Spirit Horse hopes for donations coming down the stretch at upcoming fundraiser

Portugal Cove is a long way fromLouisville, Kent., but the Kentucky Derby will be celebrated in both places this weekend with horses racing at Churchill Downs and revellers watching at a fundraiser for Spirit Horse at Murray's Pond.

The fundraiser will benefit Stable Life-Spirit Horse, an organization that supports people with mental illness.

"We're a mental health organization that uses horses to provide peer support to people with mental health issues, to help them move forward on their mental health journey," Erin Gallant, Spirit Horse's program director, told The St. John's Morning Show.

The Horses, Hats and Hope event begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Murray's Pond Fishing and Country Club in Portugal Cove.

'I thought she was full of it'

Everyone involved with the program, including clients, volunteers and staff, have experience with mental illness, Gallant said. The program began five years ago in memory of Alison Walsh, who died by suicide.

Some may be skeptical of the mental health benefits of spending time with horses VickieMorgan, a mental health advocate and Spirit Horse client, initially was.

"I've got to tell you Ididn't buy into it. Ithought she was full of it," Morgan said of Gallant. But after she spent a bit of time with a horse, she got a full night of sleep for the first time in eight years, she said.

"The effect that these horses have on my mental health is unbelievable," she said. The animals have a calming energy, she said, and confidence comes form being able to work with a horse and learn to guide it around.

"You can get a child to talk to a stuffed animal moreso than a person, and Ithink this is the in for adults," she said.

"Something about horses just make you feel safe."

Fancy hats, prizesand a race

Gallant said life skills are being taught in the work done with horses like Liberty, a 19-year-old miniature horse, or Tinker, who was Walsh's horse.

Spirit Horse does home-based programming at their facility in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, but also does outreach work at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's and the women's prison in Clarenville.

"There's some extra magic there, that thehorses just put us at ease," she said.

The group hopes to raise some of the money needed to keep that magic going at the fundraiser, which is timed to coincide with the annual Kentucky Derby.

Guests are asked to wear dress hats, as is traditional at the derby, and there will be a contest for the best one, Gallant said. There will also be games and silent auctions, Tinker will be present, and The St. John's Morning Show's Fred Huttonwill be the event's master of ceremonies.And at 8:20 p.m., she said, race coverage from Kentucky will be shown.

Some tickets are still available and the organization can be contacted via Spirit Horse NL'sFacebook page.

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