Egremont — It was a good time for attendees of The Berkshire Horseworks fourth annual Filly Frolic benefit at the Egremont Barn. The event was held on Tuesday, August 15, and it was a women-only event that included dinner, cocktails, and line dancing.
The event was a benefit for the nonprofit organization that was started in the summer of 2013 by Hayley Sumner. According to its website, the nonprofit operates from a seven-acre ranch in Richmond. It offers programs that involve Equine Assisted Psychotherapy that addresses various mental health and behavioral challenges. The organization also offers Equine Assisted Learning programs that emphasizes education, personal and professional growth, and developing life skills. Both programs derive from the nonprofit national organization Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association.
“I think the reason why the organization has lasted for so long is because there are people in our community that need a lot of help,” Sumner told The Berkshire Edge. “I think what is incredibly apparent in Berkshire County is that we don’t have enough mental health professionals. We have all of these different modalities to help support the community. Yet, when COVID hit, everything took a turn.”
Sumner said that she does not come from a traditional equine-related background. “I was inspired to start Berkshire Horseworks when I was driving cross country, and I wound up at a sale for racehorses,” she said. “I eventually became certified in equine therapy, which is what I now practice. I have no fear around horses because I have a very organic connection. I was going through a transition at the time because I had breast cancer. Eventually, the power of horses really helped me out, and I could see how horses can facilitate change. My horses all know what’s in a soul, and they reflect that back to others. They do that with the clients that we have in our community, and that type of connection is very rare.”
According to Sumner, the organization has served over 2,800 residents since it opened.
As for the Filly Frolic benefit, Sumner said that she came up with the idea of having line dancing at the benefit as a way to unite the positive energy of people. “I have an ‘out-west, Big Sky Country-type’ soul,” Sumner said. “Line dancing is a type of group energy that we all love so much.”
For more information about Berkshire Horseworks, go to its website.
