Pony brings people together at village

A social studies project at KingsWay School led teenager Grace Mitchell to visit a retirement village, taking her pony, Isla, with her.

The project asked students to go into the community and find an issue or problem that is often overlooked. They were then asked to do something hands-on to help, such as fundraising.

Grace, 14, decided to focus on loneliness and the need to make connections across the generations.

Animals are a great ice-breaker when it comes to making those connections, and Grace’s love of horses (she got her first pony when she was aged seven) made her pony, Isla, the obvious companion.

She said Evelyn Page retirement village in Ōrewa was very open and welcomed the chance to have Grace and Isla visit last month.

When Grace and Isla arrived, some of the residents came from their houses to see the horse, while others were brought out from the facility’s care home and hospital.

“I was nervous at first, meeting all those new people, but the pony gave us something in common,” Grace says. “Many said they rode when they were younger, or were involved with horses through farm work. It brought back memories.”

She says the reactions were beautiful to see.

“Some were just watching quietly, some came right up and patted Isla and others brought photos of themselves with horses.”

Grace says the plan had been to visit other retirement villages too, but the weather prevented it.

“Seeing people’s reactions and smiles, I definitely want to get out and do this again in future, and stay local so we can see people regularly,” she says.