85 Years Old Resident Heather March Fulfils Her Dream To Ride A Horse Again

At the Manor, based in Exminster, the Manager Sandra Wright and the care team have built a special tree to encourage their residents to place their wishes, in the hope that they can fulfil their dream. On a previous occasion, one of their residents who turned 100 this year wanted a giant box of chocolates. She was presented a shoebox full to the brim with her favourite chocolates. The team of carers will never forget the smile on her face.

One particular resident Heather March, born in 1932, a vibrant and charismatic character aged 85 years, who was previously an artist in pottery and still has a creative passion for bright colours which she dresses in, often adding one of her lovely bright necklaces which compliments her makeup. Heather always had a love of animals especially horses. In previous years, she owned her own horse and dogs and had lived an interesting life. She loves the company of her fellow residents who have become her family. Heather was thrilled to achieve her wish to be able to ride a horse again.

Thanks, are given to manager Sue Veale and her team at Oaklands Riding Centre, in Exeter. The riding group used their own horses, as they are not always able to accommodate everyone who wished to ride. Sue Veale said:” It’s not something we do very often. We must be extremely careful that the person having the ‘wish’ is able to cope and there are suitable ponies for them to ride.  It would be sad to disappoint the person making the wish if we had to say ‘no’! We were delighted to make Heather’s wish come true and glad she enjoyed herself!”

Heather’s daughter Karren said:” It is quite a remarkable achievement as my mother suffered a nasty fall in January this year which meant she had to have a metal screw inserted into the neck of her left femur to repair her hip.  Heather had already had a hip replacement on her right hip in 2009.  Coupled with this she lives with Osteoporosis so is very prone to fractures. She also has cerebellar ataxia which is a disorder that affects the area of the brain responsible for controlling gait and muscle coordination.  This highlights just how difficult it is for her to co-ordinate movement and to indicate the levels of pain that she is in.  Given all her medical issues it highlights her determination and bravery to get back into the saddle again after so many years. It was an amazing accomplishment which was achieved by the support of the fantastic care team from the Manor, several fantastic ladies at the Acorns and Squirrels Riding School and my mother’s guts and determination. I would like to thank everyone involved.”

Sandra Wright, Manager of the Manor said:” to assist the late life care of people is a privilege which must be undertaken with great enthusiasm and care. Our care team are kind, thoughtful and caring and maintain a positive relationship with all our residents. It gives us great joy to help our residents achieve their dreams and this was certainly achieved in Heather’s exciting challenging wish.”