Equine recreational therapy helps those
with disabilities
Sam
Feather is excited to ride Rose. He runs around the stables clapping, hugging
and talking to everyone. When it is his time to ride, Feather walks up a ramp
specially designed for a rider with disabilities to get on a horse, and, with
the help of volunteers, gets in the saddle.
Feather,
like other participants at The Merry Go Round, a recreational therapeutic
riding program hosted every weekend this summer in Star Valley, is learning to
ride despite having mental or physical disabilities.
Teeka Leone,
co-founder of The Merry Go Round, a recreational therapeutic riding program,
checks everything from how the person is seated on the horse to how well the
feet fit into the stirrups before each attendee of the horse therapy ranch are
allowed to enter an arena.
The
program aims to help everyone with physical, cognitive or emotional
disabilities enjoy the benefits of riding and bonding with a horse.
"There
is just something about sitting on top of a horse," said volunteer Robin
Beadle. "A horse moves like the human body, so it is almost like they're
walking."
The
benefits of working with horses include building self-esteem, confidence,
muscle tone, patience and flexibility.
"The
horses teach them patience more than anything," said co-founder Lynn
Waters.
"It
is therapy for them," Beadle said. "A lot don't have good leg
strength or balance."
The
program even has one paralyzed rider who rides with the help of volunteers.
"You
watch their confidence go up a lot," Beadle said.
One
participant exclaimed to a volunteer after dismounting, "I did it and I
wasn't scared at all."
Participants
are partnered up with a horse based on their physical characteristics, the size
of the horse and their mental needs, Waters said. Once a match is made, they
saddle up for a ride.
A
volunteer stands on either side of the horse to keep the rider in the saddle
safely and another volunteer leads the horse in an arena.
By the
end of the sixth class, riders can hold the reins and trot with the horses.
"They
really do accomplish a large amount in the time," said co-founder Teeka
Leone.
The
program first launched in January 2003 in Mesa.
"It
was an immediate success," Leone said. "We had to get a bigger home
to develop the program."
Today
the program has 10 horses, four of which were rescued from abuse or neglect. A
mini horse is also used to pull a cart for persons not able to ride in a
saddle.
The benefits of
working with horses include building self-esteem, confidence, muscle tone,
patience and flexibility.
The
program is open to anyone interested in the therapeutic benefits of riding. In
the summer, the program is held at a Community Provider of Enrichment Services
(CPES) facility in Star Valley and in Desert Hills, in the winter.
Each
two-hour session is broken into two parts. The first is in a classroom
environment where Beadle, a sixth-grade teacher in Mesa, teaches balance, horse
safety and riding techniques through arts and crafts projects.
The
second part is in the arena, with Leone, a certified North American Riding for
the Handicapped Association (NARHA) instructor. Through games and exercises,
participants learn to ride, saddle and groom a horse with the help of volunteer
horse handlers and spotters.
The
program is offered free of charge to participants.
It is
funded through grants, fund-raisers, volunteers, a partnership with CPES and
private donations. Additional volunteers are always needed, Waters said.
More
information on the program is available at www.themerrygoround.org,
(480)225-3257 or (928)978-3930.