My Nonprofit Reviews

I was first introduced to Newfoundland Ponies a little over a year ago, when I began working on the farm at the Carl. E Dahl house (a residential treatment facility for men with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder diagnosis). This special therapeutic farm is home to nine Newfoundland Ponies, each one with a different back story, a different set of obstacles they've overcome, a different message of hope and healing. The residents of the program find healing not only in caring for the ponies, but also when they are able to relate to them as well. We offer a program called Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) where these ponies teach the residents different life skills (like problem-solving, communication, perseverance, among many others) through different programs. During these EAL classes, residents are able to grow and heal in unexpected ways, and they are able to take what they learn out in the ring with the ponies and figure out how to apply it to their recovery. These ponies have such a patient, tender, and compassionate disposition, and they make beautiful teachers for these men.

Since joining the Conservancy, I have expanded my knowledge of the breed and therefore my interest in saving it as well. The history of the Newfoundland Pony is fascinating, and to know the ponies is to understand the uniqueness that makes them worth saving. The Conservancy is run by people that love and appreciate this breed of ponies in a way I've never seen before. They are driven to preserve the breed just as it is, just as it always has been. I am so lucky to have crossed paths with such passionate and compassionate people, and am so happy to do my part in helping this special breed.