66 SIDELINES MARCH 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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A Needy Nag Gets a Second
Chance as a Therapy Horse
By Jan Westmark-Allan
When Oliver, a 13 hand, nine year old paint pony,
arrived at WHHOA Horse Rescue (We Help Horses
of America) near Aiken, South Carolina, founders
Shannon and Jerry Stratton hoped they could help
him find a better life. While that ’s the mission of a
horse rescue, the Stratton’s believed that Oliver was a
special pony who didn’t just need a second chance in
life; he needed a fairy tale ending to his story.
Shannon contacted Sidelines magazine and asked
if the pony could appear in our Needy Nags column, a
monthly photo feature for horses and ponies available
for adoption. Shannon knew that although Oliver
had seen better days, under his scruf fy coat and
overgrown hooves was a diamond in the rough just
waiting to be a wonder ful pony for the right person.
As luck would have it, that ’s exactly what happened.
Dr. Kathleen Broughan, the founder and executive
director of LEAP (Low Country Equine-Assisted
Psychotherapy) based out of Charleston, South
Carolina, was reading Sidelines when she spotted
Oliver’s photo. “He just caught my eye,” Kathleen
said. “Something about him was very appealing.
Shannon was great and let us take him for a trial. He
passed with flying colors. We changed his name to
Bugby, because he’s now living on Bugby Plantation.”
Shannon is thrilled that the Needy Nags column
not only worked; but that her sweet little rescue pony
has a new lease on life. “We cleaned him up and
dusted him of f and gave him a new useful life with a
great organization. LEAP is making a dif ference for
the horses and the people they help. It ’s a win-win!”
she said.
LEAP is an Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy program
that provides options for children, youth, adults and
families whose needs aren’t being met in traditional
therapeutic settings. “Horses are highly sensitive
social creatures and they give immediate feedback to
patients about their behavior and feelings. Through
our program, our clients are getting a second chance,
just like Bugby has, and because of that, rescuing
Bugby has been extra meaningful to us,” Kathleen
said. “Bugby’s learning his job and settling in and
he’s going to have a happy life.”
Kathleen said that thanks to Bugby’s wonder ful
disposition, he is a natural fit as a therapy horse.
“Almost all of our work is done on the ground and
of course we need horses that aren’t aggressive.
Our horses are used in creative activities so people
can recognize their own behavior,” she said, adding
that she had been looking for a pony to add to their
program, and Bugby fit the bill.
Bugby’s story has warmed the hear ts of many, and
his adoption sheds light on the great job done by so
many horse rescue organizations. “It ’s a tough time
in our economy and having a rescue organization
right now is financially dif ficult,” Shannon said. While
times are tough, Shannon said that experiences like Bugby’s,
which includes the sweet pony getting his fairy tale ending,
is what keeps her going. “I founded our organization over 10
years ago and although I’ve been placing horses in forever
homes over the past decade, Bugby’s story still makes
me smile. We took a ‘ throw away’ pony that the previous
owner’s didn’t want, and gave him a second chance at life.”
For more information on WHHOA, or to see other
horses available for adoption, visit their website at www.
whhoahorses.com or like them on Facebook. To learn more
about LEAP, the programs they of fer and the work that
Bugby is doing, visit their website at www.LEAPinSC.org.
Both organizations accept charitable donations, which are
tax deductible.
Before and after shots of Oliver while living at WHHOA. Oliver,
now called Bugby, has a new name and a new lease on life
thanks to being adopted by LEAP
Photos courtesy of WHHOA