Barn tours, vendor shopping, hay rides, dog agility demos offered during WETRA’s Fall Fair

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative

With the help of around 60 volunteers, the Windsor Essex Therapeutic Riding Association (WETRA) was able to offer an experience out on the farm on Sunday.

  The 4th annual Fall Fair is more than a typical outing; it creates connections to the animal onsite – and the wonderful work they do in supporting the 120 clients in WETRA’s therapeutic riding program or as part of its special programming or offsite visits to nursing homes and Hospice.

  Debbie Richards organizes the Fall Fair for WETRA, and is pleased to have a way to allow the community to be able to enjoy the farm and all it has to offer, while also raising funds to support its many, very important, programs.

  “The event allows us to showcase our services and our place,” Richards said. “People are fascinated by it.”

  In addition, WETRA is now offering Occupational Therapy services, and has added grade school field trips on a regular basis, so local youths can experience the joy of being around horses, build on their team work skills, and increase their confidence, Executive Director, Becky Mills, said.

Each year, an excess of 5000 individuals visit the farm.

  Without the support of the community, WETRA could not continue to offer the services and programs it does to those who need them. That is one of the many reasons Mills enjoys opening up the facility for community events, so people can get a first-hand experience at the farm they so generously support.

  WETRA has been able to provide those programs and services for over 50-years, “because the community believes in us,” she said.

  For the event, the indoor arena, where many of WETRA’s students get to enjoy and benefit from therapeutic horseback riding lessons, is transformed into a vendor market. This year’s event had 64 vendors onsite, each selling unique or homemade wares, or fresh fruit.

  Visitors to the site were able to tour the barns, pet some of the horses, and get introduced to WETRA’s many other animals onsite, each playing a valuable role in its programming. Attendees were also able to enjoy a hay ride around the farm grounds, and be wowed as they watched very talented canines perform an array of high-calibre tricks and conquer an array of challenging agility obstacles as part of the Border City Barkers.

  They were grateful to all the volunteers, including the Corvette Club of Windsor, which helped park visitors as they entered the grounds. Representatives of the Windsor Essex County Humane Society were also onsite, explaining the valuable role it plays in the community for animals in need. Members of the Harrow Rotary Club manned the grills, offering a barbeque lunch.

  Richards hoped at least 800 individuals would attend the event, and with the perfect fall weather for outdoor activities, WETRA was off to a good start in achieving that.

  Moving ahead, WETRA plans to engage with seniors more, and grow its programming for neurodivergent kids with funding it was able to secure. Staff and volunteers are always working on new initiatives, and are excited to work on new opportunities.