Having established her equine-based learning and emotional support program at Minden’s Walkabout Farm, owner Jennifer Semach is preparing to take her horses on the road to support the County’s senior population.
Located on 100 acres along Spring Valley Road, the farm specializes in providing support for people with varying levels of developmental and physical disabilities, mental health issues, and loneliness. Now in its sixth year, programming at Walkabout has blossomed – with around 800 visits in 2022 and 2023.
That number would have been higher last year had Semach not been forced to close the farm for five months while she dealt with a serious illness. Fully healthy again, Semach said she has an even greater desire to expand the farm’s footprint.
Beginning next month, she will be taking a selection of miniature horses into Hyland Crest, Highland Wood, and Extendicare Haliburton long-term care facilities for weekly visits.
“It’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind – my grandmother had Alzheimer’s and lived in long-term care for almost a decade. I know the benefits of using animals to reach the depths of a person’s mind, just to give them that little spark – I’ve seen it happen,” she said.
Through the new Recreational Equine Assisted Participaction (REAP) program, Semach said horses will provide full sensory engagement for seniors. Sessions will be hosted indoors on Fridays at one of the LTC facilities, or on-site at Walkabout Farm.
“Movement through grooming, leading, holding, hugging, or petting horses activates the autonomic nervous system and releases endorphins brought about by physical activity, thereby lifting someone’s mood and contributing to a sense of well-being,” Semach said.
Like all of Walkabout’s other programs, REAP will be free to participants.
Semach said the program is already turning heads – long-term care centres in Lindsay and Bobcaygeon have reached out, wanting to get involved, while Semach has been invited to speak at a June Aging Together as Community conference at the Pinestone focusing on how to deal with dementia in rural communities.
There are other new additions – Semach is partnering with Shellie Preston, a mental health clinician, for weekly group session workshops through July and August designed for children and young adults dealing with anxiety and other diagnoses like autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and behaviour disorders.
There will still be regular programming year-round for established visitors – Semach said she has a group of 60 people who visit the farm at least once per week.
Annual running costs are pegged at around $85,000 – Semach said she and a small group of volunteers managed to fundraise $114,000 in 2023. Any leftover money is reinvested into the farm, mostly to improve accessibility, she said.
Walkabout Farm received a $50,000 grant from the Quebec-based Chamamdy Foundation this year, with the money to be used to construct a new 32×14 foot building fitted with hydro to accommodate indoor learning. Semach said she’s applied for $170,000 in Ontario Trillium Foundation funding to pay for a tractor, to make the farm more accessible in the winter, upgrade equipment, and construct washrooms.
“This is my calling – people, kids in particular, are struggling big time with their mental health. We’re trying to be a reliable resource for families, here whenever we’re needed to provide that extra layer of support,” Semach said.
For more information, visit walkaboutfarmtra.com.
