Shoulder to Shoulder Ranch/Windsong Equitherapy

Tonight was our fall festival party! It was such a blast! We had some pretty cool costumes. The riders competed with the horses bobbing for apples, different tanks of course! And the riders helped the horses create artwork so the rider can stay bonded to their horse through the winter. It was a pretty special evening. Now let's hope the weather holds so we can keep riding!
If you would like to help sustain programming for our riders and families, visit our website for donation information. www.tothewind.org

Summer brings us out to Madonna. We are grateful for such a wonderful partnership!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=637789305053114&id=100064661502994&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=l5K1IX

And just like that, lessons have started!

Painting horses part of Halloween therapy at Madonna Rehab Hospitals Lincoln Campus 'I know the horse can tell how I'm feeling'

For Halloween we let Madonna patients paint the horses as their costume. I think they did a great job! Molly fell asleep on her handler. Getting painted is a tough job!

Watch the links, we were on the news!

https://www.klkntv.com/madonna-patients-pet-and-paint-therapy-horses/

https://www.1011now.com/2022/10/31/madonna-pediatric-patients-pet-pamper-horses-part-therapy/

Sometimes when the lesson is hard, you need to take a break in a lounge chair by a lake. Good form Jenna!

Another amazing day at Madonna! So glad we can give back to our community!

We love going to Madonna.

Horses are simply amazing!

26 seconds.

He has a job to do, and he knows it.

Kodak is an air scenting horse. He's ready and eager to do his task and when Sharon asks him to search, he gets down to business.

26 seconds into the search he indicates he's found a scent. He follows into the wind, working his way up the scent cone towards the source. He locks in on the treeline and, when he finds he can't go farther because of the terrain, he circles around and locks in again.

A K9 team comes in and, with the general area identified, makes quick work of finding the subject. A large field and accompanying treelines have been narrowed down and cleared in just a couple minutes. While it is a training exercise, neither the horse nor the rider had any clue where the subject was hidden; it was a blind search exercise with successful results.

For someone who doesn't actually work in search and rescue, I've spent a lot of time with search and rescue groups over the last three years. This weekend was unique and incredible: I was over with Highlands Search and Rescue - HISAR for an equine air scent detection clinic.

It was not ideal weather conditions. It was hot and humid, and the wind kept playing games, but it was still a good weekend.

I hid for a different team with just a few days of training. Hidden a few yards in the woods under a camouflage blanket, with a huge hay field spread out above me, I could watch Zephyr and Elsie conduct their search.

They begin with a basic grid search, back and moving along the field, searching for the scent cone. The rider isn't visually searching for the subject; she's focused on her horse, watching for the cues that show he's found something.

A snort, a blow, an increase in speed and energy: you can tell when he's found something. He's not using his eyes. His nose is locked on, soft velvet and whiskers twitching a mile a minute, his ears pointed forward.

He comes as close to the treeline as he can, still locked on to me, and his rider calls out, "is someone there?"

"I'm here."

He's looking for the scent and if I move too quickly, since he's only been learning this game for a few days, I'll scare him. He's still learning that there's a person attached to the scent. I am part of his training, so I move slowly and reward him with a treat.

Search and rescue operations use resource layering to accomplish the goal: bring home the missing person safely. In Maine, the Maine Warden Service is responsible for search and rescue operations. They work with local agencies such as fire departments, law enforcement, EMS, and public safety, along with volunteer search and rescue organizations like HISAR, and if necessary, volunteer civilians. Search methods vary based on the specific details in each case but resources available include ATVs, horses, K9 teams, helicopters, and good old fashioned walking.

Many animals have stronger olfactory senses than humans and can be trained to use those senses in different ways. Most people are familiar with dogs, using their noses for narcotics or explosives, for search and rescue, for object recovery, and for other jobs.

While horses have been used in search and rescue operations in Maine before, they've been used as a way to cover more terrain for visual searches. Air scent detection is a newer resource, and this weekend HISAR demonstrated to the Maine Warden Service how it could be used to assist with missing persons.

