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Tales from the Tack Room

Hello, friends! LC here, your trusty barn cat, and VERA, your favorite four-pawed sidekick! We’ve got another purrfectly exciting story for you today from the tack room, and this one is about the High Hopes staff and their big training day with the vaulting barrel! Now, we know what you’re thinking: “What in the world is a vaulting barrel, and how do cats get involved?” Well, you’ll have to read on to find out. And trust me, we do get involved—whether we’re invited or not.

It all started early one crisp morning when the staff were bustling around, excited for something called Mounting and Dismounting Training. We had no idea what they were talking about, but one thing was clear: the whole barn was buzzing with energy! We’re always keen to see what the staff are up to, so we decided to tag along—on all fours, of course. The vaulting barrel was sitting in the middle of the arena. It’s a big, round, padded barrel where the humans practice their mounting and dismounting techniques—without a horse underneath them!

Eagerly awaiting the training to begin, the staff were all gathered around the barrel in anticipation. This was going to be a serious learning session for them, and they didn’t know we were about to make it extra fun! If you think about it, the act of getting on and off a horse is a lot like gymnastics, and this takes a lot of practice! We found out that this training was to ensure the safety for our riders in our Therapeutic Riding program. Each staff member had to try mounting, dismounting, and learning the perfect safety procedures—all while looking cool. Spoiler alert: not everyone looked as graceful as they hoped. But hey, practice makes perfect, right? And let me tell you, we were there to help. Well, maybe more like “supervise” than “help”.

I (LC) hopped up on the vaulting barrel first. VERA was too busy napping, but once she realized the barrel was prime cat territory, she jumped up right beside me. The staff got their turn one-by-one, and we made sure to offer lots of moral support. We even “assisted” by hopping on and off the barrel just to show them how it’s done. As we wrapped up our supervision duties, we noticed that everyone was more comfortable with mounting and dismounting procedures.

Until the next adventure! In the meantime, we’ll be keeping an eye out to make sure all the staff stay safe while purr-fecting their skills!

Purrs and paw prints,
LC & VERA

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