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(519 KB)Celebrate!
7th Annual Chair Affair & Art Auction Update
May 1, 2008
May 1st was a wonderful spring evening and several hundred people chatted with old friends, met new friends, and enjoyed delicious hors d' oeuvres, as they were entertained by the Celtic Music Group.
But, the most fun of all was that the attendees of the Chair Affair & Art Auction had the opportunity to support Three Gaits by bidding on old chairs that had been donated and artistically transformed into wonderful pieces of art. Attendees also had bidding opportunities on pieces of artwork by local artists, which were also donated for the event.
Celebrate! The Chair Affair & Art Auction raised $20,300 in proceeds for Three Gaits. The proceeds will be used for various areas in the program. They'll be used for a percentage of the riding lesson costs, new rider evaluations, training for new program horses, and continuing education for staff members.
Without the artists, sponsors, the Coliseum Bar and Angelo's Restaurant who gave a percentage of their dining profits, the Milwaukee Brewers' donation of a Brewer Suite, the Sheraton Hotel Madison who gave several nights stay, and the volunteers, Three Gaits would not have had the opportunity to celebrate this event!
Three Gaits and its supporters enjoyed an exciting and successful evening. A big thank you to everyone who shared their time and energy in making this event a success!
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Above: Volunteers proudly show a
check of the money raised at Celebrate! 7th Annual Chair
Right: The winners of the
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A
Letter From Andrea Strayer
Three Gaits Board of
Directors President
Dear Friends,
Hard work and frugality have allowed the growth of Three Gaits from its humble beginnings with two horses and eight riders to become one of the nation's premier accredited therapeutic riding centers. Three Gaits now serves more than 250 students each year through the dedication of our seven highly-trained instructors and therapists, 16 tireless horses, and hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers and financial supporters.
More important than these statistics is how Three Gaits positively changes the lives of those we touch. A child's difficulty walking goes away when astride a horse as she experiences power and freedom not otherwise possible. A boy challenged to speak learns communication and reasoning skills that will help him the rest of his life. Damaged muscles are made stronger by therapy on a horse, as minds and bodies experience new adventures. Students develop special bonds with the horses, instructors, other students and volunteers in a place where they are enabled, not disabled.
Maintaining our farm and quality therapeutic riding program is expensive, and requires significant financial and volunteer support. Rider's tuition fees cover only 1/3 of Three Gaits' expenses. Our annual campaign goal is to raise $25,000. Please be a part of Three Gaits continued service to each individual student, one ride at a time, by giving to our program. With your generous financial gifts and volunteer time, we will be able to enrich students' lives now and well into the future.
Thank you for your past support and the important role you've played in Three Gaits' 25-year history. Each and every person truly makes a difference. We look forward to your continued partnership now, in 2008, and the years ahead. For more information on how you can help, please visit our website at www.3gaits.org.
Sincerely,
Andrea Strayer
President, Board of Directors
Three Gaits, Inc.
A
Brother Like Mine
By Mark Strayer
Mark Strayer is a 5th grader whose older brother, Brian, has been a rider at Three Gaits for five years. This is Mark's perspective on growing up with a brother who has challenges.
Having Brian as a brother can be both difficult and rewarding. You need to be patient because he can be a bit self-centered. During conversations with him, you need to be especially patient because they often turn from two-sided to one.
Having Brian as a brother can also help me out in the world. In my classroom the past several years there have been kids with autism. Living with Brian has shown me how to help the kids in my class by speaking gently and softly to them.
Sometimes I need to stand up for Brian. Last winter, we were out sledding, and there was a group of not-so-nice kids there as well. All of these kids know Brian, and so they know that he doesn't walk away from bullies. They tease him, and hurt him among other things. Since Brian doesn't walk away from problems like this, I just had to stand up, so the other kids would stop bullying him. I think that Brian is learning how to overcome problems from experiences such as working with unwilling horses.
I'm also very, very proud of Brian. Though he may struggle in some parts of school, he is a tuba wizard. He has played at Morphy Hall at UW Madison twice, and gotten the top score in a solo contest by playing Introduction and Dance. His tuba instructor said Introduction and Dance was a piece that he hadn't played until high school, and here is a 7th grader who has nearly mastered it!
