Have therapy horses, Will Travel.

OK, first let me apologize for letting the blog lapse for so long. I am hopeless, what can I say.

I just finished a 3-week run with Riding for the Disabled of Victoria's mobile unit, operating out of Officer, Vic., a suburb of Melbourne. The mobile unit is based on this farm where 23 horses currently live and truck up to 6 horses per day out to currently three different venues near the city. This allows therapy to be offered in places where it otherwise is impossible if there is no space nearby for horses.

Monday and Tuesday mornings I went with the truck out to Caulfield Racetrack where the horses are set up in the central carpark, a grassy little area with access to a club house, level pitch for riding, water and toilets, and the riders can drive right up to the gate. Three hour-long sessions were conducted between 10 am and 2 pm.

Wednesday and Thursday nights the truck goes out to South Melbourne's mounted police barracks. It's great because it's so accessible to inner-city dwellers including by train or tram and electric scooters can get there independently. Because lessons start at 6 pm and the truck arrives no sooner than 5.30 pm, adults who work during the day can volunteer or take lessons, or kids in mainstream schools without special permission to leave during the day.

The mobile unit comes self-contained with equipment, games, paperwork, and a driver that's also a certified O-level or level 1 coach (depending on the day!) so that volunteers and riders just show up at their designated center and are provided with therapy!

Friday a new site was just beginning at Lysterfield, another suburb. I only got to see the assessments, but it's a brand-new arena and clubhouse, so holds much promise. Sessions are also run in Officer at the farm on Tuesday mornings and all day Saturday.

So though there is less and less land available in Victoria as suburban sprawl sinks its claws into the state, the mobile unit is a creative way to provide this service for more riders at venues easier for them to reach. The problems? Though the horses are extremely well cared for by their manager Anne, who lives on the farm, going on the truck is pretty stressful for them. A horse will go on the truck no more than 3 days per week and do no more than 3 sessions per day, ideally. The cost of the truck eliminates costs of maintaining several properties, but is still expensive itself for fuel and maintenance. It adds another dimension to consideration for a therapy horse as well - in addition to the normal high standards for selecting a therapy horse, it must also truck well and deal with working quietly in an unfamiliar place away from its paddock-mates.

But from my experience, it was worth it. The truck creates community from virtually nothing, in places where therapy otherwise wouldn't be at all. Volunteers, riders, horses, and coach still bond for each day's site just as they do at separate centers, but with the mobile unit maybe it's a bit closer to home or school. The idea also involves community figures like the police department who loan the facility and the management of the racetrack, automatically increasing awareness and possible aid if needed.

I found the mobile unit as unique and interesting as I had expected and hoped. Not to mention some of the awesome people I met through my 3 short weeks there...and as always time flies and so must I...to Europe! The next adventure to finish up the journey (!) is Spain, Germany and England - I'll try to keep updating!