Quincy, a Colby's Army therapy horse, has been recognized along with the program itself (Photo: Submitted)
The therapeutic equestrian program at Colby’s Army, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been awarded two national honors, one for their therapy horse Quincy, and the other for the program itself.
Quincy, a 25-year-old registered Appaloosa, is the winner of the 2024 The Horse Review’s Equine Assisted Therapy Impact Horse of the Year Award. The award is given nationally to one outstanding horse in the field of equine-assisted therapeutic services. The gelding is a former three-day-event, dressage, and 4-H show horse whose registered name is Request for Success.
"He is an old soul, who through his peaceful nature and thirteen years of service, gives all of our nervous riders and new volunteers the chance to lovingly learn about horses without judgement or drama,” said Lisa Wysocky, Colby’s Army executive director. “He just wants to be loved, and he tries his hardest to intuit his person's intent and directions. He is a great listener too, so if anyone needs a good counselor to talk to, Quincy is your man! He gives constant communication through his body language, and our volunteers and participants all learn about equine language, and about themselves and their thoughts, feelings, and emotions from Quincy's feedback."
“Quincy," Wysocky added, "is a rock star when training new volunteers. He is a great confidence builder, since he tries hard to do anything that is asked of him. And he is so very, very forgiving of our mistakes while we learn."
While Quincy was the only therapeutic horse chosen, several programs around the country were honored by The Horse Review magazine, including Colby’s Army, a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) member center.
Seasonally, Colby’s Army offers children and adults ages five and up meaningful learning sessions with horses, including therapeutic riding, and equine assisted learning on the ground.
Another horse in their herd, Tessie, a Belgian/Quarter Horse mare, was chosen in 2017 as the PATH international Region 5 Equine of the Year.