One of the coolest things this weekend was seeing how much the horses enjoy working. That's an important part of a working animal: they need to enjoy their job if they're going to be relaible and consistent. For the horses I observed this weekend, it's like a game: they are given a job to do and when they're done, they get rewarded with attention and treats.

Added from HISAR: For those who are interested - more information AND videos can be found on our website www.highlands-sar.org , our page Highlands Search and Rescue - HISAR, and the following sites owned by our instructor, Terry Nowacki. Facebook: American Equine Scenting Association

Just playing a game of chicken during lessons.

And here it is, our first night of lessons in 2022 is a wrap! We used our covered arena for the first time! This little lady rode without a leader for the first time. And our evening ended with an amazing color splash. Thanks to all of our amazing volunteers who make this possible!

Windsong was able to work with a patient at Madonna today! It was so good to be back after taking time off due to COVID. We're hoping we can get back to regular visits soon!

Our arena is almost finished! Now hoping for warmer weather!

I love this picture, it shows our new arena, round pen, runs for the horses and tack house. New and better things are happening at Windsong!

Mother daughter trail riding! So much fun!

The arena is coming along! We are putting it up ourselves so if you wish to help, let us know! And our tack room is coming along nicely as well!

It's happening! The outdoor arena is getting started! Plus, do you think 4 acres is enough riding space? 🤔

Some of you may have noticed that our most recent lesson night pictures don't look like they are taken at our usual facility. That's because they were taken at our new home! Long time program supporter and owner of the property Windsong worked out moved out of state to be with family earlier this year. We are very fortunate to have met and created a partnership with Nebraska Prairie LLC and are in the process of moving and working out of their facility! While it isn't set up as an equine facility.... yet, we'll be posting pictures of our progress and changes! One major change is building a covered outdoor arena! More pictures to come, but look at the outside of our new tack room! The building is an old train depot out of Bennett, NE! How cool is that! To help offset the cost of the move and improvements that need to be made, please consider donating. https://tothewind.org/support-windsong/

More pictures in the coming weeks!

It was the last evening for the summer session and we are looking forward to cooler weather! We are signing up now for the fall session. Spots are available!

Love how the research validates what we all know to be true!

Recent studies conducted by the Institute of HeartMath provide a clue to explain the bidirectional "healing" that happens when we are near horses. According to researchers, the heart has a larger electromagnetic field and higher level of intelligence than the brain: A magnetometer can measure the heart's energy field radiating up to 8 to 10 feet around the human body. While this is certainly significant it is perhaps more impressive that the electromagnetic field projected by the horse's heart is five times larger than the human one (imagine a sphere-shaped field that completely surrounds you). The horse's electromagnetic field is also stronger than ours and can actually directly influence our own heart rhythm!
Horses are also likely to have what science has identified as a "coherent" heart rhythm (heart rate pattern) which explains why we may "feel better" when we are around them. . . .studies have found that a coherent heart pattern or HRV is a robust measure of well-being and consistent with emotional states of calm and joy--that is, we exhibit such patterns when we feel positive emotions.
A coherent heart pattern is indicative of a system that can recover and adjust to stressful situations very efficiently. Often times, we only need to be in a horses presence to feel a sense of wellness and peace. In fact, research shows that people experience many physiological benefits while interacting with horses, including lowered blood pressure and heart rate, increased levels of beta-endorphins (neurotransmitters that serve as pain surppressors), decreased stress levels, reduced feelings of anger, hostility, tension and anxiety, improved social functioning; and increased feelings of empowerment, trust, patience and self-efficacy."

Photo is of our wonderful friend & colleague, Annette Garcia, Founder of Coachella Valley Horse Rescue, with Sunny, a rescued mustang.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=254724572680342&id=100044284021545&sfnsn=mo

Find Fergus books at this link:
https://www.fergusthehorse.com/