The Perfect Horse: All Around Horse “Passing Good” Enhances Lives In His Retirement
By Delores Kuhlwein
What do you do if you’re a retired Congress and World Show all around horse? In Passing Good’s case, you become a therapy horse, and in “Rusty’s” example, the perfect one.
The 17-year-old Quarter Horse has become a barn favorite at The Stoneybrook Foundation in Acme, Pennsylvania (along the PA turnpike, right off the Donegal exit), where they “improve the lives of children and adults with special challenges through a therapeutic partnership with horses.”
“He is the absolute perfect therapy horse and is a true example of how versatile the Quarter Horse can be,” explains AQHA member Alydia Yothers, an instructor at Stoneybrook Foundation, along with Rachel Laidlaw, Haven May and Sophia Shadid. The instructors and the barn manager, Kristina Begonia, all agree with Alydia’s description of Rusty, and they would know, since each one works with him on a daily basis.
Not only is Rusty beloved for his big personality, Alydia says, but also because he’s “very calm and laid back, but also in your pocket, too. He is very patient and kind, and he helps our students build so much confidence because he is such a trusty and safe horse.”
Weston Specht with “Rusty” at the AQHA World Show
Rusty’s first career as a show horse, Alydia reveals, included qualifying for the AQHYA World Show and placing Top 10 at Quarter Horse Congress in Youth Horsemanship and Trail with Weston Specht. He also earned Youth Superiors in Showmanship, Trail and Horsemanship as well as a Superior in Open Trail. The red roan gelding by Zippos Mr Goodbar and out of The Ultimate Pass had been trained by Specht Show Horses and shown by the Specht family.
In addition to his disposition, his training in Western Pleasure and Showmanship also contributes to how well he does at their barn, explains Alydia.
“The showmanship training helps Rusty read the students’ body language and match the students’ needs and pace. He also has great ground manners,” she says. “Because he is pleasure trained, he helps promote independent riding in our students. The jog really helps them get the feel of the two beats and prepare if they are going to be posting. The lope is just slow enough that they feel confident and comfortable on it. Brent and Weston did an amazing job training him.”
Since the goal of the founders of the Stoneybrook Foundation, John and Deborah McCain, is to offer therapeutic riding services that encompass therapy and education through a relationship with their horses, Rusty’s combination of disposition and training fit the bill perfectly.
In fact, the Stoneybrook Foundation has a new Executive Director, Paula Cinti, and she is looking forward to adding additional programs to help benefit the community and its members with various challenges they are facing in everyday life.
If their selection of therapy horses is anything like Rusty, they are destined to continue great strides in conquering those challenges for their members.
For more information on The Stoneybrook Foundation, please contact Paula Cinti at (724)-613-3312, ext. 101, or email: info@stoneybrookfoundation.org.
