Groundwork Magazine

 

As he’s done a thousand times over, Taz, the Thoroughbred horse, walks calmly up to the rider’s mounting block. Today, he is flocked by three of Pride Stables’ very best volunteers. Taz doesn’t know it, but today is a big day for the barn and his rider, Jackie. It’s the first day of fall therapeutic riding lessons for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. 

 

 

Six riders and their parents gather eagerly by the gate to the indoor arena. They take turns peering in to get a glimpse of the horses. One by one, they file in and line up to get on, while their parents and caregivers watch like hawks from the sidelines.

 

For Sandy Richardson’s daughter Jackie, this might just be the best day of autumn. Richardson, whose name has been changed for privacy, believes that without therapeutic riding, her daughter’s list of potential activities would be narrow. 

 

“It gives these kids something else to do,” says Richardson, watching Jackie ride. “Their repertoire of activities can somewhat be limited, and because the program is here, why not? It’s so wonderful to have this.” 

 

In North America, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH), is considered to be the founding institution of therapeutic riding. After it was founded in 1969, therapeutic riding began to spread rapidly across the U.S. and Canada 

 

At Pride, each lesson is formatted to be an hour in length. Riders will arrive and immediately head into the indoor arena, where they will line up and take turns using the special mounting block to get on their horse. Richardson started bringing Jackie to lessons when she was five. At 21, Jackie continues to benefit from the refuge of the city limits which Pride Stables provides.

 

“It’s not only about the physical benefits. It’s the idea of doing something and loving the animals, not to mention the responsibility,” Richardson says. “She comes here and has to unsaddle, take the bridle off and brush the horse...it gives her purpose.” 

 

Once riders are on, the must go through a series of stretches that involve reaching forward towards their horse’s ears, then down towards their foot. These exercises are also used frequently for able-bodied rides, to help build balance. Pride offers two sessions with lessons, one in spring and one in fall. During summer, riding camps are offered to kids in the area. 

 

Kendra Flynn-Stronach, a certified instructor at WindReach Farms in Ashburn, says that one of the biggest benefits to therapeutic riding is fitting in. This is something some children and adults with disabilities don’t get to experience very often. 

 

“We have kids who have trouble connecting with other kids at school, but when they come here in a group lesson, they’re in a place where they’re finally understood,” Flynn-Stronach says. “You’d never know they have a special need when they sit in the saddle.” 

 

For these kids and adults, being understood is a struggle they face in every aspect of their lives, especially when it comes to finding accessible institutions. It’s not only about the emotional benefits they gain, however. 

 

“There are also physical benefits to using a horse in therapy,” says Jennifer Ziegler, the program supervisor at Pride Stables. “It provides a lot of core movements to the riders. It’s actually very similar to the human walking motion.”

 

Jennifer Ziegler, the program supervisor at Pride Stables, says that no other therapy other than riding completely mimics the human walk. For kids and adults who spend their day in wheelchairs, the freedom of motion can be blissful. 

 

From a bench in the shade by the outdoor arena, Richardson watches Jackie ride, the girl waving to her mother as she happily trots by, the three volunteers attentive to her every need. 

 

“She loves being able to move on a horse,” Richardson says of Jackie. “From a therapeutic standpoint, it has really helped improve the strength in her legs and core muscles.”

 

Flynn-Stronach says that for some of her riders, finding balance outside of the saddle is the hardest part, but by observing a horses’ behaviour in the saddle, it can help them figure out how to correct it. 

 

“It’s not just for one specific group,” she says. “Therapeutic riding can be used for people who have issues with both high and low tone in muscles, coordination, proprioception and balance.”

 

Unfortunately, not all can enjoy the various benefits of therapeutic riding. Pride Stables is run mostly on donations, sponsorships and fundraising. Even so, the waitlists to get into riding programs for families are lengthy. Some families wait as long as a year to get into a lesson program.

 

At WindReach farms, Flynn-Stronach has a seven-step process to adapt a horse into the program, testing the limits of its patience. This includes exposing them to wheelchairs and other mobility devices, as well as practicing falling off to see how the animals react. 

 

Pride Stables has a similar program, but even at the end of all this training, Ziegler says volunteers play a huge role in ensuring the safety of the rider with a hands-on approach. 

 

“We have volunteers who lead all the horses, and riders who need a little extra help will walk on either side,” she says. “The most important thing is communication. We’re a team, and we’re always talking to see what each rider needs.” 

 

At Pride, safety is always the number one priorty. Special enclosed stirrups- called Devin stirrups- ordinarily associated with Western style riding are used for each rider. Most horses are used with a bitless bridal, to ease the tension on the animal’s face should the rider accidentally pull. Additionally, each rider is given between one and three volunteers, varied due to the severity of their disability as well as how long they have been riding.

 

Flynn-Stronach says her 250-person pool of volunteers must by hyper-aware of what their riders need. For example, some riders require constant eye contact, others none at all. Some riders with spastic mobility problems cannot be touched with anything but an open palm; anything else will cause spasms. 

 

“The horses totally know the difference between people with special needs and able-bodied riders,” she says. “They change their attitudes and their body language...you bring out a child with autism and that horse becomes the quietest, most patient animal.” 

 

Richardson says that she can see this with not only her daughter Jackie, but with all the riders at Pride Stables, too. 

 

“They connect with these kids. I’m always in awe of how horses can connect with people,” she says. “They seem to tolerate whatever these kids give them, regardless.”

 

Meanwhile, back at Pride Stables, the lesson has concluded. Jackie dismounts and gives Taz a kiss goodbye. Already excitedly chatting about next week’s lesson, she spares one last glance behind her at Taz before heading for the door. The refuge that Pride Stables provides may only last a few hours, but its effects can last a lifetime.