On Thursday 11 November, eight care experienced tamariki along with three VOYCE staff ventured off to the Westridge Equestrian Centre in rural Levin for a horse riding extravaganza.
This was an activity our tamariki had suggested months earlier and they were all so excited to be with the horses. One tamariki in particular was so excited, he was beaming before we even left to travel to the farm!
Claire from Westridge had four young helpers with her who brilliantly supported our tamariki, and it was wonderful to see our young people interact comfortably and giving so much trust to their peers. Our tamariki learnt how to groom the horses; Delta, Dakota, Josh, Raspberry and Glitter before having a turn each to ride them around the paddocks guided by the helpers.
One of our tamariki who was a bit more experienced with horses than the others was also able to help her peers guiding them around the course.
They all had a great time and the mauri of the environment was so impactful. Two of our young people have expressed their desire to volunteer for the equestrian centre which is a great testimony to how much they enjoyed it.
In the words of our tamariki:
“Loved it so so so so so much”
“It was the best, again again again”
“It was fun and the horses were really cute”
“It was fun, happy”
Our thanks to Claire and her team from Westridge Equestrian Centre in Levin and for all the young people for their enthusiasm and participation.
