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Printed From Acorn-Online.com Redding Pilot by RACHEL KIRKPATRICK
One of the first times Miles Aldrich of Sandy Hook laid eyes on a horse, he greeted the horse with a coy ‘Hello’ fit for Greta Garbo. “It was instant love,” his mother, Wendy Aldrich, said. Miles, 16, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3, has been riding horses through a program called Pegasus Therapeutic Riding since he was 9. The program, offered in six locations throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties, offers children and adults with physical, mental and emotional disabilities the chance to bond with, care for and learn techniques associated with riding horses. When Miles was diagnosed, the Aldriches did not know many people who were going through the same thing they were. “This was at a time as you can imagine, this being 13 years ago, when autism was still relatively rare,” Ms. Aldrich said. Miles is not on the extreme side of the autistic spectrum, but has significant impairments in the area of language and struggles with certain cognitive skills, such as estimation, or anything abstract. When the Aldriches moved into the area, Ms. Aldrich said, she had remembered reading about therapeutic riding at one time in a newspaper and decided to see if there was anything like it being offered in the area. While Miles was terrified as a child of small dogs, he always responded well to horses. “I have to admit, I spent my life as a horse-obsessed girl 15 miles from the George Washington Bridge,” Ms. Aldrich said. “Clearly, my son inherited the horse gene.” His involvement in the program would prove to be life-changing. “When he gets on and he’s up, he’s just there; he’s just so focused, so erect, so part of this animal — it’s just terrific,” Ms. Aldrich said. “There’s something about the whole discipline and air of riding that on some level appeals to him.” Now an accomplished rider, Miles recently showed off his dressage skills at the 2007 Pegasus Annual Meeting with a Hanoverian horse named Wolfie, which is owned by Bob and Jamie Prusak of Redding. Dressage is the ultimate test for a rider because it involves full cooperation from the horse and is a test of skill instead of speed. “It was an instant match; they looked beautiful,” Ms. Aldrich said of Miles and Wolfie. “What a magnificent horse he is.” The Prusaks bought Wolfie, whose registered name is Big Bad Wolf, in 1999. Ms. Prusak rode Wolfie for a number of years, but for a horse now in his late 20s, she said, it seemed he did not want to work quite so hard anymore. “He wasn’t ready to retire totally, but I thought it was something that he might enjoy doing,” Ms. Prusak, a 15-year resident of Redding, said of the Pegasus program. Horses in the Pegasus program are put through extensive training, and have to be calm, stable and predictable — “and Wolfie is that kind of horse,” she said. “He just fell right into the job; he’s just totally unfazed by things being thrown back and forth over his back,” Ms. Prusak said. “He just seemed to understand that this was his new job.” Wolfie now lives at the Pegasus program’s new 20-acre facility in Brewster, N.Y. The farm overlooks Peach Lake and is the former location of Dr. Bill Bradley’s New England Equine Practice. “For the first time he’s being turned out with other horses, and his hair is all long,” Ms. Prusak said. “He’s finally getting to be a horse; he’s having a ball.” The Pegasus program was started by a small group of Fairfield County equestrian women in 1974 who were exploring the effectiveness of therapeutic riding. Such programs were well established over a long and successful history in England and Europe, the Web site states, and the women decided to bring this form of therapy to their communities. In September 1975, the first Pegasus program was established at the Ox Ridge Hunt Club in Darien. The program at Ox Ridge was an unqualified success and inspired the development of eight other chapters throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties. Today more than 200 children and adults ride through the Pegasus therapy program and other equine-assisted activities, its Web site states. Miles rides regularly at Corgi Hollow Farm in Newtown. Programs run year-round and are taught by North American Riding for the Handicapped Association-certified professional instructors with first aid and CPR certifications. Staff members, volunteers and therapy horses form the core of Pegasus, which remains one of the leading programs of its kind in the United States it’s Web site states. Pegasus is a premiere accredited facility, accredited by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. According to the Pegasus Web site, a horse’s movement closely resembles the normal gait of a human and can be used to produce specific physical changes in the rider, including increased balance, muscle control and strength. The horse’s movement can also benefit individuals with sensory integration issues. A smooth-gaited, consistently paced horse can provide the input needed to help a rider establish rhythm. A rough-gaited horse may provide the stimulation needed to help organize and integrate sensory input. Movement exploration while on the horse can help improve overall body awareness. “Miles never talks about his own feelings, but I think it makes him, or it gives him a feeling of intense pleasure and focus. It must organize him in some way,” Ms. Aldrich said. His riding instructors and teachers have been wonderful, she added. “For some of our Pegasus participants, having the opportunity to develop new skills and bond with our horses in the Pegasus farm and barn environment all contribute to helping to focus on their abilities and provide additional possibilities for successful experiences,” the Pegasus Web site states. Pegasus treats children and adults with disabilities ranging from autism to cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries to attention deficit disorder. “I can’t describe it; I think it has helped him in the sense that this is a sport he can do well, which he’s never had the experience of doing,” Ms. Aldrich said. “So it gives that feeling of accomplishment.” Pegasus therapeutic riding lessons include instruction in basic riding skills as well as opportunities for social interaction, recreation, sport, and therapy. “They have patiently broken down everything into steps for him and are working on these incredibly fine points of horsemanship with him,” Ms. Aldrich said of Miles’s instructors. She said they “certainly” have special knowledge and “just an incredible amount of love.” Students are currently accepted as young as four years old, but the program also serves students in their 70s and all ages in between. The program is also a chance for riders to socialize and form friendships, and it allows the families of special needs people to come together and have a chance to exchange information, and simply relax. “Frankly, my husband and I enjoy going to see Miles ride, and just relax at Pegasus, as much as Miles does,” Ms. Aldrich said. “A couple of months ago, I was watching him, and he did this complicated series of dressage moves,” Miles’s dad, Mark Aldrich, said. “His instructor said something like, ‘OK, Miles, I want you to go from K to L, circle around through B, go back to C, and do a diagonal.’” “And I know Miles, and he kind of had a vacant look on his face, and the woman said to him, ‘Do you want me to run that by you again?’ and Miles said, ‘No.’” Mr. Aldrich said Miles performed the routine perfectly. “It just bowled me over,” he said. “For a kid who’s a special needs kid, it kind of sends your heart soaring.” For more information on the Pegasus Therapeutic Riding program, call 845-669-8235 or visit its Web site, at pegasusTR.org. © Copyright 2007 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers |
