May 16^th, 2008

Dear Horse Power Friends and Colleagues,

The entire Horse Power team sends you our greetings! We look forward to seeing you and hope that you will come by and visit us. We always love to greet our friends, former students and fellow therapeutic horsemanship compatriots. Do drop in!

We have had a most beautiful spring here at the farm. Horse Power lessons have gone off without a hitch. With the apple trees in blossom, all the gardens showing off their spring finery, the horses shedding out, and the rings raked & ready, it has been a wonderful season. It is my life’s joy to see the riders’ smiling faces, the drivers’ ability at the helm, and the vaulters’ courage as they try their moves without holding on or trying to stand up at the walk….It makes a ‘body glad’ to see the joy, teamwork and progress that the students’. I love seeing the families’ pride grow, the caregivers’ appreciation, our instructors and volunteers’ dedication…and, maybe, best of all, the dear, patient and generous horses….What a great way to spend one’s life! I hope you share the excitement of all that happens in your program!

The Horses and Healing” Symposium is just around the corner, beginning the first week of June. We hope YOU are coming!!!!! There is still time to sign up for one of more of the many offerings. We are so excited about the quality of speakers and the variety of presentations. We really do hope you will join us for a day or for the whole thing. We have made it most affordable and would love to chat with you via email or the phone to take your reservation. Our office number is 603-654-6308 or email Lauren at LaurenRiccio@yahoo.com We want YOU!!!

We would also like to announce that we are hosting a Ride, Drive and Walk-a-Thon on Saturday July 27^th. We are so excited about this fundraising event….We have generously been offered the use of NH’s newest state park which was formerly Temple Mountain. It has the most wonderful riding trails, all that are mown and beautifully maintained. Some of them are 10 feet wide as they used to be gentle cross country ski trails. We will be inviting lots of trail riding groups. We will also be leading a walk up the other side of Temple Mountain and along the Wapack Trail, with views of all three neighboring states. At the farm, we will be offering a lovely dirt road of 5 miles for carriages. For our campers, we will have a good wood’s trail and our Horse Power riders will do a smaller ride around the farm ….in short there is something for everyone. We hope to have a super turn out, ending with big Chicken BBQ complete with lots of prizes. We will have business sponsorships and shirts for all participants….Great fun for all and let’s hope we raise lots of money for our Horse Power students. If you are interested in receiving information, please call the office or email us at the number and address.

The Horse Power Instructor Training School is filling up nicely for the fall. We are currently taking applications and interviewing people. We continue to love the school and having our Instructor Training Candidates really get to ‘live and breathe’ therapeutic horsemanship from the ground up. The school has truly become part of the fabric of the farm. We have an excellent crop of new candidates for the fall but are still open to a couple more….so, if this is something you have always wanted to do, please take a look at our website and see the information we have for you. You are also welcome to call Kathy Wile, the Co-Director of the HPITS, at 603-654-6308 or email her at kathywile@horse-power.org We look forward to hearing from you.

Finally, we would like to announce a new weekend that we will be offering in the fall. It will be called “The THRIVERS Weekend”…..It will be on the weekend of September 26^th to the 28^th, beginning on Friday evening and ending after lunch on Sunday. We are very excited about this weekend as it is for those who deal with Chronic illness or pain….and their families. We are hoping that this weekend, the first of its kind here at the farm, will draw people who need the healing powers of the land, the farm animals and gardens, and the horses, of course. While this is not necessarily a riding weekend, people may ride or drive if able….It will be designed to be fun, refreshing, renewing and, we hope healing. It will have some ceremony and some teaching...all optional of course...We are just so excited to be offering this kind of event. We are working on raising money for the weekend…and will ask people to “pay as they are able”….meaning that no one should not come because of money or lack thereof! We would love to have you attend the weekend, come help, or spread the word to someone you know who might need this kind of weekend due to difficult health issues….Please email me if you are interested in any way at boomcdaniel@horse-power.org. We want this to happen and to be a joyous celebration of thriving despite adversity!!!!

So, I end as I began, by sending you good cheer and best wishes. We all hope you are prospering and enjoying your work. We hope to see you at one or more of the events of Horse Power. We can’t wait to welcome you!!! Until then, stay well.

Most warmly,

Isabella (Boo) McDaniel, M.Ed.
HP Founder and Executive Director