What is Omaha Gives!?
Omaha Gives! is a 24-hour online fundraising event that will begin at midnight on May 22nd. This event is led by the Omaha Community Foundation to bring our community together to support local nonprofits through online fundraising. You do not have to live in Omaha to take part in this 24 hour charitable challenge!

A $10 minimum donation can make the difference at the barns of HETRA!

How Does HETRA Benefit from Omaha Gives!?
Omaha Gives! is a great opportunity to increase awareness about HETRA while raising funds to support the very special horses and amazing students that HETRA serves everyday!

How Can You Help HETRA Through Omaha Gives!?
It’s easy! Go to www.Omahagives24.org and search for Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy to donate from midnight to midnight on Wednesday, May 22nd. Feel free to share this email with your family and friends as well! You can also keep track of HETRA’s progress by visiting the LEADERBOARD on www.Omahagives24.org.

www.OmahaGives24.org

Join us and show your support for HETRA!

Following is a letter we received from a parent regarding her son’s time at the HETRA barns!

I haven’t gotten a chance to tell you and all the others that work with my son thank you for the positive impact you guys have on him and for all the things you guys are teaching him. Winning the “Youth Volunteer of the Year Award” today was a total surprise for him. The look on his face when you called his name was priceless and I can’t tell you how much it means to him. When he first started I really wasn’t sure how much he was going to like it. After his first day there I asked him how he liked it and his exact words were “I can’t wait to go back next week and horse poop isn’t as heavy as it looks.” That is the first time he has ever said he couldn’t wait to go back somewhere. Since then he basically lives and breathes HETRA. If he isn’t talking about his other passions which is anything military and gaming then it is all HETRA. You guys have inspired him so much that he has talked about how he wants to learn everything and someday become an instructor and he has a bunch of other goals he wants to pursue that’s related to everything you guys do. It’s the first time he has shown that much passion for something and I have told my husband that whatever I can do to help him pursue those goals I will do.

His big thing was wanting to be more involved last year, however when he first started I was 3 months pregnant and was extremely sick for 2 months and wasn’t physically able to do a whole lot without getting really sick. I was basically bedridden for two months. The only time I got out of bed was to drive him there and that’s why I hung out in the barn or in my car while he did his shift, the driving just made me nauseous so I tried to do as little of it as possible. We actually live right around the corner from the Omaha barn but at the time he started they didn’t have any openings for him so I thought I would start him off at Valley and move him to the Omaha barn when there was an opening. He however fell in love with the Valley barn and everyone he works with and the kids he gets to help out with and he didn’t want to switch. Trust me if we lived closer he would want to be there everyday. so I told him this year I will make sure he is more involved in events you guys have and fundraising and whatever else he wants to be involved with.

I just wanted you guys to know how much you all mean to him. All he talks about is HETRA, the horses and the students, oh and the cats. I love that he is working and learning from such a great group of people who are also positive role models for him. I tell people all the time that HETRA is the best thing I have gotten him involved in.

Both involve horses, but do you know the difference between therapeutic riding & hippotherapy?

Therapeutic Riding teaches the rider to control the horse using such skills as reining and use of aids. All therapeutic riding sessions are conducted by a PATH certified instructor and periodically reassessed by a licensed therapist. Therapeutic riding sessions are conducted in a group setting with 2 to 3 riders riding at a time. All riders are accompanied by a leader and two sidewalkers if needed. Some students progress to the point that they are able to ride independently.

vs.

Hippotherapy is done by an Occupational, Physical or Speech Therapist (OT, PT, ST) who have been specially trained to use the movement of the horse to facilitate improvements in their client/patient. It does not teach the client how to ride the horse. Therapists use traditional techniques such as NDT (neurodevelopmental treatment) and SI (sensory integration) along with the movement of the horse as part of their treatment strategy. All goals are therapy directed such as improving balance, coordination, posture, fine motor control, articulation and increasing cognitive skills.

P.s. Did you know: The term ‘hippotherapist’ is sometimes seen in print but is a misnomer. There really is no such thing. People providing hippotherapy are physical, occupational or speech therapists. Hippotherapy is a treatment strategy used by these skilled practitioners to achieve functional outcomes.

