Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Therapeutic Horseback Riding Afterword
By Nicoline Beveridge, Certified Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor, Washington, DC.
In the real world, would Lena be able to ride a horse? She most certainly would. All over the world, people of all ages with different disabilities ride everyday.
Who can ride?
Therapeutic riding students are people of all ages, varying from pre-schoolers to the elderly. They also have a wide range of disabilities, including physical, emotional, learning, and developmental. There are some who should not ride, because they are so fragile that they cannot risk falling and injuring themselves. The therapeutic riding instructor carefully evaluates every potential rider to determine that riding will be a beneficial and safe activity.
Why ride?
Riding is a fun way to exercise both body and mind. There are doctors and physical therapists who recommend horseback riding for their patients. Being on top of a moving horse helps anyone develop better balance and stronger muscles. Those students who gain their own control over an animal as big as a horse develop important independence and leadership skills as well. There are people who can ride very well, even though they cannot walk. Imagine how empowering riding can be for someone who needs help from others for the simplest daily needs.
Special Equipment and Assistance
All riders must wear a helmet in case of a fall. There are different kinds of saddles or pads with handles, depending on the rider’s needs. The instructor also may decide to have a horse leader and side aides for assistance. The horse leader helps to control the horse. Side aides can physically hold the rider in place, if that is necessary.
Selecting a horse.
Horses who work with therapeutic riding students must be calm, not easily scared, unconcerned with an off-balance or actively moving rider, and tolerant of being surrounded by a group of people (instructor, horse leader, and side aides). There are horses with a smooth walk, trot, and canter and those with bouncy gaits. Different horses work best with different people. There are plenty of therapeutic riders whose horse should stay at a walk or, at most, do a short trot. This means that older horses who are retired from racing or other strenuous activities can often start a whole new career as therapy partners.
Training a horse.
Most horses are highly trainable and adaptable to a variety of settings. It is critical that therapeutic riding horses learn to be comfortable with the types of sound, sight, and touch they are likely to encounter in the lesson. For instance, the horse must be familiar with a disabled rider’s equipment, such as wheelchairs, crutches, or hearing aids that may start to whistle loudly when a connection fails. This is why Marcus insisted on carrying Lena into the stables the first time she met Invincible; he knew that the wheelchair and its noises might upset the horses initially.
Horses learn to trust that the activities of the riding lesson will not hurt them. Students may play games that involve blowing bubbles to help with breath control or throwing and catching balls to improve eye-hand coordination. Therapy horses are trained not to worry about incidences such as soap bubbles popping against their ears or balls bouncing off their rump and rolling between their legs.
Riding as a sport.
Many disabled riders become skilled enough to compete in horseback riding as a sport. Some compete with able-bodied riders. Others compete in shows for people with special needs. There are small, local competitions as well as large national and international events, including the Special Olympics and the Paralympics.
A famous competitive disabled rider, who competed in two Olympic Games, was a Danish woman named Lis Hartel. In 1944, she became infected with the polio virus, causing her to lose control over her arms and legs. Much like Lena, she was determined to make her body as strong and able as possible. She worked hard to re-train her arm and leg muscles. Once she was able to crawl, she started to work her way up to using crutches.
Three years later, Lis still did not have full use of her legs. This did not keep her from riding in the Scandinavian Riding Championships and winning second place! With another five years of hard work, she managed to qualify for Denmark’s Olympic dressage team. Not only did she compete at the highest level possible, she proceeded to win silver at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. The gold-medal winner, St Cyr of Sweden, was so impressed with her stunning achievement that he stepped down from the podium to assist her to her place next to him. Four years later, at the 1956 Olympics, she repeated the feat and won silver again. Lis Hartel’s perseverance and success inspired greater effort in numerous countries to offer horseback riding to people with disabilities.
Resources.
Many countries now have organizations which oversee safety and certification of professionals and therapeutic centers. National and International Conferences are organized every year. College and university degrees in areas such as equine sciences and therapeutic riding are also possible.
Most therapeutic riding centers need help to keep their lessons affordable for their students. They are able to offer this kind of therapy thanks to the many people who generously donate money or volunteer their time and effort. People enjoy staying involved with horse therapy, because they witness how horses, with patience and trust, are able to give their riders the motivation and confidence to overcome obstacles and make major improvements. At times, riders find that they surprise themselves with their achievements. All members of the team, volunteers as well as the instructor in charge, share the pride in every newfound ability.
Information about Lis Hartel came from the following book:
Bud Greenspan, 100 Greatest Moments in Olympic History (Special Centennial Ed. Santa Monica CA: General Publishing Group, Inc., 1995), page 26.
Websites and telephone numbers for more information about therapeutic horseback riding:
North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, Inc. (NARHA)
PO Box 33150 Denver, CO 80233
narha.org
800-369-RIDE (7433)
Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA)
5318 Old Bullard Road, Tyler, TX 75703
www.cha-ahse.org
800-399-0138
Special Olympics
1133 19th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036
www.specialolympics.org
800-700-8585
United States Paralympics
One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
www.usparalympics.org
719-866-2030
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