thank you bruce

One of the many challenges that we face at Vinceremos is how to take care of the wonderful horses who have shared their lives with Vinceremos when getting up in the morning isn't quite as easy anymore.  Those majestic creatures who have unconditionally given the riders here so much happiness...

Vinceremos is celebrating its 30th year of operation, and some of our horses have been with us almost that long.  On a recent visit to the farm by Bruce Duchossois and Michael Bombar, we were sharing the retirement dilemma in hopes of some advice.  We talked about how difficult it was to retire these special horses and feel confident that we could assure that they are well cared for.  Bruce said, "I think I can help you with that!"  We are so happy to let you know that two of our longtime stars, Millie and Jamie, have gone to retire to Aiken, South Carolina on Bruce's farm.  Words cannot begin to express our gratitude to Bruce for his most kind and generous offer in helping us with such an important challenge.  If any of you have had to retire one of your own, you know how you feel when you know the time has come to let our most loyal and trusted compatriot enjoy the green grass.  How important it is to know that they will be cared for in the way that we would if we were able.  We couldn't have dreamed of a better place for these two nobles to go and be together.

Thank you Bruce, you show Vinceremos again why you are a Superhero!

Forever Grateful

In this day in age everyone is just so busy.  With the economy the way it is, for someone to simply volunteer to help others, makes my heart melt.  I feel so blessed and humbled that Mr. John and Ms. Kerri take time and find it their hearts to help Adison.  They are there every day we have therapy at Vinceremos.    Adison is the first rider in the morning and before we even get there the volunteers have fed Misty May Breakfast and saddled her up with the special saddle needed for riders.

Mr. John……..he’s not a man of too many words but his smile warms your heart and Ms. Kerri ……..she’s kind of the volunteer Mom makes you feel like one of her own.  They are always there at the barn ready to go with a smile on their face.  They teach us about Misty May and as Mr. John leads and Ms. Kerri walks along side helping Ms. Heidi (OT, we will talk about her later) work with Adison.   

I don’t know exactly how many volunteers there are at Vinceremos.  But we are so thankful for every single one of them.  Without their generosity we wouldn’t have such a wonderful place to come to each week.

In the beginning we were perfect strangers to them.  I don’t know if they know the true impact of what they actually do for us.  They will always have a special place in our hearts.  To know, that they just volunteer out of the true goodness of their hearts, makes us forever grateful to them.   

thousand words thursday...VTRC guys

Angie

Just Breathe

I ask myself all the time, What is it about the smell of the barn? 

And it’s not what you thinkJ.

I can stand among the open space, look out towards the green grass and the covered arena, close my eyes and take a deep breath.  For the first time, in a really long time I was able to just breathe. 

Life is busy.  And when you step foot on to the ground at the barn it takes you to another world.

There is a sense of calming, a sense of peace and serenity that just comes over you.   You have not a care in the world. 

I don’t know how else to explain it. 

extreme makeover, VTRC edition

Vinceremos is about to undergo an extreme makeover.  Of course you've already seen our 45,500 square foot covered arena, which has most definitely changed the look of the farm.  We're now getting ready for a virtual makeover too!
Back in college when I was making my sorority's first ever web page (when Y2K was still a scare), I never would have thought that I'd go on to do more!  Things are a lot different now, and we don't really need to be tech geniuses in order to create a great website.

One thing that I hope you'll see when you log onto vinceremos.org is the simplicity of the design.  Nothing can be more frustrating than clicking through a webpage looking for something before realizing that the "logical" location isn't exactly logical at all.  There will be none of that on vinceremos.org.  The menu items will be short, sweet, and to the point.
One reason for the web redesign is to increase efficiency for prospective riders and volunteers.  We know that though necessary, the long application form can be tiring.  We've streamlined the questions and have made them submittable online!  We're also giving the opportunity to pay online as well as submit scholarship requests!
We'll have streaming news and Twitter feeds on the front page of the website.  There will also be an emergency alert in bright red at the top of the page. You won't see it unless we need it, but it's good that it can be there in the event of closure or other emergency - keeping you connected and informed about what's going on around the barn.
We hope you like it.  Keep checking back for the new vinceremos.org!


