Horses bring happiness

Belgium Gardens senior living facility isn’t accepting visitors due to the coronavirus, but an exception was made for Bill and George.

Two docile horses from nearby Buechler Farms stopped over last week for the second time in the past couple of months to bring some much-needed joy to the residents and take them on a ride through the village.

“They loved it. They’re already asking if they can come back again,” Belgium Gardens Manager Nicole Callahan said. “It was a good experience and something that helped them emotionally after the Safer at Home (order.)”

She said one resident who was afraid of horses got up close and personal with them and another less-social resident enjoyed the ride through the village. Many residents aren’t from the area and haven’t seen much of Belgium. Some had horses or worked with them when they were young. 

“They just smiled when they started seeing the horses come up,” Irene Buechler, co-owner of Buechler Farms, said. “It was just really neat after everything that everybody’s been going through to put a smile on everybody’s face.”