Abbey Gardens Pony Powered Learning Experience
1012 Garden Gate Drive K0M 1S0 Haliburton, ON, Canada

"There is a growing body of published scientific studies and data showing that not only do horses help us with our emotions, interacting with them has a beneficial physiological effect on heart rate variability, blood pressure, overall cardiovascular health and on the nervous system."

Equine Assisted Learning is helping kids with anxiety across the world.

Many thanks to Bill Drummond for this beautiful winter shot of Maple aka Akoozi! He is always a 'chunky monkey' this time of year. Ojibwe Horses have adapted over eons to withstand the cold and survive on very marginal food sources in the winter. Of course our boys' feed is a long way from marginal!

Maple and Sammy's dad Chase, with friends at Grey Raven Ranch.

Walpole Island is a first nations reserve in southwestern Ontario. The ponies were almost certainly Ojibwe Horses.

Yes it’s true!

Almost two years ago, when I was doing some archival research on the Ojibwe Horses, I wrote a letter to a former owner/breeder, Walter McElderry. I tried severa...l different mailing addresses I could find online, and a few old e-mail addresses, as well as asking other longtime breeders. JUST NOW HE WROTE BACK! He doesn't remember much due to a brain injury he suffered, but he did share with me this brief story about his stallion, Keokuk: "I have never forgotten my ponies and sometimes visit them in my dreams. They taught me so much about themselves and about me. I am deeply grateful for the time we spent together. I ran across a picture of Keokuk the other day and spent a good time looking at it and remembering. He was such a fine horse, gentle and patient with me. I remember the first time I rode him. It was winter with a couple feet of snowpack and I led him out into a field with the idea that if and when he bucked me off (like in the movies) I’d have a soft landing. We were friends by then and he let me mount him without protest. No bucking, no crash landing. Ha!" Walter was very, very happy to hear that we are still keeping the breed going, and that young people have been getting involved.