If the best things come in small packages then Timmy certainly fits the bill.
July 7 was no ordinary day for residents at Kiwanis Care Centre in the Seymour area. There had been buzz about Timmy’s visit for weeks and the seniors were getting excited.
Still, it was quite a sight for residents to see Timmy the miniature horse trot through the lobby of the care centre.
“The shock, amazement, wonderment – they just light up. It’s so amazing to see,” says Timmy’s trainer Lora Hargreaves, adding when the elevator doors opened on the top floor the horse definitely surprised people waiting to go down.
About 50 residents, family and staff gathered in the sensory garden at the back of the centre to interact with Timmy and watch him trot about.
“Everyone was excited. You could feel the energy,” says Rosabel Sinclair, an activity worker at the Kiwanis Care Centre who helped arrange the visit.
Many of the residents have dementia and there are some who aren’t able to verbally communicate with others. Timmy brought them out of their shell and brightened their day.
“They just lit up. Big smiles. Some residents actually stood up from their chairs so that they could reach out and pet the horse,” explains Sinclair.
Seeing Timmy brought back memories for residents who were raised in a rural setting on the Prairies or the B.C. Interior.
They started to share their stories. “Oh, I used to have a horse growing up.” “We used to have a farm.”
“So a lot of reminiscing,” says Sinclair. “With dementia usually you retain a lot of your long-term memory, so a lot of our residents remember more of their childhood, their adulthood.”
Hargreaves took Timmy around the garden and let residents have a pet or nuzzle.
One man was blind, so Hargreaves asked for his hand and placed it on Timmy’s forelock.
“Oh, it’s so soft,” the man said.
The residents especially enjoyed watching Timmy enjoy his apple treat, before he set off for his home at the North Shore Equestrian Centre near Inter River Park.
Hargreaves, an Upper Delbrook resident, sought out the centre and horseback riding a decade ago as an escape from the demands of daily life.
Growing up in Langley, Hargreaves would inherently hop on her friends’ horses from time to time, but became more serious about it later on.
Last October she was walking her daughter’s white pony at Inter River Park when she came across a man in his 80s. That chance encounter sparked something inside of Hargreaves.
“And he was kind of shuffling along. And I was just walking my daughter’s pony. And he looked up and his whole body lit up. He was so excited. And he was like: ‘Oh, can I pet her?’ and ‘How old is she?’ and ‘I used to have horses.’ And it was very clear to me that it really changed his day.”
Hargreaves walked away from that encounter with an idea. She approached the owners of the equestrian centre with a plan to start a miniature horse therapy program – and they were very supportive, says Hargreaves, who did her research, phoned care centres and worked out the logistics to make it happen.
Timmy is two years old, 32 inches tall and comes from a farm in Maple Ridge. He was thought to be good candidate for interacting with children and seniors because he is so brave.
“He’s so cute. He’s so calm. He’s very easy to do this stuff with,” says Hargreaves of her equine companion.
Hargreaves trained Timmy inside the bathroom and office at North Shore Equestrian Centre to get him used to being in people places indoors.
“My job when I first got him was to expose him to everything and anything I could think of,” explains Hargreaves.
Now Timmy is ready to actually visit each floor inside the care home, with residents who aren’t able to go outside the facility.
He’s been wearing his new poop bag every day in preparation for spending hours inside the carpeted facility.
Timmy’s visits in August and September will be more one-to-one with the residents, to reap the therapeutic benefits.
Sinclair says Timmy complements the centre’s sensory programs for dementia patients, which includes activities such as baking.
The smell of bread in the oven, stirring ingredients, reading recipes, measuring ingredients, those all help with trying to maintain motor skills.
Hargreaves, who plans to have Timmy visit a care home or seniors’ facility on the North Shore at least once a week, explains it’s been a rewarding experience.
“I just thought it would be neat to be able combine my passion for horses with volunteering and also making a difference in the community,” she says.
For more information about the program email Hargreaves at minitherapy@wecreateriders.com.
