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TROTT - Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa-Carleton

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Dakota

Gender: Gelding

Breed: Quarter horse

Colour: Sorrel with a star and strip

Size: 14.3hh

Year born: 1994

I arrived at TROtt in November 2001

Also known as “Splash of Doc”

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#TBT to our annual BBQ. This past weekend would ha

#TBT to our annual BBQ. This past weekend would have been our 3rd annual BBQ, and we were so sad that it had to be cancelled.

This fundraiser was one of our favourites as it was a time we could welcome everyone into our property for a pony ride, games and a BBQ lunch.

It was also always our largest fundraiser. Last year we raised close to $7,000. As with many charities, TROtt aims to stretch every dollar to provide the best care for our horses, but this year has been one of the toughest yet. Every little bit of help goes a long way. If you are able, we would greatly appreciate your donation to our Hay for Horses campaign through the link in our bio.

A lot goes into caring for our special horses, from keeping their stalls clean and dry to making sure that they have the vet and farrier care they need when they need it, and everything in between. Donating to feed a TROtt horse helps us to keep our furry friends in top shape for our riders.

It's been an absolutely wonderful week reuniting s

It's been an absolutely wonderful week reuniting some of our riders with the TROtt horses and our volunteers!
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#therapyhorse #therapeuticriding #horsesofinstagram #ottawahorses #ottawa #greely

REMINDER: The TROtt Board of Directors will hold a

REMINDER: The TROtt Board of Directors will hold an Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 6:30pm.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public attendance will be via Zoom videoconferencing. If you are interested in attending electronically, please send an email to the TROtt office: trott@ncf.ca

Invitations will be distributed with the Zoom access instructions prior to the meeting date.

This week's Feature Friday is Zip! Zip is a ches

This week's Feature Friday is Zip!

Zip is a chestnut quarter horse that came to TROtt in 2019. Since coming to TROtt, he has made many friends, but his absolute favourite is Belle!

He is registered as Zippo Watch Me, but don't let his name fool you, Zip likes to live life on the slower side.

Zip is really looking forward to welcoming back some of his riders back for the fall session that begins this weekend.

Our horses have missed all their human friends and

Our horses have missed all their human friends and we know you have missed them too. TROtt has worked to find a way to safely bring some of our riders back and after a successful phase 1, with just 8 riders we are looking forward to welcoming the next phase of an additional 21 riders.

After every ride a volunteer sanitizes the saddle, bridle and brushes used. Saddle pads are washed after every ride. If you are in any indoor space or unable to physical distance, masks are mandatory. All surfaces touched are required to be sanitized with one of the many disinfectant sprays (we mean many, we have them in every corner). During classes, our volunteers and instructors sport one of the amazing @thecapshield that were donated.

Although at this time we sadly haven’t been able to welcome back everyone, we will continue to work on creative solutions to bring our riders and volunteers back while keeping everyone safe.

After almost 19 years of dedicated service, it is

After almost 19 years of dedicated service, it is time for TROtt to find a retirement home for Dakota, a registered Quarter Horse (D.O.B: MAY 20/94, 15hh). We will not let our horses just retire anywhere and so are beginning our search for an appropriate home for him. We are reaching out to all staff, volunteers, riders and FaceBook friends to use their networks and hopefully find Dakota the perfect place to retire.

We are looking for a private, single owner. We believe he would make a great horse for trail riding and light arena work. Ideally, we would be looking for a home that has experience with older horses and able to provide the care that is necessary to keep him happy and healthy.

If you feel you know of a potential home for Dakota, please email equinecoordinatortrott@gmail.com. Please provide a few details of the potential new home and Staff will follow up.

We will be sad to see him leave but we will do our best to find him the best home possible!

This week's Feature Friday is Annie and Andrew! A

This week's Feature Friday is Annie and Andrew!

Annie started volunteering with us last April, and Andrew started last October.

Annie is currently volunteering for us as an exercise rider, and is ready to return as a horse handler when our program is able to fully go again. Her husband, Andrew helps us out greatly by helping to care for our property by mowing the lawn, moving manure, and other odd jobs needing to be done.

