The event started with the exciting polo season opener. Team Square Peg squared off against the Menlo Circus Club’s polo team. Mallets sliced the air and descended onto the ball with a crack as riders zipped up and down the field on the backs, and sometimes sides, of their spectacular Argentine ponies. The crowd was captivated by the spectacle of men and women on horseback sprinting shoulder to shoulder for the ball. As one spectator noted, “it’s like hockey on horseback!”

During half time, the well-dressed crowd spilled onto the field for the divot stomp. Hatted heads bobbed around and high-heeled shoes slammed the ground. Announcer, Toby Cooper, said he has “never seen so many people participate in divot stomping before.” Perhaps they were fueled by promises of a bottle of champagne awarded to the divot stomper who successfully located the ball, or, as one spectator suggested, perhaps the crowd’s motivation came from fulfilling their Pretty Woman fantasies.

Square Peg beat the Circus Club team after four riveting chukkers. The game was all in good spirit, as several members of the Menlo Polo Club have donated their time and money to the Square Peg Foundation.

While guests dined on the southern inspired menu and sipped wine donated by Derby Vineyards and Mavericks Ales, there were silent auction stands and drawing tickets being sold. Drawing winners would take home a mysterious package that was placed on each table.

At around 3 p.m., the Calcutta betting began. The information for each horse racing in the Derby was displayed on three large televisions by the bar. KGO’s Peter Finch and Square Peg’s executive director, Joell Dunlap, engaged the crowd in their presentation of the horses.

Square Peg volunteers replaced their breeches and half-chaps with stylish spring dresses and hats.  ”I could hardly recognize the ranch volunteers without their horse-clothes and dirt smudges!” said Caryn Marooney, Square Peg client.

Life at the Ranch

Square Peg, founded in 2004 by Joell Dunlap, is a non-profit adaptive horsemanship program and horse rescue located in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The foundation is run by a small group of regular volunteers, has 18 horses and caters to about 30 kids per week, who are primarily on the autism spectrum and at risk youth.

“Which way would you like to go?” asked Lauren to James, who was seated in front of her on the horse they shared. “This way, or that way?” Lauren pointed left, then right. “That way!” squealed James. With his word, Lauren picked up the canter, and off they went in a cloud of dust and giggles.

To the untrained eye, this may look like fun. The untrained eye would be correct. However, some solid neuroscience comes along with this fun. Like horses, children with autism have an overactive amygdala. This is where the stress hormone, cortisol, is released. We need cortisol to live, but too much can cause sensory overload, which is one adverse symptom of autism. Oxytocin, the “feel-good” hormone, is what balances the flood of cortisol. Oxytocin is released by rhythmic rocking of the hips.

“After our first session at the ranch, we got home and Sylvia was unusually calm. She wasn’t doing her usual repetitive movements. She was just so calm,” said one parent.

A collected canter rhythmically rocks the hips, thereby flooding the rider with oxytocin. Learning happens when oxytocin is dominant. Thus, Square Peg is able to incorporate an educational aspect into the ride.

If the child’s interest in riding waxes and wanes, Square Peg listens. The adaptive nature of the riding program employs a ‘yes’ environment –an environment where self-advocating is the primary goal for the child. As Joell Dunlap says, “no one changed the world by learning to post the trot.” The ranch encompasses miles of trails, as well as a pond with a small boat, and toys, games and crafts are abundant in the kid’s fort (also known as the helmet room).

“It is such a relief to be among people who see his strengths, and do not stand with crossed arms and pursed lips as they view him through eyes narrowed in judgment and disapproval,” says a mom.

According to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, about 1 in 88 children has been identified with an ASD.

This number is extremely significant. “If you don’t already know and love someone with autism, chances are, you will,” says Dunlap. “For some reason, those numbers are higher in the Bay Area.”

At Square Peg, most of the children on the Autism spectrum are boys ranging from age 4 to 10. This corresponds with data from the CDC, which suggests that ASDs are almost 5 times more common among boys (1 in 54) than among girls (1 in 252).

The horses at Square Peg help children off the autism spectrum as well.

“At Square Peg, everyone fits. Some of our kids struggle with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, ADD/HD and so on. Sometimes, it’s just hard being 13, and we get that,” says Dunlap. “These horses are all square pegs in their own right. They’ve all been given harmful labels, and for some, those labels have at one point condemned them to slaughter. The kids love the rogue, the cripple, the slacker, and the troublemaker. What’s equally fascinating is how gently and lovingly these horses react to these kids. [The kids] can often get away with things a neurotypical rider wouldn’t be able to do.”

Square Peg is kid prioritized, but family oriented. “When a mom brings her 8-year-old son to the ranch to put him on the back of a 1,000 pound animal, one of two things is happening: either she’s in love with horses herself and wants to share that passion with her child, or she’s completely terrified and looking for a miracle,” says Dunlap.

“One of the first things we do is put the mom on the horse,” she continues. “It shows the kid that if mom trusts this horse, then he can too. Moreover, it’s hard being an autism mom. Many are single, and deal with a child with sleeping problems, and may be changing the diapers of her 8-year-old son. We keep the kid busy and supervised, and we have the mom lay on the horse’s back, surrounded by volunteers, and if there’s a masseuse on standby, she even gets a back rub. Common reactions to laying on a horse’s back are crying or falling fast asleep.”

Back to the Party

After the race, Calcutta winners Jeff and Kate Haas, announced their decision to donate all of their winnings of more than $2,600 to the Square Peg Foundation. “We are overflowing with gratitude for the generosity of our longtime friends,” says Dunlap.

As the event wound down, the hats removed and the rose arrangements taken off tables, there  seemed a peaceful sense of accomplishment. The fundraiser brought in roughly $40k. With double the budget, the Square Peg Foundation will be able to triple their client base. Three times as many children and families will be able to find peace and solace from the magic that horses have to offer. More relationships will blossom on the grounds of love, trust and acceptance amongst members of their community in a place that seems so far away from the chaos of life, yet so close to home.

To find out more about the Square Peg Foundation and ways you can help, visit the Square Peg website at www.squarepegfoundation.org. You can also ‘like’ them on Facebook to keep updated with the latest happenings at the ranch.

Square Peg Foundation’s Fashion, Fun and Food Extravaganza!  A celebration of spring and of equestrian athleticism.  Watch the opening matches of the Menlo Polo Club’s 2013 season, browse the auction, meet the Fashinistas fromWilkes Bashford, sample the brews from the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company and watch the televised Kentucky Derby with us – you can even have your photo taken with the 105th Kentucky Derby trophy (Spectacular Bid).  There’s only one question remaining – what are you going to wear?

Click here for More Info

I count the bundles of Eucalyptus trees that intersect Highway 92. I reach the third bundle, which hosts a narrow road leading up a steep hill; deeper into that bundle of Eucalyptus. The signs in front read, “Kastle Rock” and “Saturday Horse Camps.”  I make the illegal left turn over the double yellow lines. I figure if a cop were to pull me over, I would probably be able to talk my way out of a ticket upon mentioning where I was going and what my purpose was.

The Square Peg Foundation began the move from Canyon Creek Equestrian Center to Kastle Rock Ranch this weekend. The new property is only five minutes away from the old property. Geographic proximity leaves only a tiny sliver in one’s mind of what to expect with the new location. The road leads me to a final turn, putting me in front of a picturesque scene of a ranch nestled in spacious clearing of the Eucalyptus forrest. “Middle-Earth”, I audibly observe. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this place looks like the freakin’ Shire.

This weekend was not my first time at the ranch; however, it was the first time I felt like I was at home there. We are no longer visitors to this site, and the feeling is palpable. The ranch owners and management are not only solid business people, but also phenomenal company. They are knowledgable, warm, and patient (which is a must if you’re dealing with the wonderful chaos of Square Peg). Not to mention, they are fun! While watching them play a mounted game of Marco-Polo under the lights of the arena, where the june bugs danced, I found myself sporting a smile induced by gratitude for having found a place where laughter echoes through the hills, even after the sun goes down.

As the intern, it is my primary responsibility to keep the facility organized. This is no easy task. Preemptive thoughts of moving and organizing (wonderful) chaos from point A to point B ladened me with lethargy. I like to think these semi-low expectations made the reality of the situation even more pleasant. Nonetheless, I was extremely pleased with the effort and results of all our fantastic volunteers’ hard work. No one disappointed. From Dave and Linda’s time pulling out the staples and washing walls in what will be the kids’ fort space, to the Stanford polo team tirelessly moving mats; everyone applied themselves and had results to show for it. I was giddy over the amount of progress we made. Giddiness was also partially due to the fact that there was a considerable amount of food provided throughout the whole process. Unmedicated Deborah was especially pleased (ADD folks know what I’m talking about here).

Once the volunteers start to head home, I afford myself a leisurely minute to stand at the top of the driveway and absorb the serenity and beauty of the

property. I laughed out loud when I noticed that a familiar patch of Eucalyptus trees from Canyon Creek Ranch had grown to form a perfectly symmetrical heart on the hillside facing Kastle Rock. You can’t make this stuff up. I don’t fancy myself a superstitious person, but something about that heart on the hillside affirms my belief that this is where Square Peg will start the next chapter of growth, and if magic is going to happen anywhere, it’s going to be here.

Change is in the air they say.  We’re told that Mercury just slipped into retrograde – not that we have any idea what that means.  What we DO know is that, after months of negotiation, stealth planning, fundraising and dreaming, Square Peg will move to a new home starting TODAY through March 15, 2013.

Before we tell you about how exciting and fabulous that is, it’s important that we acknowledge the Parks family and all of our friends at Canyon Creek Equestrian Center for everything they have done to help us through the last three years, which have been critical to our organization.  The Parks have been generous and welcoming and they treated us like family.  We are forever thankful for their amazing support.

Early in the year, we polled our families, our volunteers and our board about what they valued in our location and what the priorities were for improvements.  Without a single exception, everyone acknowledged that the location, right along Hwy 92  just far enough westward to escape the summer heat and far enough east to avoid the coastal fog, in a canyon out of the wind were important to the health of the horses as well as the comfort and accessibility for the families we serve.  Folks loved feeling out in the country and still only 10 minutes from town.  Our location kept us out of the lion’s share of beach and pumpkin traffic too. Families loved the trails. Everyone loved the expansive summer pasture that the geldings enjoyed and wished that they could be accessible year round and include a pasture space for the mares as well. Improvements people wanted included: (wait for it) a bathroom with running water, more parking, room to grow and a space for parents and siblings to watch the horse care and riding.

We listened.  We thought. We dared to dream and think BIG. We planned and discussed.  We made charts and graphs. And then we acted.  Our new facility is nothing short of a dream. It’s a whopping 150 acres with a lighted arena, a round pen, parking, ocean views, a spring fed pond, trails, a beautiful barn, room for pastures and yes, a bathroom.  There are forests of trees, grass, privacy, room to roam and explore for kids, horses and even the goats. Here’s the amazing part;  we will be only 3/4 of a mile from our current location, still on Hwy 92!

With the added acreage, additional staff, trained volunteers and tranquil space, our goal is to double the number of families we serve this summer  and triple our current number by this time next year. We will ramp up our hosting  HorseBoy  Trainings to teach other programs how to serve families with kids on the spectrum.  We are establishing Square Peg as a Flagship Center for HorseBoy work. We also plan to host working students and people wanting to learn herd management so that more horse rescues survive and thrive. Too many are failing their horses and their trusting donors. We are emerging as leaders in the field and our new home reflects that. Click here to see facility photos.

 We are building pastures and turnouts and even a small retirement sanctuary for our beloved old ones. We are planning a play structure for the kids,  moveable grazing paddocks, a cover for the round pen and more.  We are working with the barn owners to improve our feed program and we will be able to bed the horses down in soft and absorbent bedding. We are overcome with excitement and gratitude, and we are going to need your help to pull it off.

So many years ago, we understood that Square Peg and it’s mission of inclusion and celebration of diversity wasn’t just a little horseback riding program, it was a movement.  We have withstood some serious trials and there is an exciting and clear path towards tremendous and yet mindful growth.  We are so thankful to have had you along for the ride.  And what a wonderful ride it’s been!

We reached out to some very special people to help make this possible and the generosity that came flowing back to us has been unprecedented. But we aren’t done yet.

Want to help?

Email us if you can help with pasture building, brush clearing, barn construction, office moving and organizing, painting and more.  We have the improvements and build out plans for phase I and phase II of improvements.  If you are interested in helping with the fundraising, don’t hesitate to send us a note.  If your office wants to do a day of volunteering together, we can help. Our splendid intern Deborah is co-ordinating the volunteer efforts: deborah@everyonefits.org

Stay tuned for details on our giant fundraising party – the Run for the Roses on the first Saturday in May.  It’s going to be the party of the season and we want you to join us.

 Horses Helping Children with Autism 

For  years Rupert and Rowan literally lived in the saddle together on a Quarter Horse  mare called Betsy. The story of  Rowan opening  to the outside world through Betsy is told in the bestselling book and award winning film, both entitled “The Horse Boy“.

Read this story about Horse Boy Method in Dressage Today.
With Rowan’s success,  Rupert started working with other local children on the spectrum to see if what  worked with Rowan and Betsy would  work for them. While no method can ever be right for 100% of people  Rupert found a sufficiently high percentage of children benefited-sometimes  in astonishing ways.
Rupert’s framework of techniques targets different types of autism spectrum challenges. Since 2009 he has been working internationally with the Horse Boy Method™ at  camps and centers in North America and Europe.  Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity!

Who should attend this clinic?

Anyone interested in the healing power of horses

Parents, therapists and counselors working with autistic people

Dressage Riders looking for a fresh and beautiful perspective on riding and horses

Training Overview 

• Introduction to Autism
• What our methods are. Why they are different
• Necessary Equipment
• Sensory session with horses. For children and for parents
• Collection – what it is and why it matters
• Intro to Back-riding training
• How to create the right environment for Horse Boy Method
• How to cope with children unwilling or afraid to ride
• Long-lines (working with young adults too large to back-ride)
• Rule based games / Perspective taking
• Academics on horseback: how to use the dressage arena and round pen for math, biology, geography and more!
• How to work with the entire family
• Basic trick work. Learning the aids, and demo of how tricks are used for communication

When: February 9 and 10, 2013

Where: Square Peg Ranch at Canyon Creek Equestrian Center

Cost: Riders $675  Non Riders: $340

Space is limited! use PayPal link below to secure your space.  If you prefer to pay by check, email joell@squarepegfoundation.org to reserve your spot.

Level I or II?

Level I non riders $340.00 USDLevel II for riders $675.00 USD

HorseBoy Method Training

 

a love story by Rachel Bisillon

It’s been almost a week since my best friend left this earth. Only today have I begun to wrap my head around the fact that I won’t be able to ever see him again, poking his head out from stall; his scattered blaze, few strands of forelock, and little white crescent enveloping the inside of his left eye.

Our colors were navy and white.  He loved cheez-its, rolling in new shavings, and jumping pairs with my best friend and her horse.

Saying that Fran was “just a horse,” isn’t fair. He was my wonderwall, my world.

We met four years ago, but I began riding him for the past three. This sounds cliché, but from the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew we would be inseparable. He always had a Christmas stocking and I would always bring him his Halloween pumpkin, because that’s just how we were.

We both had our quirks and insecurities, but that’s what brought us together. I  knew the reason I loved him was because he was like an awkward teenage boy; the way he yawned before you bridled him, the way he would be shy and quiet one day and the next day he would be in “freaky Fran” mode, and the astounding change from insecure to confident in less than a second. But nonetheless, I continued to love him till the day we put him to rest.

One of my favorite things was watching him with the kids. Fran being so gentle, just plodding around the arena with only the intent of giving them a safe ride, then hearing the kids ramble on about how great of a horse he is and how perfect and fun he is, while I just nod and smile, because I feel exactly the same way.

And to even just say I loved him was an understatement, because I treasured and admired every single part and everything about him. Even at our first show when he threw me off three times, I never stopped loving him because that’s exactly who he is and it was a lesson in itself, “you cannot expect to trust others if you do not first trust yourself.”

He was always there for me, through thick and thin, and that’s why I decided to spend the night with him before he was put down. I spent the whole night talking to him, feeding him whatever he wanted, and singing him the Taylor Swift song I always quote him with.

Fran was my everything because he was there for everything; the day I ditched school because I couldn’t take it anymore, the days I felt like jumping cross rails and even the days I felt like jumping the moon, and of course, our many attempts at trail rides (he never was a fan.)

He was there the night I wanted to hurt myself, with an open heart and he ate my cheez-its with solitude while I cried into his shoulder. We spent his last few minutes together, me sobbing and feeding him cookies, him nuzzling my hair. He had never left me when I was in pain and hurting, therefore I was not about to leave him. Saying goodbye to him that morning was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and am so grateful to have had so much love and support through it from everyone. I can’t say how long it will take for me to realize that he is actually gone; no more jumping or bareback rides around the trails or grazing sessions or Rachel-cries-Fran-cribs sessions, but no matter how many other horses I ride or lease or own or jump or help kids with, he will always be my #1, Forever and Always my Wonderwall. 

 

Today being New Year’s Day, we find ourselves looking forward with hope.  Wise folks tell say looking back is a waste of time.  I disagree.  Reflecting fondly and taking time to mourn those we have lost is sweet sorrow.  It adds beautiful layers to our lives.

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pike

I was struggling all night with how to tell our community about yesterday’s  loss of Fran, one of our schoolmasters.  Loss is so different for each family and I never know how each individual child, how each volunteer and each friend will process the  large loss of a wonderful school horse.  This quote brought it home for me.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pike

And who embodies this more than a school horse and in particular our friend Fran?

In many ways, Fran was a Square Peg.  He was goofy, he was often spooky.  His overlarge eyes bulged  from his thin head, his terrible feet (his undoing) looked like puddles that leaked from his stovepipe legs. He had a weak back, a rough trot and a neck like a giraffe. He cribbed furiously. He was useless on the trail.   He would fall madly in love with any mare you put next to him and he’d pine desperately if she went away.  He couldn’t be turned out with the other geldings because he would be so far at the bottom of the pecking order we didn’t think he’d survive.

To us, he was beloved and perfect.

He had quirks too.  If you didn’t give him time to roll before a lesson, he might drop to the ground with a child on his back and give a roll in the best school saddle.  Before you put a bit in his mouth, you had to wait while he yawned not once, but twice.  Every. Single. Time.  He didn’t do tricks, you couldn’t swing a polo mallet on him.

I think it was his goofiness and his insecurity that made him such a favorite around here.  He was  awkward and so sweet, you simply loved him. He repaid you with affection and gave you everything he had. He was our best horse in drivelines- his janky trot was a joy to some of the ASD kids who loved the rhythmic jolting. Conversely, his canter was so smooth and slow that even if he bucked, the kids stayed on.  For no physical reason, he could jump and he loved it.  But get one iota in front of him to a jump and he was guaranteed to stop.  Nobody taught you how to sit up to a fence like Franny.

On his last day, he ate carrots and cookies until I thought he would burst.  I told his cadre of adoring teens that they could stay with him until the vet came and then they would have to say goodbye and leave.  I told them that it would serve no purpose for them to be there when Greg, Dr. Cloninger and I did what had to be done.  They agreed and hugged and kissed him while the vet parked.  The girls had no sooner driven out the gate when Fran collapsed.  I know in my heart that he stayed upright for them. I think he did it for me and for Greg also.  He let us know that it really was time.  It was a kindness so profound and so selfless it leaves me breathless.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pike

Dear Franny – thank you for the ride – it was a good one.

