Buy a horse

Description

January 2014 Update
The Centaur hippo therapy center, was able to raise the funds and purchase their horses. The center now has asked us to help with the refurbishing of two cabins for overnight therapy opportunities.

The Association of Hippotherapy and Equestrian Sports Centaur NGO provides rehabilitation for physically and mentally afflicted children and adults through hippotherapy, horseback riding and equestrian sports, as well as health and recreation services. Widely recognized throughout the world, hippotherapy method was first introduced into Armenia four years ago by the Centaur staff. Centaur practices hippotherapy in the village of Ushi of Aragatsotn Marz, some 30 km from Yerevan in the North West of Armenia, with specially trained horses. It also owns 8 rescued dogs, a cow and rabbit (aiming to have more domestic animals in the future), all involved in animal therapy. Centaur is not only a hippotherapy center or a horseback riding club. Many of our visitors state that it is a place with special atmosphere where people learn building relationship with animals, through the interaction with horse and dogs overcome many fears, get rid of negative influences of big cities.

Since 2007 we have been working with the children and adults with physical and mental disorders such as CP, autism, mental deficiency, Down syndrome, scoliosis and other spinal problems, nerve system disorders and so on. Within the 4 years of our existence over 100 children and adults have been experiencing a magic healing power of the Horse.

Region

Aragatsotn

City / Village

Ushi

Start Date

June 2014

End Date

December 2014

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Gallery Images

Centaur practices equestrian therapy to help physically and mentally afflicted children and adults.

Cabins in need of refurbishing.

The Need

Centaur hippotherapy center needs to buy a horse that was trained and currently is used by the Centaur team in a work with handicapped children and adults. The horse, Jeffa, is one of the 8 horses Centaur uses for hippotherapy and horseback riding. Centaur owns 2 of the horses we use; the rest belongs to a private owner who provided us his horses in exchange for us to provide the horses with care and fodder. The owner faces financial problems and has put his horses fore sale. Jeffa is of a very good blood and is worth more than the $2000 he asks for her. Jeffa is a unique horse – very emotional, kind, vivid and famous in the region for having one horse eye (almost without white part) and one human eye (white and black round in the middle). Our goal is to purchase all four horses as funds become available in order to continue providing this important therapy to Armenia’s children.

Short Term Impact

Keeping the horse is very important for us because she is already trained – to train a new horse for hippotherapy take around 3 years; she has a broad pace and trot, excellent especially for the children with balance and coordination disorder – currently 10 children get hippotherapy only or mostly on Jeffa; she is used in horseback riding lessons and horse tours as well, thus bringing income that goes for her and other horses’ fodder.

Long Term Impact

We can take out 4 horses at the same time. Because we are not based in Yerevan people usually prefer to come for riding and tours in a group. Also we aim to organize a camp in the near future. If we lose Jeffa we will be able to take only 3 horses at the same time, which means that we will have less clients and less income for horses. A year fodder for the horse costs around 1200 dollars a year. We buy hay from local villagers and carrot for horses from neighboring village. So with selling that horse villagers also lose a good part of their income. The groom also loses some part of the salary since she takes care of one horse less.

Sponsors Benefits

The donor’s name will be mentioned with gratitude on the horse’s box, on our website and our group on Facebook. In addition, all donors will be listed on the Paros 100 for 100 website and in all appropriate press. Not less important is the fact that paying for her the donor saves her because none of the potential buyers lives in a village so whoever buys her Jeffa will be taken from her natural environment – the village with fresh mountainous air and direct access to the fields where she grazes several hours a day to the city with its polluted air, annoying noise and no access to the nature.

Updates: Images & Information

January 2, 2014

Through their own network of resources, the Centaur hippo therapy center, was able to raise the funds and purchase a couple of horses. The center has asked us to help with the refurbishing of two cabins for overnight therapy opportunities.

November 29, 2014

Our team visited the center and the cabin's renovations are complete.

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