It takes a pony to raise a community

BY LESLEY ARMSTRONG

September signals back to school. At Powell River Therapeutic Riding Association, the longest serving, most brilliant therapy master, returns to his favourite job of schooling young and old this September for his thirteenth year.

A good teacher teaches. An excellent teacher intuits and respects the uniqueness of each student, and builds a trusting respectful relationship over the course of the school year. An excellent teacher understands that each class is taught with the same rigour as the last class.

Can that level of intelligence and professionalism be attributed to a mammal other than a human armed with a teaching degree? Well, those are the words used to describe a 27-year-old little Fjord draft horse, who is the Powell River Therapeutic Riding Association’s (PRTRA) longest serving horse. His registered name is Destrier of Narnia, but he is lovingly known as Desi by staff and hundreds of students over the past 12 years.

According to head coach, Shannon Durant, Desi is a “therapy master who always enters the ring with a hundred per cent work ethic, and genuinely seems to enjoy coming to work every day. Desi intuits the needs of each rider.”

For example, one of Desi’s young students had hips which were unable to flex wide enough to sit in a saddle. For four years, once a week during the school year, he rode Desi precariously balanced in a side saddle position. When he rode Desi, each hoof had to move in a measured slow pace whereby the next step could not be taken until the last hoof had placed and settled. Normally, equine therapy works because horses have lovely rhythmic movement that is calming while assisting with restoring core strength and balance. When he was on Desi’s back, Desi had to radically alter his normal equine movement in order to meet his student’s needs. His job was to ensure that his student remained balanced perched on his back. For four years, Desi did not miss a class or a step!

Most new students, particularly fearful children, or children with complex diagnoses, experience their first confidence building rides atop Desi before they move on to other mounts. At that time, coaches Shannon and Shivaun Gingras are able to assess whether a child could match well with another horse, or whether the only possible match is Desi. Frequently, Desi has been the first choice.

BOMBPROOF: Desi has helped hundreds of local children develop confidence on horseback.

Horses have a survival fright/flight reflex in their DNA. Desi is pretty much bombproof when approached by bears, dirt bikes, flying balloons, and wild Halloween costumes. The best Desi bear story was provided by Noelle Pagani who reported that one summer when a bear banger sent a bear flying onto her property into Desi’s pasture, she received a phone call from her neighbour

stating that Desi had chased the bear back into her yard. Desi is Santa’s Christmas poster boy because he is unbelievably sweet looking. He is also described, when he is not working, as mouthy and mischievous as he will unzip any zipper within reach.

Five years ago Desi was diagnosed with Equine Cementosis. Twelve of his incisor teeth and roots were rotting. He needed to have the equivalent of 12 root canals to survive. First though, the decision had to be made, whether his life was worth the $4,000 it would require for a specialized orthodontic vet in Vancouver to perform the surgery.

Or, was it time to euthanize the old horse? While it was felt that he would survive the surgery, really, was he worth it? He was old and past his prime. He’d served his time – longer than most therapy horses. Where was $4,000 dollars going to come from, plus hauling and ferry costs, and post-operative board for him in Vancouver? Add to that, he’d need at least six months off work when he returned to Powell River, daily hours of personalized medical care and specialized food prep.

The board voted he was worth it, as he had served the PRTRA well, and was deserving of a second chance. The community of Powell River raised over $4000 for the sick little horse to have his surgery. Thanks to Noelle Pagani and family, who took him home, flushed his mouth out four times a day, administered 41 days of antibiotics, while preparing a special mushy recovery diet served several times daily; this September Desi will enter his 13th year in service to his students as PRTRA’s longest serving therapy master.

You can meet Desi at Christmas time as he continues to serve as Santa’s best little helper and PRTRA’s Yuletide poster boy.