 

 

Okay, I blew it.  Our carefully planned 12 Days of Christmas campaign idea was to share cute stories of the horses and let our community know sweet things, large and small that they can do to help out the ranch.  So far, we have received three blankets, bags of carrots, donations of funds and even chocolate for our staff ;-)  I was going to post something every day.  I could blame this rough weather, the short days and 100’s of emails waiting to be returned.

But the truth is that we just can’t shake the cloud overhead related to the December 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.  The sheer ferocity of the violence and the depth of the loss colors every thought.  Every time I sat down to write a Christmas wish, I was consumed instead by a need to connect with other people so that we could help each other process this sorrow.

At it’s best  this miracle called the internet connects us as never before in history. I found myself running into the office between rain storms to check the progress of a couple of online movements that might help you too.

Autism Shines developed amidst the rumor the Sandy Hook shooter was “kind of autistic” according to a young man who went to school with him. Autism families across the globe sucked in their breath upon reading this knowing that the public was searching for an easy answer to the atrocities. An autism mom needed the world to understand that autism and violence are not synonymous and she encouraged other families to post photos of their autistic children and what they love and what they mean to their families.  I admit to obsessively rolling through these photos  crying and celebrating with these families the people they know and love.  Here are just a few to share:

https://www.facebook.com/AutismShines

 

It’s a beautiful sentiment and I’m struck by the experience that each family has made for themselves by picking a photo and writing their description of how they want the world to recognize someone they love who happens to be autistic.  It’s a lovely healing thought and I hope that you enjoy and participate as is appropriate.

And now for the Square Peg Christmas Wish.

As the person who has to make a left hand turn onto Hwy 92 at rush hour every day in order to get home, I’m not  sure, but it’s been easier to make that left turn lately.  Why?  Because some kind soul slows and flashes their lights and lets me in.

The Facebook movement 26 Acts of Kindness suggests we honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary by committing 26 random acts of kindness.  The originality and the creativity and the kindness of the stories just might restore your faith in humankind. I’ll admit that I’ve spent some of my commuting time thinking about what my next random act may be.  Something as simple as telling someone they look nice today, calling on a neighbor who might be alone this holiday season, baking 26 cookies and delivering them to the local firehouse, leaving a $5 bill in a library book, paying for the coffee for the lady behind you at Starbucks.  Simple, random and kind are the only parameters and it’s been a healing salve for my sore soul and it’s a lot more fun than Christmas shopping.

I’m going to challenge you one further, I’m going to suggest that you commit 27 Random Acts of Kindness.  While we have been encouraged not to publicize the name of the shooter, he too was a victim of this massacre and the amount of pain that drove him to such madness is something we cannot fathom.  If you don’t agree, I understand.  I do.  So if you feel like 26 Random Acts of Kindness is all you can do, that will be enough. And if in your hurry to get home during rush hour traffic, you slow down enough for a giant dirty green truck to turn left onto the highway, I promise to pay your act of kindness forward.

From all of the soggy folks and critters at Square Peg Ranch to you – have a peaceful Holiday and never forget the power of simple kindness.

 

 

 

Sammy really is a rockstar!  This lovely 14 year old son of All Thee Power out of the hard knocking mare Red Weather has always been willing to work.  He even completed two 30 mile endurance rides in fine form (somebody told me that a Thoroughbred couldn’t do endurance racing and so I just had to prove them wrong).

This year, Sam and his buddy Stan took us to the Abilities Expo in San Jose to demonstrate HorseBoy work.  Sammy was solid as can be under the lights and with all of the kids.  It’s clear that he’s called to do more and more work with ASD kids.  This coming year, he’s going to be our “go to” horse for camps and sessions.

But Sammy has a very long and weak back and the only way to protect him from getting sore is to do a lot of slow and consistent conditioning.  Sammy’s Christmas wish is for a “German Martingale” otherwise known as a “Market-Harbor.”  It’s a simple and humane training device that helps him to develop his top line muscles.  Also, he’s such a big guy that the Driving Lines we use are simply too short.   Sammy could also use his own set of Drive Lines.

Items can be shipped UPS  or USPS to the ranch:

Square Peg Ranch c/o Canyon Creek Equestrian Center, 11631 San Mateo Road, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019