Horse lovers showed their support for Shady Hollow Assisted Riding at the annual Hooves and Hot Cocoa event Saturday, Dec. 13.
The event allowed attendees to get up close and personal with their favorite horses while sipping hot cocoa and eating cookies.
Attendees had their pictures taken with a horse named Mac, gave treats to the horses in the festively decorated stalls, made crafts, and heard stories from Santa. The Daniel Boone High School Select Choir also performed Christmas carols for those in attendance.
SHAR is a farm located on East Main Street in Union Township that teaches horseback riding to people with special needs and those who cannot ride horses independently. It is a non-profit organization that relies on the kindness of volunteers and generous donors to keep the assisted riding program alive.
According to the SHAR website, “Through Assisted Riding Lessons, individuals with special needs can improve their self-confidence, increase muscle strength, enhance balance, learn teamwork, and develop social skills. The horse is an equalizer in an otherwise unequal world.”
Hooves and Hot Cocoa is one of many fundraising events held at SHAR each year to support the assisted riding program. The funds are used for everything from scholarships for riders to farm maintenance and veterinary care for the horses.
This year, Hooves and Hot Cocoa raised $1,000 to help with various expenses at the farm.
According to SHAR Program Director Michelle Cooper, Hooves and Hot Cocoa almost did not happen this year. Cooper underwent ankle surgery in October that has caused her mobility problems. She has been using crutches to walk, which has left her unable to complete day-to-day tasks around the farm. As a result, SHAR has had to outsource some of the daily chores, which has caused some hardship for the farm.
In addition, SHAR owner and Cooper’s father, Tony Giangiacomo, suffered a stroke around the same time that Cooper had surgery. Giangiacomo has been recovering since then, but he now has limited vision and has been unable to complete the same tasks he used to do around the farm.
Cooper said her father has some “gumption” that is helping him to keep his spirits up and recover quickly. She added that before his stroke, Giangiacomo never acted his age and could always be seen doing various maintenance tasks around the farm. With Giangiacomo and Cooper both suffering health problems this year, SHAR needs the help of volunteers now more than ever.
According to Cooper, the SHAR volunteers have been huge help to the farm during such a difficult time, and she is very grateful for the outpouring of kindness SHAR has received. She says that SHAR would not be able to offer assisted riding lessons if it wasn’t for the help of their dedicated volunteers.
Since SHAR relies so heavily on the kindness of volunteers, the farm always has various volunteering opportunities for anyone with a few hours to spare. Volunteers help with barn chores, grooming and tacking horses before lessons, and leading or side-walking during assisted lessons.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering at SHAR, taking assisted or able-body lessons, or making donations to the farm can contact Michelle Cooper at 610-582-4050. You can also visit SHAR’s website at www.hugahorse.com for more information.
