I want to give an update on RTT's plans for re-opening. Now that Governor Mills has announced the State’s phased plan for re-opening we have a bit more guidance. As with all things related to COVID-19, RTT’s plans are subject to change based on new information and guidance which, as you know, is changing daily.
RTT’s staff has been hard at work reviewing federal, state, and local guidelines, and overlaying these guidelines with RTT’s operations. Our horses have now been out of mounted work for almost two months. They have been enjoying their "vacation" and while they have been getting some exercise, this has been very limited. So our first step in this process will be getting be getting the horses back to a regular work schedule and off of unemployment!
As we look at re-opening, our highest priority is protecting the health of anyone coming to the farm. For everyone to be safe, we will be creating a new, virtual training that will be required for anyone coming back to the farm. This training will identify new procedures including traffic flow, hygiene, use of masks and social distancing. In addition, we’ll be developing specific procedures related to grooming, tacking, mounts, dismounts, tack cleaning,etc. It’s complicated, to say the least, and the checklist is lengthy, but we are making progress!!
While we do not yet have a concrete re-open date, I promise to keep you posted as to our plans. Staff and instructors will be reaching out to all of our "current" 2020 clients and volunteers over the next couple of weeks as a general check in.I wish I could tell you more right now, but there are far too many unknowns. As always if you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via email. I can’t tell you how much we miss you!!
Be well—
Sarah Bronson, Executive Director