RETURN TO JOY
In 2007, at the age of eleven, Koda was donated to The Salem Equestrian Center (S.E.C.) along with all of his imperfections. An awkward conformation, allergies and a bum knee limited his use to that of a beginner walk/jog lesson horse. But…. you can’t always judge a book by its cover, right?! This little paint certainly wasn’t going to win any ribbons in the show ring, but he had a willing heart capable of keeping his riders safe, teaching reliability and building confidence.
Most of the time our Horse Tales emphasize the impact equines have on their riders, but riders have a tremendous impact on their horses as well. It’s not uncommon for a lesson horse to burn out when constantly teaching goodhearted yet unskilled beginners. Part of a good Stable Manager’s job is ensuring that each horse’s work is diversified for mental health as well as physical condition and compliance. Five years after his arrival at our stable Koda was in need of some work diversification! He had maintained his kind and caring heart and remained a safe mount for any rider, but showed increasing signs of stubbornness and annoyance with constantly changing riders.
It was at this time that eight year old, Georgie, started lessons as an alternative form of therapeutic exercise for Prader-Willi Syndrom and Scoliosis. Our goal at The S.E.C. was to help him gain flexibility and core strength, hopefully improving the scoliosis. Georgie became Koda’s only weekly lesson. Georgie was timid the first couple rides, and life slowed down for Koda... he liked that! Georgie was thrilled with his successes and Koda began to enjoy the delightful encouragement of a rider. Georgie was consistent and Koda began to relax… what fun! And Georgie always brought a juicy apple or a crunchy carrot to reward Koda for a job well done. In the grand scheme of things, Georgie was just a little boy having fun and loving the animals around him, but his joy and enthusiasm were contagious. Every week at 10:00am on Tuesdays felines materialized, equine heads emerged, and canines began surveying the road in anticipation of his arrival. He had truly won our animal’s affection!
Yet best of Koda and Georgie met with success! In the two years that Georgie rode with us here at The S.E.C. he progressed through beginner basics with Koda and eventually graduated to another horse. His strength and stability improved and doctors reported a 7 degree improvement in both the anterior and lateral curvature in his spine! The S.E.C. was blessed by this young man’s enthusiasm, encouragement, kindness and joy, which showed an awkward little paint how to enjoy being a lesson horse again!
Today Koda continues to work very willingly and joyfully with a handful of youth who absolutely love him! He remains an excellent fit for our program.
