Dr. Henry Louis (Skip) Gates Jr. joins actor Tony Shalhoub for a conversation about Mr. Shalhoub’s connection with horses, from his on-Island farm to his daughter’s aptitude for riding, at Misty Meadows Equine Learning Center on July 10 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
The event is part of a series of fundraisers this summer for the equine organization whose mission is to “provide a nurturing environment where horses and humans work together to transform lives.”
Preceding the conversation, an outdoor cocktail hour invites guests to mingle with each other and the farm’s equine residents, while learning about the West Tisbury organization’s work to provide mental and physical therapy for people with a variety of disabilities.
“I think this is the most unique event on the Island all summer long,” said Liz Adams, the programs and development manager for Misty Meadows.
Misty Meadows subsidizes 80 per cent of its programming, and 100 per cent of the event’s ticket sales go toward the farm’s affordability and accessibility. The organization is still looking for sponsors.
At the event, attendees can view a demonstration of the farm’s new specialized mechanical lift, which it purchased through a recent grant. The lift is used to help riders with physical disabilities mount their horse. Last week, a camper from Camp Jabberwocky who uses a wheelchair full-time used the lift.
“The movement of the horse provides the same three dimensions of movement as human legs,” Ms. Adams said. “Within two or three laps of the arena, she straightened into an incredible posture, and one of her two arms — which, when she got on, was tight and contracted against her body — because of the movement of the horse was relaxed enough for her to hold the reins and steer her horse.”
While the fundraiser introduces attendees to all Misty Meadows has to offer, Ms. Adams said it will also bring them unbridled joy.
“Horses have so much mystique and magic about them,” she said. “So they allow adults to connect with a childlike joy.”
The next fundraising event at Misty Meadows is on August 7 and features author Geraldine Brooks speaking with a celebrity guest.
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