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08/30/2017 07:25 AMA Grandparent’s Day tradition continues at Aaron Manor, albeit in a different way with the miniature horse demonstration on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.
“It started 12 years ago, a resident had horses and her daughter had horses and they started coming. Jim Griffin would come and put on his Western show and people just loved it,” said MaryLou Martin, the director of therapeutic recreation at Aaron Manor. “The residents enjoy petting the horses and it was a just a really fun and different event for people to come and enjoy with the whole family.”
Griffin retired a couple years ago and moved out of the state, but another local farm is keeping the experience of bringing families together around horses—with a little twist. Chester resident Pat Bandzes started supporting Griffin’s show two years ago with her own horses. Last year, she and her husband brought their miniature horse, Shiloh, too, and did a demonstration and offered short rides to children on one of their other horses. This year, Shiloh will return to meet residents and guests at Aaron Manor.
“We’re a very small private barn, we call ourselves Grey Mare Farm, and just have the three horses—two horses and the mini,” said Bandzes. “We bring our horses out to parades in Durham, Ivoryton, and Chester, and have even done the Chesterfield’s Halloween parade. We take the mini right in to meet the residents—I would like to get her officially certified as a therapy animal, but that hasn’t happened yet.”
Bandzes has a long history working with horses, and ran a 4H group in Middlefield for 10 years. When she moved to Chester, a lot of the girls moved with her, and still use her horses for shows. She brings the miniature horse to different places to talk about what they can and cannot do, and so that people can pet the horse.
Miniature horses are not ponies; they are their own breed and have the proportions of a horse—simply miniaturized, and measured in inches, not hands (a measurement equivalent to four inches used to discuss the height of a horse from the shoulder, known as the whither, to the ground). Ponies are stockier than horses, with shorter legs. Some miniatures can be ridden by children up to 50 pounds, and they also are used to pull carts.
“Horses make people happy, and so do the miniatures, but they’re easier to handle than a full-sized horse,” said Bandzes. “They’re also a little easier to approach—a lot of people are hesitant to approach a large animal. So, you get all the benefits of a horse in a smaller size. But don’t be fooled: What they lack in size, they make up for in attitude. Shiloh’s name means peace. She has a big personality and is very friendly and outgoing. We bring her to the Chester Sunday Market sometimes so people might know her from there.
“When we bring Shiloh to the residence homes, you see people who are maybe more subdued for whatever reason, they see the horse or another animal and they just come to life and light up,” said Bandzes. “They pet her, she brings a smile to their faces, they tell stories about their pasts—it just brings back a bit of their childhoods and happy memories.”
The miniature horse demonstration will be on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. on the lawn at Aaron Manor, 3 South Wig Hill Road in Chester. For more information about Aaron Manor or the miniature horse demonstration ,call 860-526-5316. Everyone is welcome to the free event; lawn chairs are recommended.