Submitted/Opening Gaits
A Foothills charitable organization received a royal visit last month.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh attended the Masters tournament at Spruce Meadows from Sept. 4 to 7, and while in the area, she visited Opening Gaits Therapeutic Riding Society in De Winton.
Spruce Meadows approached Opening Gaits a few months in advance to see if they would be interested in hosting a high-profile guest, and the charity was happy to oblige.
Opening Gaits was already familiar with Spruce Meadows, having received a $20,000 donation from the Spruce Meadows Leg Up Foundation last year. The two also partnered on a fundraiser at this year’s Masters, where Yeti donated 150 mugs that were sold for $50 donations, raising additional funds that Spruce Meadows will match.
After three security checks, Duchess Sophie visited Opening Gaits on Saturday, Sept. 6.
The Duchess was shown a demonstration class led by instructor Shirley, featuring four riders.
The session highlighted how therapeutic riding helps build core strength, hand-eye coordination and confidence, offering children and adults with disabilities freedom and independence.
"She was only supposed to be with us for an hour, but I guess she was really enjoying it, so she stayed another half an hour," said Samantha Lethbridge, Operations Manager with Opening Gaits. "It was great. We are volunteer-run, and she got to meet a bunch of our volunteers. We had four riders and the parents, and honestly, she made time to talk to everybody, which was amazing."
This was Lethbridge's second encounter with a member of the royal family, having presented flowers to Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.
Her experience hosting Duchess Sophie was not the intimidating formal affair one might expect.
"Honestly, it was a very laid-back visit," said Lethbridge. "We had a good chat. There was no airs and graces, she was just very, very elegant, asked the right questions, hopefully we gave the right answers, and everyone enjoyed having her there. She was very down-to-earth. She's a horse lady, so she wasn't afraid of approaching the horses or anything. It was a pretty neat visit."
Founded in 1998, Opening Gaits provides therapeutic riding for adults and children with disabilities.
More information on Opening Gaits is available on its website.