May 2020 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN May 2020 Page 11 Questions? Contact us at legendshorsefeed.com © 2020 Cargill, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Legends ® feeds are fortified by Kentucky Equine Research to meet your horse’s individual needs. For feeding advice or to create a custom ration, visit microsteed.com/legends. Visit ker.com/legends to read the latest in equine nutrition and health and subscribe to the Equinews ® newsletter presented by Legends ® Feeds. HORSE FEED. DEFINED. legendshorsefeed.com $5.00 OFF LEGENDS ® GASTROCARE ™ SUPPLEMENT Visit legendshorsefeed.com to print your coupon. Offer valid 4/1/20 – 5/31/20. Limit one coupon per item per visit. (Continued on page 22) Kristen de Marco of Gateway HorseWorks with Disney, one of the organization’s “therapists”. He’s now appearing on Zoom. Photo by Suzanne Bush By Suzanne Bush The coronavirus has shred- ded just about every safety net that exists in America. With stunning efficiency, this deadly contagion has killed thousands, and upended the nation’s health care system. In most states, citi- zens have become all too familiar with the pandemic’s mantra: so- cial distancing, wash your hands, don’t touch your face. Social distancing, on its surface, seems a benign reminder to respect other peoples’ personal spaces. But on a larger scale, social distancing closes restaurants, hair salons, theaters, shopping malls, retail stores and dozens of other en- terprises that employ people and serve thousands of others. Business owners worry about their employees, furloughed, frightened and quarantined, and they wonder what new reality they’ll encounter when—and if— they can reopen their businesses and factories. Faced with shortages of ev- erything from flour and chocolate to toilet paper, consumers are finding new things to worry about every day—from the mundane to the monumental. They once had jobs, incomes, health—now all are looming question marks that only time will answer. Stories of hope and despair abound; but behind the headlines about the toilet paper hoarders and bending the curve of in- Therapeutic Riding Programs Adjust to a New World of Social Distancing fections, there are less obvious stories—where many of the “em- ployees” are non-human workers. So, here’s something else to consider. Happy Therapy Sherri Briggs runs Compas- sionate Friends Therapeutic Rid- ing Center in Medford, NJ. Her organization serves 30+ clients, mostly youngsters on the Autism spectrum, she says. Closed, like so many other “nonessential” businesses, Briggs is navigat- ing a new, unsettling reality. “I can’t even imagine their parents right now,” she says, noting how important her horses are to her young clients. “This is some- thing the kids think about. They really looked forward to horse- back riding as a happy thing for them. Their happy therapy.” The riders learn so much about them- selves, and about interacting with others. They develop strength and endurance, self-confidence and improved hand-eye coordination. The program is suspended indefinitely now, but Briggs can’t exactly furlough the six horses engaged in the therapy program. They still need food, as well as routine care. Without money coming in from the clients and their families, things are tight. Briggs says that she has heard from a couple of people who have provided sponsorship