OUR HORSES
Their backgrounds may be varied, but their hearts are all made of gold.
HorsePower Australia horses are selected for temperament and conformation, and specifically trained to work with people who have physical, intellectual, emotional and social challenges. Each horse undergoes specific training before they are accredited to be used in the HorsePower Australia program.
The enjoyment of working with horses is an integral part of our programs. Most sessions involve basic instruction in horse management, this encourages participants to respect and be considerate of other beings, and motivates them to participate. It is also possible that a participant may be offered a program that concentrates solely on unmounted activities with our horses.
WHAT IT TAKES TO FEED OUR HERD
(125 horses per year)
357
Rolls of Hay
1,825,000
Litres of Water
875
Bags of Feed
MATCHING PARTICIPANT AND HORSE
The care and wellbeing of participants and horses is of utmost importance to HorsePower Australia. We strive to provide the best care we can for our horses. One aspect of this is the consideration we give to the amount of weight we ask our horses to carry. It is not just the weight of an individual participant that we take into account, but other factors such as the age, fitness, soundness, and conformation of the horse. Factors including whether a rider has unsteady balance, sits crookedly, or has low muscle tone must be taken into account, as all these things can cause a rider to be harder for the horse to carry.
HorsePower Australia coaches continually monitor the suitability of a horse and participant combination, and there may come a time when a participant must cease riding a particular horse. We will endeavour to find a suitable replacement but, unfortunately we can’t guarantee it as there are many issues involved with selecting a suitable horse for individual participants. Where a suitable horse cannot be found, a participant may be required to pause or exit our riding program.
OUR HORSE HERO PARTNERS
Community TAB is a major partner of HorsePower Australia in the welfare of our animals. Its contribution of $30,000pa assists our affiliated member centres with caring for our wonderful horses and ponies. Thank you Community TAB for your continued support.
Off the Track assist our affiliated member centres in sourcing and retraining suitable retired racehorses who can be given a second career at HorsePower and a chance to become part of the HorsePower Australia family.