Toolcat 5600 Will Help Contest Winner Help Others

Left to right: Brian Hensel, sales specialist, Delaware Valley Bobcat; Gary Urmy, branch manager, Delaware Valley Bobcat; Melissa Brangan; Sam Brangan, Melissa’s father; and Kyle Condon, Bobcat Company district manager.

Melissa Brangan, Pineville, Pa., is much closer to her goal of helping others harnessing the therapeutic value of riding and caring for horses, thanks to the free use of a Toolcat 5600 and three Bobcat® attachments for one year.

She earned that as the winner of Bobcat Company’s “If I Had a Toolcat…” contest.

Brangan, age 35, has been working with horses since she started riding at ten. However, a car accident seven years ago left her unable to ride horses again, although she can still walk.

Combining the best features of a loader, pickup truck and attachment carrier, the Toolcat 5600 will play a key role in converting her 57-acre sod farm to a state-of-the-art equine facility—Buckingham Equine Acres, LLC. The non-profit organization will focus on hippotherapy—using horses to help people with neurological and sensory disorders. It can also benefit the elderly as well as children with emotional and behavioral problems.

Hippotherapy, which dates back to 460 B.C., can help improve balance, posture and mobility through the rhythmic and repetitive movements experienced on horseback. For example, the warmth of a horse will seep into the rider’s leg muscles and improve muscle control in someone with impaired legs, says Branagan.

“The connection with the animals is unbelievable,” she says.

Branagan will find plenty of uses for the Toolcat machine. “There are
barns to be built, pastures to fence and fields to groom, after which the facility will need constant maintenance,” she says. “The versatility and reliability of the Toolcat 5600, combined with Bobcat attachments, make it the perfect tool to help me build my business.”