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Participants learn the ins and outs of horse ownership, responsibility that goes with it at Celebrate the Horse
Joan Cronk / for The Herald
People flooded into the Puyallup fairgrounds last weekend wearing cowboy hats and tight jeans, ready to participate in Celebrate the Horse, a festival dedicated to education, information and a whole lot of fun. They were not disappointed.
All profits from the weekend celebration went to benefit People Helping Horses, which is a nonprofit organization focused on rescue, rehabilitation and public education.
Patty Kelley, Event Director, said, “The entire philosophy about the event is to help people understand the importance of the horses and educate them in a fun environment so they can enjoy and see the value of the horse.”
Kelley said because of the current economy, horses are seen as a commodity and, “people don’t understand the intrinsic value of the horse.” Horses feel pain, have a limited number of emotions and she added that owning a horse is something folks shouldn’t take lightly.
“You just can’t decide you don’t want to own it anymore and not take care of it,” she said.
Gretchen Salstrom, who was running the show, is the founder and executive director for People Helping Horses. The organization, which has been in existence since 2002, is a nonprofit dedicated to education for the public and rehabilitation for horses that have been abused and neglected. The group also supports the equine community.
For the price of admission visitors got see over 135 horses that represented more than 17 different breeds. Attendees could chat with trainers on any wide number of subjects or wander through booths stocked with products such as photos and paintings of horses. They could purchase a saddle or a hat or even learn about equine dentistry.
Children had their faces painted and bought stick horses made out of foam for $5 each.
Workshops were hosted throughout the weekend on subjects like saddle fitting, equine dentistry, hoof care, horse rescue, the use of a lariat, holistic horsemanship and equine nutrition.
Salstrom grew up in San Diego and climbed the corporate ladder until January of this year, when she threw herself into her passion for horses full time. She moved to Washington, bought a farm and inherited a gelding from the owner who was moving to California. The owner was planning on putting the horse down because he didn’t think it could make the trip.
“I was going to keep the gelding for a few months and then I thought what if there were other people in my situation and people in this man’s situation? Why not hook them up?”
That was the inspiration for People Helping Horses, which, because of Salstrom’s vast experience in the business world, has exploded into a million dollar corporation.
Salstrom said her goal with Celebrate the Horse was to educate city people and make the event a public educational opportunity. It seems she hit the mark.
Folks poured into the Puyallup fairgrounds and wandered throughout all the booths and stables, learning about horses and buying smoothies, corn on the cob and even scones.
Many stopped by the booth of Leigh Shambo, MSW, specializing in equine facilitated psychotherapy and learning.
Shambo, who suffered a serious accident a number of years ago and then helped her mother during a time when she was suffering from depression, turned to this non-traditional horsemanship method as a way to help her deal with her life.
She teaches the traditional methods, but says she slows them down so people can learn. A mental health therapist, she said she “starts with people. People come and work with horses to learn about themselves. They dig deeper,” by using horses for their therapy to solve their problems.
Shambo’s unique approach to therapy happened by accident.
“I was a trainer,” she said. “Some days horses were perfect for me and other days they just wouldn’t listen. That led me to believe they were responding to the kind of day I was having. Horses can sense what you have going on inside.”
Gretchen Salstrom said Celebrate the Horse will take place next year at the Puyallup fairgrounds over the Fourth of July weekend, and some of the money raised this year will be used to start a program called “A Leg Up 4 Kids”, to help disadvantaged or underprivileged children to become involved with horses. She said the program teaches children responsibility and helps them to develop a sense of self worth.
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For more information
To learn more about Celebrate the Horse and People Helping Horses, visit www.peoplehelpinghorses.org.