2012 Calendar of Events
Sunday, February 26
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. for training; 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. for party
Volunteer Training Day/Horse Lovers' Movie Party
Train to become a volunteer in our equine-assisted therapy program for riders with special needs. Learn to mount/dismount riders, sidewalk, and lead horses for lessons and special events.
Returning Equus volunteers are strongly urged to attend! Refresh your own skills and help newcomers as well.
Both new and returning volunteers can join us afterward for an informal showing of the movie Buck, about real-life horse whisperer Buck Brannaman. We’ll provide food and beverages.
E-mail Sandy or Janet to register.
Sunday, March 18
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Equine Massage Clinic
Is your horse stiff? Cranky? Could he or she benefit from a massage? If so, come learn how at our Equine Massage Clinic, led by certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist Nanci Worthington. You will receive course materials plus hands-on training.
--$75 (proceeds above the instructor's basic fee will go to support Equus Therpaeutic)
--Bring a bag lunch.
Please note that the hands-on training will be performed on Equus or Oakhollow horses;
we must limit the use of outside horses for this clinic.
To sign up or ask questions, e-mail us by clicking here.
Sunday, April 15
10:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Benefit Gymkhana
Open to riders of all disciplines, ages, and abilities. The championship events will be Pole Bending, Barrel Racing, Rural Delivery, and Keyhole. There will also be several
just-for-fun classes.
Sunday, April 29
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Benefit Show
Open to riders of all disiplines, ages and abilities. Championship classes will be: equitation, pleasure, command, pattern, and trail.
We'll also have some just-for-fun classes, as well as jumping classes in the afternoon (from beginner-friendly ground-pole and cross-rail classes up to 18-inch courses). Class lists, rules, and entry forms to be posted soon.
Wednesdays, April 25 - May 30
1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
School Group Lessons
Attention, Volunteers! Equus will be providing mounted and unmounted horsemanship lessons to students from at least one and perhaps two local school special needs programs.
We will need as many volunteers as we can get to act as horse leaders, sidewalkers, and so on. E-mail us by clicking here if you can help.
We can run this program because of a generous grant from The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, for which we are very grateful.
Sunday, July 8
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Second Benefit Gymkhana
Open to riders of all disciplines, ages and abilities. Events will include pole bending, barrel racing, flag race, and other fun classes. Class lists, rules, and entry forms will be posted soon.
Summer 2012
10:00 - 12:00 noon
Summer Lessons for Adams-Cheshire School Group
Attention, Volunteers! Equus will be providing mounted and unmounted horsemanship lessons to students from the Adams-Cheshire special needs summer program, two days a week (exact days and dates will be posted soon).
We will need as many volunteers as we can get to act as horse leaders, sidewalkers, and so on. E-mail us by clicking here if you can help.
We can run this program because of generous grants from The Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire and the Equus Foundation, for which we are very grateful.
Sunday, August 19
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Second Benefit Show
Open to riders of all disiplines, ages and abilities. Championship classes will be:
equitation, pleasure, command, pattern, and trail. We'll also have some just-for-fun classes, as well as jumping classes in the afternoon (from beginner-friendly ground-pole and cross-rail classes up to 18-inch courses). Class lists, rules, and entry forms to be posted soon.
Saturday-Sunday, September 1-2
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tag Sale
Back by popular demand: our annual tag sale to benefit Equus. This is one of our biggest fund-raisers of the year. Please e-mail Mark by clicking here if you (1) have items to donate, (2) can help with set-up, (3) can help either of the two days of the sale.
Sunday, September 16
12:00 noon - 4:00 p.m.
Special Olympics
Western Massachusetts Regional Qualifier
Oakhollow Farm is proud to host this event for the third year in a row! We usually have around 20 riders, which means we need about 30 volunteers for the day. Click here to see photos and results from the past two years.
The event is open to all special-needs riders in the Western Massachusetts region. Please
contact Sandy Brown by clicking here if you are from another barn and would like
to bring in riders for this event; you'll be welcome!
Riders who qualify at this event are eligible to participate in the Special Olympic State Show; date and place to be announced.
Sunday, October 7
11:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Annual Ride-a-Thon
Gather sponsors and join us for a guided trail ride thorugh the autumn woods. More details and sponsor sheets to be posted soon. This event is open to both assisted and independent Equus riders, as well as to those who would like to bring in their own horses. We will need a good number of volunteers.
Sunday, November 25
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
"Dancing with the Horses"
Get ready! Form a team (ideally 4 to 6 riders), choose your music, create your routine! Our 2011 drill team performance included 12 teams, styles from vaulting to medieval madness, music from country to classical, and riders from age 5 to "old enough to know better"--and was great fun for all. Let's make this year's show a success, too. E-mail Janet Renard by clicking here if you want to ride on a team or participate in some other way (hanging up posters, baking cookies, selling cookies, contributing a door prize, making costumes, grooming/leading horses, cleaning up afterward, etc.).