Read more about the differences about the programs that HETRA offers! http://www.hetra.org/?page_id=24

Wounded Warrior Project’s magazine, After Action Report latest edition is available.

Story on pg 16 “Saddle Up” mentions HETRA

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/media/427250/aar-dec-2012-smaller2.pdf

Thanks to WOWT Channel 6 for their coverage of a HETRA student story on the 10 pm news! Video on the link at the bottom of the story.

Horses are making all the difference for people of all ages in the metro thanks to the Heartland Equine Therapeutic Academy (HETRA).

For Peggy Evert and her grandson Chase, therapy sessions at HETRA each week means quality time together.

“He can hardly wait to run in and put his helmet on and get out there,” says Evert.

The three-year-old has struggled with low muscle tone since birth. When he first started riding, the toddler wasn’t able to walk without help.

“He’s just had to struggle sometimes to get his muscles to respond the way they should.”

But the past year, chase has been working with instructors performing interactive tasks that help strengthen his core.

“My husband and I used to pray someday that Chase would run someday and now we pray we can keep up with him because he’s off and running.”

The academy works with 115 students every week and relies on community donations to keep facilities running, but the drought this summer has made food for the horses more expensive.

Jen Wolsleben is an instructor. She says people thrive from working with horses because it doesn’t feel like therapy.

“Being able to see a student who is so scared. but she’s enjoying it so much is great to see and makes me want to work harder HETRA survives in a hard economy,” says Wolsleben.

While it costs HETRA $100 for every ride, they charge those who need therapy a third of the cost.

The non-profit has their biggest fundraiser coming up this spring on April 20th. It’s the 13th annual Blue Jeans and Dreams event. The goal is to raise $60,000 which will provide 1,200 lessons for students.

To learn more about HETRA and how you can help, click on their website at the bottom of this story.

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Horse-Therapy-In-the-Heartland-186113251.html

With Waldo’s assistance, a young lady was able to take her first independent steps of her life….. at age 14.

Read the letter at the following link

http://www.hetra.org/index_files/2012AnnualFundletter.pdf

A poem written by a HETRA parent….

“Leading Me”

Up on that horse, he’s the star of the show,
If only you could be there to see that child glow,
The smile on this face and the light in his eye~
I’m never quite sure whether to laugh or to cry.
There are angels among us, giving their all,
My son knows this and knows also we won’t let him fall;
They lead him around the barn as they smile,
Laughing, stretching…. Forming bonds all the while.
God sent them to us, that much we know,
And you are helping us to help them grow.
They’re special, amazing, beautiful, too,
For this we thank God and also thank you.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support of HETRA and our son.

It is Christmas time at HETRA! Thanks to Jenna Glidden for her gift to HETRA of a RED lead rope, Sara Wolfson for her variety of items, and Kathy Sangimino for curtains at the office!

Here is a link to our Wish List and Amazon Wish List! http://www.hetra.org/?page_id=50

Winter Advanced Day Camp – Sign Up NOW: HETRA will be offering a Winter Advanced Day Camp here are the details – PLEASE REGISTER by 12/21/12 – space is limited so sign up now!!:

When: 12/28 and 12/29 – Omaha Barn

When: 1/3 and 1/4 – Valley Barn

Time: 10:00 a.m. to Noon

Cost: $50/day or $90 for two days

What: Riding (English or Western), Advancement of Riding Skills, Grooming and Saddling horses, General horse care activities (stall cleaning and stable management activities, etc), General horse knowledge activities (parts of the horse, saddle, bridle, what do horses eat, etc.)

Who: This camp is open to HETRA students, volunteers and the general public – Students must be able to ride independently or with assistance of horse leader only. And must be independent in toileting and moving between stations and be able to work in a small group setting with minimal supervision.

How to Sign Up: Please send an email to Edye@hetra.org and indicate which day/days you would like to sign up for.

Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House Charities for awarding HETRA funding for student sponsorships!

HETRA Student, Caroline, accepted the check with Doc looking on!