By Bonny Burrows
McGregor Gardens Aged Care residents were recently joined by some very special four-legged friends.
On Thursday 2 November, Bunyip-based Percheron horses Jet and Wazza visited the Pakenham facility as part of a horse therapy session.
The session, organised by Le Pine Funerals, saw residents get up close with the French draft horses, bred for carriage work, and feed them a carrot or two.
For many, it was a chance to reconnect with a part of their childhood, and for others it was an opportunity to pat a horse for the first time.
Residents were clearly delighted to meet the two animals, which are movie stars in their own right having worked on the movie Gallipoli.
“You don’t see them like this anymore,” resident Theresa Smith said, before recounting a time when farmers relied on horses instead of tractors.
“They’re beautiful.”
Event organiser Lynne Chilinski of Le Pine Funerals said the touch of a horse had many benefits.
“It’s very therapeutic to residents to feed them, touch them,” Ms Chilinski said.
“Not only can the touch, feel, sound of a horse improve physical and emotional wellbeing, but a lot of residents in our area grew up with a horse or had that association and moving into retirement, don’t have that anymore.”
Horse owner Dean Crichton is the owner of Unique Carriage Hire, one of the companies which provides horse and carriage rides along Melbourne’s Swanston Street.
He shared tales of the horses with the residents, including the humorous reason behind Wazza’s name.
“My mate’s names Warren and this horse isn’t as good as he thinks he is, so I named him Wazza (after my friend),” Mr Crichton said.
McGregor Gardens Aged Care lifestyle co-ordinator Laureen Van Helmond said resident had been looking forward to Jet and Wazza’s visit.
“Anything with animals has a big response … music and animals are the main two things that always draw a crowd,” Ms Van Helmond said.
As part of the horse therapy day, the horses also paid a visit to Shanagolden Village, Pakenham, Millhaven Lodge Pakenham and Kooweerup Aged Care.