When asked how they first joined TROtt, Annie said, "I started at TROtt as a teachers college student in order to complete an alternative field placement. I originally observed lessons, learned about the program and assisted various instructors. When I returned to TROtt as a horse handler, Andrew had become very interested in helping out based on my enjoyment and experiences at TROtt and decided to offer his help."

Both Annie and Andrew are horse lovers. They both dream of being able to own a horse of their own in the future. Andrew personally hopes to one day take western riding lessons.

These two are truly a dynamic duo. When they aren't at TROtt, Annie works as an elementary teacher and Andrew for the Federal Government. Together they share many hobbies that revolve around being outdoors, such as scuba diving, hiking, camping, and climbing. They also have two very high energy English springer spaniels, Lily and Dallas, that they said keep them active, bring them lots of joy and keep life exciting.

When asked about what they love most about their roles, Annie said, "I love seeing our riders smile and get so excited when they see their favourite horse in the arena. As an exercise rider I love that I am able to help these amazing horses that give so much, and are so consistent, the exercise and attention that they need to stay healthy and happy. Andrew’s favourite part of his role is being able to help maintain the facilities for an organization that helps those in need."

Thank you so much Annie and Andrew for the tireless dedication you have shown to helping our horses and riders. We're so thankful to have so many incredible volunteers like you to support us.

All hoof prints lead to hay and good company ❤️

The TROtt Board of Directors will hold its Annual

The TROtt Board of Directors will hold its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 6:30pm.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public attendance will be via Zoom
videoconferencing. If you are interested in attending electronically, please send an email to the TROtt office: trott@ncf.ca

Invitations will be distributed with the Zoom access instructions prior to the meeting date.

This week's Feature Friday is Sarah! In January S

This week's Feature Friday is Sarah!

In January Sarah joined the TROtt family as part of our weekend barn team, and has been a wonderful addition!

On weekends, Sarah feeds the horses, cleans out the barn, the paddocks, as well as administer any medication or treatments the horses may need to keep them healthy and happy.

When asked how she came to start at TROtt, Sarah said, “A friend of mine from my previous barn was volunteering here and asked me if I could cover some January shifts for the weekend staff at the time. Paula and Fiona asked me to stay on and I’ve been here since!”

We’ve been so thankful that Sarah covered these shifts and stayed. She’s provided our horses with best care. When asked what her favourite parts of her role are, Sarah said, “I love being able to leave the barn knowing the horses are happy and comfortable.”

Even as a little girl, Sarah loved horses, and really wanted a horse to call her own. She said, “My parents (rightfully) refused to buy me a horse when I was young so when my best friend and I got jobs we bought our mare Ori together at 15. She was 3 years old at the time and we had been helping start her under saddle. We’ve had her ever since! She’s now 11 years old, an arab/morgan cross with a good deal of spunk, but a great little hunter. There’s never a boring ride with her!”

When Sarah isn’t at TROtt you can find her riding, studying biology at OttawaU and going on outdoor adventures. Sarah absolutely loves to rock climb, trek and camp, sail, kayak, and travel! In 2018 she got to travel to the Himalayas with a friend, that you can find pictured in this post.

Throughout the pandemic, we knew the horses were in good hands with Sarah being there to provide them with her excellent care. We’re so happy she covered those shifts all those months ago and stayed on. Sarah, thanks so much for your tireless dedication to TROtt and our herd!

This week's Feature Friday is Berkley! Berkley re

This week's Feature Friday is Berkley!

Berkley recently started at TROtt in March as part of our weekend barn team.

Starting any new role at the start of a pandemic is challenging, but Berkley took it in stride and ensured the TROtt herd were well taken care of.

When asked what she loves about her role Berkley said, “I love getting to know each horse's personality.”

Earlier this year she made the big move home to Ottawa from Alberta. That’s when she came across our post searching for barn help on the weekends and instantly applied.

This homecoming has been great for Berkley. She has a very big family with 5 siblings. She said, “It's a full house and so much fun everyday!”

