Happy birthday dear horses!

Equine tradition continues at therapy center, By Marilyn Rosenthal MILFORD — A birthday party for horses? Really? Of course. GAIT (Genuine Alternative in Therapy) celebrated what is a yearly traditional birthday party for the horses. In the racing world, thoroughbred and standard bred horses are deemed one year older on Jan. 1 of each year. So if a foal is born on Dec. 30, it is considered one year old on Jan.1, and there is a traditional birthday party for all horses on that date. The Horse Birthday Party at GAIT was held on Jan. 2, and was attended by their horses, their volunteers, and many of their riders—children and adults with special needs. Actually, GAIT held its first birthday party for its horses in 1997, the year it was established as a non-profit agency. According to Martha Dubensky, GAIT’s founder and director, the mission of this “Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center is to improve the quality of life of children and adults with special needs, resulting in a more independent life in society.” Dubensky stressed that while the special needs riders at GAIT get extensive practice with cognitive and coordination issues, they don’t usually get to go to many birthday parties. So this birthday party for the horses is a special opportunity for socialization. And that it was. There was a birthday cake (carrot cake, of course) made by NARHA certified instructor, Elizabeth De Luca. There were party favors for all the special needs riders, the horses wore birthday hats, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to the horses. Dubensky also announced that GAIT had just received its 2009 accreditation by NAHRA - the international accrediting body that sets the safety standards and requirements for the therapeutic riding industry. She also honored Gary Rusnack with a plaque for his contributions as a volunteer to GAIT Rusnack was celebrating his second anniversary as a volunteer. He has been a side-walker, has done barn maintenance and in general helps with the kids. Rusnack said “The reason I did this was because I woke up one day and decided I needed to do something. This is a great organization and I honestly feel that I get more than I give.” The average life span of a horse is about 25 years. Many of the horses at GAIT are about that age and even older. Dubensky is proud of this and says that the reason the horses are in such good shape is largely due to their dedicated volunteers. One of the parents remarked that the horses were just so well taken care of and so amazing with the riders. She said, “If you want to know about the horses and about GAIT, just check out the smiles on the faces of the riders. For more information about GAIT go to www.gaitpa.com or call 570-409-1140.