Epona Foundation: smoothing the ride through life

Savana riding (photos: Andrew Soong)

Kristine Berey

The boys are understandably nervous meeting the lady reporter. They know they are being interviewed about Epona – an organization that keeps kids in school by offering them free tutoring and horseback riding lessons, and they're not sure what to expect.

Initial questions are answered by typical teenage nods and uh-huhs.

But when the conversation turns to horses, Kenry, 13, and Justin, 9, become surprisingly articulate, even eloquent – eager to share their vast knowledge of horsemanship.

"You brush the horse with a curry comb, with a circular motion then use a brush to remove all the dirt," says Kenry, explaining how to gently lean on a horse before attempting to lift his hoof to clean it. "You use four fingers to check that the girth is not on too tight," says Justin, describing how to comb a horse's mane so it doesn't get caught in the bridle. Their knowledge is impressive. Red and blue ribbons, won in a competition at Ormstown, hang proudly in the living room. Their mom, Gloria Julian, says the boys' marks have gone up and believes the confidence gained at Epona has transferred to their studies. Kenry agrees. "My work is getting better. My teacher says I'm a good student to teach."

Front to back: Tanae, Savana, Kiki

The bottom line at Epona is academic success, says Peter Desmier, a youth worker at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres for over 30 years and founder of the four-year-old Epona Integrated Riding Foundation. "One thing I've noticed about kids living with a great deal of stress is that their education suffers," Desmier says. "The whole concept of Epona is working with kids over a long time to develop a relationship so they graduate."

To help "at-risk" children, Desmier drew upon an experience from his own childhood. "I spent a summer feeding, cleaning, putting out to pasture, doing everything involved with horses, except riding. We would spend hours brushing and taking care of the horses. It was magical."

When Desmier finally decided to return to riding, he met Jackie Poirier of Free Spirit stables – a like-minded person who had been contemplating starting a riding facility "for kids who would never have an opportunity to ride" – and Epona was born.

Kenry with his tutor

"I knew the first kids' parents through social services and other programs in the community," Desmier said. "Now they're being referred from school boards and our website."

The other Epona programs partner with community organizations to help kids 5-18, including Stay-In-School (tutoring), Literacy, and Mentoring programs, where Epona graduates return to tutor younger kids and earn riding time in the process. Epona works with parents and within the schools.

Dawson student and Epona mentor Atiba Howell, 18, doesn't yet know whether he'll go into law or police work – but he knows he'll devote over four hours a week as a volunteer tutor with Epona in the long term. As one of the first Epona riders, he describes himself as having felt shy and isolated. He recalls his encounter with the first live horse he'd ever seen. "When I saw the horse's size I said to myself, 'Okay, buddy, you're not going on one of those!'" As he learned to send the right signals to the 1000-pound animal, he realized his mare "Griffin" wouldn't "just warm up to anybody" but liked him especially. So did everybody at the stable. "Eventually I thought it was really cool. Everybody's really nice and you never feel left out when you're there." Howell believes his schoolwork would have been fine with just tutoring. "Without riding I would've had the grades. But with Epona I actually got the courage to speak."

Justin has learned a lot about horsemanship

Desmier instructs his staff and volunteers to ensure the kids feel "it's about them" and asks that they wait for and greet the kids warmly as the bus rolls up to the stables. "This is such a simple yet powerful gesture. It would be a missed opportunity if neglected," he writes in a memo to his staff.

When Sandra Permanad's children Jamal, 9, and Gariba, 7, joined Epona's tutoring program, her young family was going through turbulent times. To make matters worse, her French was not strong enough to help her older son with his schoolwork. She says she had been too stressed to play with them, and Epona in their lives was a godsend, since the kids came home from the sessions smiling. "It really made the load lighter," she said. She fiercely believes in the value of learning.

"Without education you're nothing. Whatever you want to do you're held back."

She wants for her kids nothing more and nothing less than all loving moms want. "I want them to have a good education and a good job."

Epona has a dedicated group of seniors who help with the fundraising that the organization depends on to survive. All volunteers are welcome. For information or to donate call 514-421-7433 or visit eponafoundation.com.