Beauchamp House care home resident saddles up to fulfill lifelong wish
A Beauchamp House care home resident fulfilled a lifelong dream of riding a horse for the first time, thanks to support from her care home team.
Anne spoke to the Beauchamp House team about how she had enabled her children to ride horses, but never had the opportunity herself. Feeling inspired by Anne’s wish to take a slow horse ride near her home, the team got in touch with Conquest Centre, an independent charity based in Taunton, which offers therapeutic support involving horses and small animals.
Anne was enabled to ride Primrose, a 15.2 hands horse, around the centre’s covered arena, before walking around the woodland trail. She was guided by Gerry Ping, Deputy Centre Manager, and David Hawkins, volunteer student, alongside Chantal Finlayson, Activities Lead at Beauchamp House.
Anne said: “Dreams can come true, even at my age. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve always wanted to ride a horse, but I missed out when the children were learning. I appreciate the Beauchamp House team making this happen for me. They are very special people. I love living at Beauchamp House. It’s like a five-star hotel. The staff couldn’t be better and the food is excellent.”
The special visit was arranged as part of Care South’s ‘Make a Wish’ initiative, which encourages residents to share hobbies and passions they once enjoyed but are now unable to pursue without the home’s support. The care home team then works to bring the special wishes to life.
Debbie Lane, Home Manager for Beauchamp House, said: “It was a pleasure to make Anne’s special wish come true with our great thanks going to the incredible team at Conquest Centre. Seeing Anne’s smile and hearing how much the experience meant to her was truly heart-warming. At Care South, we truly believe that age has no limits on what our residents can safely do with our support. It’s important to us that residents continue enjoying meaningful experiences and have opportunities to achieve things they may never have had the chance to do before.”
