September 2008 - The Senior Times

Photos: Andrew Soong
Epona Foundation: smoothing the ride through life
Kristine Berey
The boys are understandably nervous
meeting the lady reporter. They
know they are being interviewed
about Epona – an organization that
keeps kids in school by offering
24 THE SENIOR TIMES September 2008
Savana riding
them free tutoring and horseback
riding lessons, and they’re not sure
what to expect.
Initial questions are answered by
typical teenage nods and uh-huhs.
But when the conversation turns to
horses, Kenry, 13, and Justin, 9, be-
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come surprisingly articulate, even
eloquent – eager to share their vast
knowledge of horsemanship.
“You brush the horse with a curry
comb, with a circular motion then
use a brush to remove all the dirt,”
says Kenry, explaining how to gently
lean on a horse before attempting to
lift his hoof to clean it. “You use four
fingers to check that the girth is not
on too tight,” says Justin, describing
how to comb a horse’s mane so it
doesn’t get caught in the bridle. Their
knowledge is impressive. Red and
blue ribbons, won in a competition
at Ormstown, hang proudly in the
living room. Their mom, Gloria Julian,
says the boys’ marks have gone
up and believes the confidence
gained at Epona has transferred to
their studies. Kenry agrees.“My work
is getting better. My teacher says I’m
a good student to teach.”
The bottom line at Epona is academic
success, says Peter Desmier, a
youth worker at Batshaw Youth and
Family Centres for over 30 years and
founder of the four-year-old Epona
Integrated Riding Foundation. “One
thing I’ve noticed about kids living
with a great deal of stress is that their
education suffers,”Desmier says.“The
whole concept of Epona is working
with kids over a long time to develop
a relationship so they graduate.”
Front to back: Tanae, Savana, Kiki
To help “at-risk” children, Desmier
drew upon an experience from his
own childhood. “I spent a summer
feeding, cleaning, putting out to pasture,
doing everything involved with
horses, except riding. We would
spend hours brushing and taking
care of the horses. It was magical.”
When Desmier finally decided to return
to riding, he met Jackie Poirier of
Free Spirit stables – a like-minded
person who had been contemplating
starting a riding facility “for kids who
would never have an opportunity to
ride” – and Epona was born.
“I knew the first kids’ parents
through social services and other programs
in the community,” Desmier
said.“Now they’re being referred from
school boards and our website.”
The other Epona programs partner
with community organizations to help
kids 5-18, including Stay-In-School
(tutoring), Literacy, and Mentoring
programs, where Epona graduates return
to tutor younger kids and earn
riding time in the process.Epona works
with parents and within the schools.
Dawson student and Epona mentor
Atiba Howell, 18, doesn’t yet
know whether he’ll go into law or
police work – but he knows he’ll devote
over four hours a week as a volunteer
tutor with Epona in the long
term. As one of the first Epona rid-