When she’s not at TROtt, she keeps very busy! During the week she works as a baker, and spends time at a horse breeding farm. This is in addition to taking college courses, hiking with her dog, four wheeling, spending time at the cottage, skiing and of course riding horses.

Right now she is enrolled in Police Foundations at Algonquin College and hopes to transfer into a university degree by next fall. After graduation she’s looking forward to starting a career as a police officer.

Fun fact about Berkley is that she used to compete in eventing and hopes to be able to get back to doing that soon!

Berkley has been an amazing addition to the TROtt family. We are so thankful she made the big move back to Ottawa and came to be at TROtt. Thank you so much Berkley for the amazing care you give our horses!

"Say what! You wear your mask on your mouth & nose

"Say what! You wear your mask on your mouth & nose?"

- Revelations from Spencer after noticing that his mask is different from his human visitors.

This week’s Feature Friday is TROtt rider, Matti

This week’s Feature Friday is TROtt rider, Mattia!

Recently Mattia launched a fundraiser for our Hay for Horses campaign using her multimedia art skills, and raised over $300!

Mattia has always loved art, and has taken classes at the @ottawaschoolofart and the HintonBerg Community Centre.

The fundraiser started when she was painting and showed her mom and said that it was for Pebbles. Her mom, Tina said, “I think she remembers coming to see the horses and the need for food and she brought money she was saving for the trip we could not take.“

Since starting at TROtt in 2012, Mattia has ridden many TROtt horses, but now always looks forward to getting to ride Pebbles. Her mom, Tina said, “Mattia misses riding very much and keeps asking when it will start again. She misses Pebbles and her friends.”

We are thankful for all the support TROtt has received throughout this challenging time, especially, Mattia and her mom Tina!

Spencer might need a cup of coffee this morning☕

Spencer might need a cup of coffee this morning☕

#trott #therapyhorse #ottawa #horsesofinstagram #yawninghorse #sleepyboy

This week's Feature Friday is our new Director of

This week's Feature Friday is our new Director of Communications, Sofie!
Sofie joined our Board of Directors back in February and jumped right in to ensure our TROtt community was able to stay in the loop on everything going on at TROtt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps that we were taking to keep everyone safe.
She truly jumped in head first, and rocked it. When reflecting back on the communications and safety measures taken, Sofie said, "In a really short amount of time and in unprecedented circumstances, we took steps to prevent the spread of the virus, kept our riders, their families, and our volunteers informed, and launched our Hay for Horses campaign to help our horses while we suspended operations. Of course, none of that would have been possible without the understanding and generosity of our community."
We are truly lucky to have Sofie! She is a communications professional with years of experience. During the day you can find her working for the federal government in strategic communications, media relations, and social media. When she's not whipping up a communications strategy you can find her hanging out with her horses or at home with her partner Nick and their Yorkshire terrier, Hercule (like the Agatha Christie detective, not the Greek God).
Sofie has two horses, Cairo and Cuervo. Cairo, who is recently retired, is a 22 year old thoroughbred gelding. Cairo was a really great jumper in his day. She bought him when he was 18 to get back into the show ring after having taken about 10 years off riding to focus on school and her career. Cuervo is a new addition to her family. Although Sofie is still getting to know him, she said, "he's a character, a very brave jumper, and up for anything."
Recently Sofie decided to enter their first Hunter Pace with the Ottawa Valley Hunt to get to know Cuervo more and have a fun day out with her new barn mates. The added bonus for her was that it supported the amazing program of our friends at Lanark County Therapeutic Riding Program. Sofie said, "It was a lot of fun, and I think he enjoyed himself as much as I did!"
Welcome Sofie to the TROtt family! We are thankful to have you!

Nothing like a good roll after a bath! . . . #hors

Nothing like a good roll after a bath!
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#horsesofinstagram #therapyhorse #yow #ottawa #therapeuticridinghorse

Contact Us

Email
trott@ncf.ca
Address
6362-1 Bank St. (Highway 31)
Greely, Ontario
K4P 1J4

Copyright © 2020 TROTT - Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa-Carleton