Posted on Dec 15, 2021 in
On the Porch with Patti
Ho, ho, horsing around with my new honey – Iceman – at Reining Strength Therapeutic Horsemanship.
By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher
I’m a list maker. It’s a thing. I make a list every day, and there’s no feeling better to me than checking things off of my list. It works for me; it REALLY works for me. Guess Santa and I have that in common: we make lists and check them twice. I don’t necessarily categorize them as naughty or nice, because we all likely know which list I would end up on.
In the holiday hustle and bustle, my list-making has taken on a life of its own. I make my daily lists, I make gift lists, I make shopping lists, I make wrapping lists, I make short-term and long-term to-do lists – it’s a lot. And I tend to not be very flexible when it comes to deviating from my lists. You could say I’m focused – hyper-focused even – about my lists until all three magazines get uploaded, the holy ho-ho has arrived and everything on my lists has been checked off – and double-checked off.
Mr. Kaminski is not a list person. He tries to avoid my lists. He tries to get me to be spontaneous. I personally find the word “spontaneous” vulgar. Spontaneity to me is going to the store without a list. Then, my pressure gets up at the mere thought of a wasted or return trip, and I’m just not having it.
Now this list-making thing is not without its pitfalls. The other day I neglected to document an outing on said list, and I was in a tizzy. Yes, I do this to myself – I realize this. I scrambled to get directions to aforementioned outing, ended up going somewhere completely different as I was on the phone instead of paying attention to my directions, and finally reached my destination – a better late than never scenario. But boy was this addition to my daily list worth it.
I’ve known Reining Strength Therapeutic Horsemanship and the amazing duo that runs it, Heather Hernandez-Sedillo and RD Sedillo, for many years. In fact, Mr. Kaminski and I have supported their program as what they do is very close to Mr. Kaminski’s heart. They provide services to children and adults with physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs through equine-assisted services – something Mr. Kaminski began his career doing back in the dark ages.
I had always wanted to visit Reining Strength. I don’t know why in the world I thought during the hectic holidays was THE time, but I now realize I don’t always have all of the answers as to why certain items end up on my list. I toured Reining Strength’s amazing facility, met some of their team and met a most handsome fellow who stole my heart – Iceman.
Heather shared that since COVID, they have been blessed to serve more clients than ever – over 100 individuals for weekly therapeutic horsemanship lessons now! I was amazed by the many clients this small but mighty non-profit organization serves – solely from donations! Reining Strength isn’t funded by some mega-corporation or subsidized in its’ entirety by a government entity. They exist because community organizations and members support them. And what a difference they make in the lives of so many.
With their client list bursting at the seams, Heather shared that their Christmas wish this year is to add another team member to help them keep serving our community – a four-legged variety team member. But adding to their equine staff isn’t as easy as you might think. It takes a horse of a different breed and lots of love and training to serve individuals with different abilities.
The miracle in this Christmas wish is that a donor has stepped up to match all donations made to Reining Strength made through the end of the year – up to $20,000! And it will take approximately $40,000 to add and train an equine team member.
Reining Strength has a list of their own this holiday season – it’s a waiting list of individuals with different abilities who would benefit from their services – people they can help if they get another four-legged friend on their team. Now I know why a visit to Reining Strength got put on my list this year. Could you add a small gift to Reining Strength to your Christmas list? Trot on over to https://www.reiningstrength.org/ and put a little something in Iceman’s stocking. Checking this off of your Christmas list will feel amazing, and Heather, RD, Iceman and the entire team at Reining Strength will really appreciate it. This I got – straight from the horse’s mouth!
Ho, ho, hugs! See y’all next week – on the porch!
Patti Parish-Kaminski
Follow Patti Parish-Kaminski on Facebook at facebook.com/patti.parishkaminski and on Instagram at instagram.com/ontheporchwithpatti/.
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