Sep 3, 2007
HELPING HANDS:
Therapeutic riding helps disabled kids
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We Will Ride, a therapeutic riding program based in Ridgefield, gives children with disabilities a chance to tighten the reins on their lives — with the help of a pony.
Therapeutic horseback riding teaches basic riding skills to kids limited in other athletic settings by a range of impairments — whether they be social, physical, mental or emotional. While these youngsters get to control the horse’s movement, those undergoing “hippotherapy,” a form of equine-assisted therapy, are actually influenced by the horse’s movement.
During hippotherapy sessions, certified physical, occupational, and even speech therapists walk alongside the rider to analyze how the child is responding to the horse’s movement. Individuals with movement dysfunction, which make up a majority of hippotherapy clients, use the horse as a “therapy ball,” according to Robin Augustadt, program coordinator.
“Hippotherapy is physical therapy on a horse,” said Cindy Joyce, one of We Will Ride’s therapeutic riding instructors. “The horse mimics, duplicates the movement of the human walk, so sitting on a horse helps the child to develop muscles, balance and core strength.” Plus, she said, “it’s a lot more fun to sit on a horse than on a therapy ball.”
Rotation within the hip and trunk area may be improved, since “the horse’s movement is in several planes — it’s not just back and forth movement,” according to Terri Baker, a physical therapist in Brookfield Public Schools, who performs hippotherapy for We Will Ride. “It has been found to affect the muscle tone of students — it can increase muscle tone if they don’t have enough or if they have poor posture, and it can decrease the muscle tone if they have too much.”
“It may look like a riding lesson, and sound like one, but from a therapist’s point of view, you’re really looking to see how the child’s body reacts to being on the horse,” added Mrs. Baker.
Horse movement also strengthens trunk muscles, which in turn strengthen neck and mouth muscles yielding better vocalization, Mrs. Baker said. “All muscles are involved, so if you’re getting muscle control, there’s overflow effect in other areas of the body.”
“I’ve seen a child speak for the first time,” said Mrs. Augustadt.
Self-confidence
But the effects of therapeutic riding transcend the physical. For one, their self-confidence expands.
“They can’t participate in group sports, but they can get on a horse and ride,” said Ms. Joyce. “That’s a special thing for all of the kids ... you can see the child become happy, confident with riding.”
“You see them just being happy,” echoed Mrs. Augustadt. This is in part because of the different exercises that riders call “games,” which range from transferring brightly colored rings from one cone to another — this activity alone improves rotation, midline shifting and balance — or singing upbeat songs, which improves the child’s ability to multitask.
Instructors may even throw a large sponge die on the ground, and the number it lands on will dictate how many times the rider has to clap his hands or how many steps forward he should move his horse.
A horse’s movement also has a “calming effect” on riders.
“You can work on other areas that aren’t just muscle-related,” said Mrs. Baker, including attention span, eye contact, verbalization, or toleration of non-preferred activities.
“There are kids who like the movement of the horse, but don’t like when it stands still,” she said, “so the child has to learn how to tolerate being stopped for 30 seconds or longer.”
First mount
We Will Ride is hosted by Vail Farm in North Salem, N.Y. While still borrowing horses from generous neighbors of Vail Farm and businesses and horse owners who board horses at Vail, including Sweetwater Farm and The Barn, LLC, We Will Ride finally purchased its first mount, ‘Mud Bug,’ an 11.2-hand Shetland cross pony.
“The horses need to be calm and easy-going,” said Mrs. Augustadt. To that end, they will “help the children calm down and focus,” according to Ms. Joyce.
“It’s desirable to have the horse working not just in therapeutic riding but in a regular riding program,” added Ms. Joyce. “With more experienced riders and owners on the horses, they’ll be as well-behaved and as well-mannered as possible for our riders.”
There is always a need for more therapeutic riding volunteers, since three people have to accompany each rider. The horse leader controls the direction of the horse at all times, and the other two volunteers, known as sidewalkers, concentrate their attention on the rider, according to Mrs. Augustadt, by supporting the child with their hands when he or she is on the horse following directions from an instructor in the ring.
A training session for volunteers will be running on Sept. 10 at 3:30.
The volunteers, if they don’t have it already, develop an appreciation and “understand the joy of being on a horse,” according to Mrs. Augustadt. While the youngest volunteers are 14, the oldest one is in her 80s.
“Volunteers are the life blood of these programs,” said Ms. Joyce. “We really couldn’t run without them.” And that’s exactly what We Will Ride needs to expand the program in hopes of accommodating 15 children. There’s in fact a wait-list of riders to get in, which is why parents will drive their children as much as 40 miles to Vail Farm, which is right off Route 121, when given the opportunity to ride.
“These parents are so proactive with their children, it’s wonderful,” said Mrs. Augustadt.
About 12 children ride on Mondays, starting at 3:30. As only three children can be riding in the ring at once, the series of half-hour lessons doesn’t end until 6 p.m. Children in the program now range anywhere from four to 15 years old, but the age limit may stretch based on need. Private, one-on-one therapeutic riding lessons and hippotherapy are available. Whether or not a child will need hippotherapy treatment depends on the severity of his or her condition and is determined by the therapist and doctor. Scholarships are available, and the cost of hippotherapy sessions may be covered by a family’s insurance.
Welcoming volunteers
Three members who conceived the program include current program coordinator Robin Augustadt and her husband Bruce, as well as Bonnie Cunningham, who is the program adviser but teaches clinics around the world for the American Hippotherapy Association.
“We always need volunteers, not only for program work, but also for fund raising,” emphasized Mrs. Augustadt. Ever since We Will Ride started in October 1998, it’s been kept afloat by generous donors — both individuals and businesses in Ridgefield and surrounding towns.
“They’ve been very loyal to us, thank goodness,” said Mrs. Augustadt.
“It’s very tempting, you want to get everyone on a horse,” said Ms. Joyce. “As a non-profit, the programs don’t support themselves — it would be great to expand, but we’re dependent on donations and grants.” And a recent grant from The Equus Foundation Inc. of Westport has enabled We Will Ride to keep Mud Bug, “The Wonder Pony,” who was purchased in June.
Anyone interested in volunteering or participating in the 12-week fall riding program may call We Will Ride at 438-1947 or visit www.wewillrideinc.com.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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