Horses, horses, horses! Without our awesome equine partners, Edelweiss would not exist.  We get frequent calls from horse owners wanting to donate their horse. So, how do we choose to take or purchase a horse for the Edelweiss program? How do we decide if a horse needs to leave the program? Since we have been making many of these decisions this winter, I thought it was a great time to share! Read more

Have you noticed a strange new face around? If so, it’s probably me: Anna Schoppenhorst. I’m a senior at Eastern Hancock High School and am the new Edelweiss intern.

Anna Schoppenhorst, Intern

I’m in this awesome new class at EH called Contemporary Literature/Service Learning. First semester we read books about social injustices and then volunteered in those fields. For example, after reading  Hero by S. L. Rottman, we volunteered at Edelweiss. I had never been around horses and the very first horse I was assigned to groom was Big Ben. He towered over me and I’m not going to lie, I was terrified, but after a few cautious brushes his calmness washed over me and soon all my trepidation had left. Second semester we were asked to choose a local non-profit organization to volunteer at. I immediately chose Edelweiss. I volunteer five hours a week in place of the five hours I would normally spend in class. So far it’s been a great opportunity and I feel blessed to be surrounded by such nice people every day. If you spot me in a crowd, don’t hesitate to come over and say hi! 

Shirley Mascoe

I am Shirley Mascoe, Edelweiss Executive Director and the primary author of the Hoofbeats Blog.  A little about myself. I have been married to my husband, John, for 29 years.  We have four kids, mostly grown, Samantha, 25, Jordan 23, Shelby 19, and Gage 17.  I graduated from Purdue in 1985 with a B.S. in child development and a special education endorsement.  Then I proceeded to spit out babies!  I’ve spent the past 25 years raising kids on our 30 acre farm in northeast Hancock County and becoming more and more active in the nonprofit world.

My Family in the fall of 2006

My journey to Edelweiss began as my oldest child left for college.  I had a slight panic attack as I admitted to not really thinking much beyond the time that my children would be my focus.  At 43, I didn’t feel ready to “retire,”  but didn’t have a clue what to DO?!

 Fortunately, God did know as he put a novel in my hands about a woman who did horse therapy for children with cancer.  Hmmm . . . I was raised with horses, have accumulated all of this nonprofit management experience, have a degree and background in education, fit?  Perhaps!  So, I did what every computer savvy woman does, I Googled it!  Amazingly, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, now PATH, International, was hosting their international conference in Indianapolis the next month.  

I went, got hooked on the mission of therapeutic riding and in a conference of thousands met Elisa Bowen Bell, the founder of Edelweiss.

Elisa Bell & Shirley Mascoe, 2011 Edelweiss Golf Outing

Elisa invited me to become a volunteer and I fell in love.  I began the certification process to become an instructor that summer and completed the process early in 2009.  I have been a regular instructor at the center ever since.  I also added to my nonprofit knowledge base as executive director of Meals on Wheels of Hancock County.  In November 2010, I became the executive director at Edelweiss. I am convinced that this is where I am meant to be!

An Edelweiss Conversation

The Hoofbeats Blog was created to keep our friends informed about happenings at the farm and to share pertinent information about the field of therapeutic riding. I look forward to sharing our stories with you, but more importantly, I’m excited by the prospect of engaging conversations as well!  That’s the best part of a blog, unlike a newsletter, you can post comments and connect in conversations with us! So, “WRITE-ON!”