“Spring Training” for the Horses

After several weeks on #coronacation it was time for the Adaptive Riding horses to get back on track with #coronaworkouts. During the month of May, Mane Stream instructors, Jen and Jane put the horses through their paces to get them ready for the “Season Opener”. As seen in the below gallery it was a real workout! 😍🐎☀️ Now that “Spring Training” is a wrap, all the Adaptive Riding horses are ready to team up with their independent riders starting next week.

“Season Opener” starts June 8th

Head Instructor, Jen Dermody has been busy creating processes and developing schedules that will allow our most independent riders to come back in our Phase 1 plan. 30-minute lessons will be offered 2-3 days per week with staggered lesson times to minimize contact between riders. We have created an instructional video located below that shows the process for those returning to adaptive riding. Also located below is our “Riding Procedures and Infection Control Policy” document which contains details about the phased plans for reopening, all protocols, and procedures. If you have any additional questions please contact: jen@manestreamnj.org

Telepractice and Therapy Services at the Farm

Mane Stream implemented telepractice with some of our speech-language clients over the past couple of weeks. Our Director of Therapy Services, Melanie Dominko-Richards, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS has been excited to work with clients and get a chance to see and hear what their life looks like at home!

Even though Melanie is treating from her home, the therapy horses seem to still make their way into the session. Whether it's a letter that a client received from their pony, to earning a video of their favorite pony eating their dinner, or even a special video message from their pony (who knew Justin could talk?!), we know how much our clients miss their four-legged friends and we want our horses to try to be a part of the session, even if it’s virtually! It also wouldn't be a telepractice session at Ms. Mel's house if Arnold (Mel’s handsome Corgi) didn't make an appearance once or twice!

STARTING JUNE 15:

As Mane Stream looks to resume on-site therapy services the week of June 15, we are making some changes to ensure the safety of both our therapists and our clients. As we begin to reopen, therapy appointments will be on the hour and will be 30 minutes in duration. This gives our therapist and staff enough time in between sessions to clean and sanitize our therapy clinic and therapy tools in order to keep everyone safe! We will also be limiting the offerings of therapy appointments to make sure that there are a minimal amount of people on the property at one time and so that our other programs can take place safely as well.

Therapy sessions will take place in a variety of places around the farm, from the clinic to the barn, to paths outside. Clients will have the opportunity to interact with our herd during their therapy session while continuing to work towards reaching their functional goals.

Our therapists are so excited to welcome everyone back to Mane Stream safely soon!

If you have any additional questions please contact: melanie@manestreamnj.org

Therapy Infection Control Policy