I can tell Brian loves Three Gaits. He loves talking about it at home. On Saturdays he tries to get out there early so he can saddle and bridle his horse of the day. His dream is to have a horse of his own someday that he could ride. In the summer he does volunteer camps, where they work most of the day, and loves being out in the country. Brian always has and always will adore Three Gaits.
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Special thanks to Heather McManamy of ShortHorse Studios for sharing her time and talents with Three Gaits. Heather was the official photographer for Riders Ribbons and Horseplay Student Horse Show that took place on Sunday, August 8. Most recently, she also spent a Sunday morning at Three Gaits taking photos of the newest members of Three Gaits horse herd to assist us in updating Three Gaits website. As always her talents and skills amaze us! Heather's photos from the student horse show are featured throughout this newsletter. To see more of Heather's photos, please visit her website at www.shorthorsestudios.com. |
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Three Gaits is pleased to announce the following grant awards received March through May 2008. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the following organizations:
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Ridership Support:
Rider Support and Arena improvements
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Volunteer Recognition/Activities Support
Program Support
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Three Gaits is able to fulfill its' mission to provide equine assisted activities to children and adults with special needs and disabilities because of the philanthropy of the individuals who serve on foundation and grant making boards such as those listed. Please refer to the website links provided for details regarding the support each organization has provided.
Recap
of Riders, Ribbons and Horseplay:
The Annual Student Horse
Show
Three Gaits' Riders are the very core of the entire organization and are what Three Gaits' horse show is all about. This annual summer event provides an opportunity for riders to showcase skills they've worked so hard to develop. A highlight of the summer for riders, this day is also one of Three Gaits' staff and volunteer favorite activities to take part in.
The impact of this day goes beyond the
average horse show. This is an opportunity for riders to invite their
friends, grandparents, aunts and uncles to see them…to see them
doing something that not everyone is able to do, and to see them
succeed.
The presentation of the Ribbons at the end of each of the classes
brought big smiles and cheers from the crowd. Special thanks to the
additional people who spend the day helping everyone participate in
Horseplay throughout the day. Artist, Holly Frederickson, together
with riders, volunteers and family members, created a horse sculpture
that was auctioned at Three Gaits' 25th anniversary celebration.
Singer Ken Lonnquist entertained the audience through out the afternoon with his entertaining and interactive songs. Amy Holmes and friend, Amy Dunn, wowed the lunch crowd with a barrel racing demonstration. Young and those just young at heart were able to try their hand with an interactive roping activity that the two Amy's led as well.
Special thanks to the many volunteers, staff, sponsors and riders who made this day a fantastic experience for all who attended!
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Riders, |
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Above: Program director Dena Duncan
helps Bella Skalsky onto Three Gaits horse while volunteers are at
the ready to assist.
Left: Ryleigh is sailing through the
obstacle/trail class on Nora…
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Right: Three Gaits volunteers relax
while |
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Left: Josh Gerrits smiles happily while riding Nora.
Above: Rob Montgomery works feverishly
Left: Ron Gausmann shows his reaction
to hearing his name announced as the |
Internet
Research Leads to Progress for
Young Three Gaits Participant
By Lynn Hanus
Wendy Ianne recalls that when she worked at CUNA Mutual she would see Three Gaits listed in United Way of Dane County campaign materials, but she really didn't know what the program was. She thought it might have had something to do with horses. Little did she know how well she would come to understand Three Gaits and the positive impact equine-assisted activities would eventually have on her daughter, Caitlyn, who is now five years old.
Caitlyn has cerebral palsy, which refers to a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and affect muscle tone and coordination and a person's ability to maintain balance and posture. Wendy and her husband, Dave, were eager to find whatever therapies they could that would help Caitlyn. Research on the Internet led Wendy to discover a case of a child with physical delays similar to Caitlyn's-and horseback riding was one of the therapies that was beneficial in that case. Caitlyn had been on horseback before at fairs and showed no fear of it. So Wendy "Googled" for more information and up came Three Gaits, and the connection was made.
The Iannes enrolled Caitlyn in lessons at Three Gaits when she was three years old. Wendy remembers being surprised by the size of the horses. "I was expecting small ponies; I was more nervous than Caitlyn ever was! Caitlyn loves it so much." Caitlyn has ridden in every session since she started. The Iannes thought about having Caitlyn taking a winter off, but even in a two- or three-week break between sessions, Wendy and Dave noticed a regression in her speech, motor skills, and balance, so they signed her up again right away.
"Balance is the big thing for Caitlyn," says Wendy. "I've never seen her sit up so straight as when she is on the horse." Caitlyn has a tendency to go off balance and lean to the right, but she has shown a lot of improvement in her balance and control since participating at Three Gaits. At age three, Caitlyn started to use a walker, although her preferred method of getting around was to crawl. But shortly after, about a month into preschool and Three Gaits, Wendy says, "She ditched the walker and started walking on her own." The social aspects of Caitlyn's time at Three Gaits are very important, too, and she has made friends with her lesson mates.
Caitlyn is very much a "girl's girl"-she loves singing and dancing, playing with dolls and Barbies, and watching Hannah Montana. She looks forward to Kindergarten this fall in Sun Prairie, where the Iannes reside. "Caitlyn is a people person," says Wendy. She gets along well with her brother, Casey, who is four years old. The family enjoys travel, riding their bikes together, and other activities they can do as a family. Caitlyn's dad is a firefighter, and when he is off duty, they make a family night out of going to Three Gaits. Casey has also made friends with the brothers of the other riders in Caitlyn's class.
Caitlyn likes to ride Maggie, Dusty, and Beau, but she says her favorite horse is still Buddy (even though he has been gone since December 2006, Buddy made a big impression on Caitlyn). To commemorate Buddy's life and Caitlyn's feelings for him the Iannes have an engraved brick on the patio at Three Gaits that reads: Caitlin loves Buddy forever. The Iannes can't say enough good things about Three Gaits program of equine-assisted activities and therapies and the positive impact on Caitlyn's walking, balance, and other progress. "Everybody's so wonderful," says Wendy. "It's more than worth the long drive out there from Sun Prairie!"
Remember to use www.GoodSearch.com when searching the Internet, and designate Three Gaits (Oregon, WI) as your selected charity. Three Gaits receives a donation for every internet search you make!
Help Three Gaits by detaching this donation slip and sending it with your donation in an envelope.
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Yes! I want to
support Three Gaits Therapeutic Enclosed is my gift of $25 $50 $100 $250 $500 Other $_____ Name: _____________________________________________ Phone:___________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________ City: _______________________________ State: _________ Zip: ___________ E-mail: _____________________________________________ This is a gift in honor / in memory of: _____________________________________________
My employer will match this gift (include your company's matching gift form with this card) Charge
my credit card (Visa/MC) Credit Card number
_______________________________ Please contact me about volunteer opportunities at Three Gaits Three Gaits, Inc., PO Box 153, Oregon, WI 53575 www.3gaits.org All
gifts to Three Gaits, Inc. are tax-deductible to the
extent provided by law. |
Three Gaits Mission, Board Members, and Staff
Three Gaits, Inc., is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization whose mission is to provide a safe and effective therapeutic horsemanship program for children, youth, and adults with disabilities and special needs. Therapeutic horsemanship uses equine-oriented activities to promote and enhance the development of each participant's cognitive, physical, and communicative abilities, and positive self-esteem. Three Gaits strives to serve interested individuals within Dane County and the surrounding area. It is the policy of Three Gaits, Inc., to promote equal service and employment opportunities for employees, clients, board members, and applicants to the agency. Equal service and employment opportunities means the treatment of those categories of people mentioned above without regard to their age, race, sex, creed or religion, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, color, disability, ancestry or political affiliation.
Board members:
Staff:
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North American
Riding for the |
Three
Gaits is a Proud Member of the|
Three Gaits, Inc.
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