you reach
out on behalf of Horses for the Spirit. I feel like I made new friends as well as
new supporters for the organization.

If you are interested in networking on our behalf or want to carry brochures with
you to leave at businesses you patronize, please contact Deb Conrad at deb@horsesforthespirit.org
[mailto:deb@horsesforthespirit.org] or call 224-5999.
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