Angie

How We Ended Up at Vinceremos

As a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, I know firsthand what parents go through when their expectations of having a child can change in an instant. 

On October 20, 2009 that instant was now my own.  My daughter Adison was Born with an undiagnosed genetic syndrome.     Every parent wants the best for their child, but when you have a child with special needs that “best” becomes astronomical. 

When Adison turned a year old and was not even attempting to walk yet; physical, occupational and special instruction, were well ingrained in our daily schedule.   I have known about Vinceremos and therapeutic horseback riding my whole life.  In school I wrote papers on the benefits of horses and those with disabilities.  Little did I know those days would come full circle for me.  When Adison was 15 months old I called Vinceremos and said “when can we start?”  She was 21 months old when she got on her first horse.  She cried the whole time.  The volunteers played music and sang to her but she didn’t care.  She cried and cried until they got her down.   She cried for the next 3 sessions.  All of a sudden at the fourth session she loved it.  She mounted Misty May and looked straight at me with the biggest smile ever and waved bye-bye!  That’s when I cried and cried and cried.   It was amazing to see how much she loved being on the horse.  For the first time she had her own “thing.”  It made her so proud of herself it gave her confidence and at the same time it was helping to strengthen her little body.  And that made me so happy for her.  

Almost 2 months to the Day after getting on Misty May for the first time……….. Adison took her first two unassisted steps! 

Day 1
She's crying while the wonderful volunteers sing to her.

Day 4
Happy and waving Bye-Bye to me!

thousand words thursday

congratulations

Congratulations to our many riders who competed in the Special Olympics Area Equestrian Games on April 1.  Vinceremos is excited that 20 riders have been invited to participate the State Games in Tampa on May 4-5. 

 

farewell old friend

Deb with Lulu

It is with bittersweet emotions that we say goodbye to our Volunteer Coordinator Deb.  They say that all things happen for a reason, and we know that it was no coincidence that Deb ended up a Vinceremos.  As a girl who originally volunteered with a riding center in her home state of New Jersey, Deb was determined from a young age to become a riding instructor.  When the time came for college, she landed at Palm Beach Atlantic University.  Though she was excited to begin her studies in exceptional student education, she held out hope that she could one day marry her education and passion for horses to create a livelihood for herself.  Her first weekend as a freshman, she heard about Vinceremos, a place where children and adults with disabilities come to discover the "healing power of horses."  Deb skipped her freshman retreat to attend the volunteer orientation at VTRC that weekend.
After volunteering for several years and being named VTRC's Volunteer of the Year, Deb was appointed Volunteer Coordinator.  She used her connections at PBA to recruit many more volunteers and to spread the word about therapeutic horseback riding.  Because of Deb, PBA has become a consistent partner for special event and work day volunteers.
Last summer, Deb became a PATH certified therapeutic riding instructor and has been teaching on weekends.  The progress that her "kids" have made is very much a testament to the amount of time Deb spends tailoring her classes to her students abilities and goals.  We know that her riders will miss her just as much as her volunteers!
We would be remiss if not mentioning Lulu, Deb's favorite pony.  Actually, it's more likely that Deb is Lulu's favorite human.  Deb has schooled Lulu with patience and respect and all the love a girl could give to her equine BFF.  The rest, as they say, is history.
As we bid Deb farewell, we are excited for the many possibilities and adventures that await her.  Good luck and best wishes to you!

april showers...

...bring May flowers.

Soooo thankful to have a roof over the arena on a day like today.  Weather report didn't predict storms until later tonight, but they arrived early!  So far, everyone scheduled has been able to ride, and the horses seem to be pretty pleased that they haven't had to go out in this weather either.  #bringtherain

thousand words thursday