Therapeutic Horseback Riding – an Option for Disabled Children
For well over twenty years, the practice of therapeutic horseback riding became a viable form of physical and emotional therapy for disabled children and, in some cases, adults as well. A prime example is the Carousel Therapeutic Riding Stable, located on Creek Road in Moorestown, southern New Jersey. Owned and operated by Heidi Smith, Carousel has quite a cast of ’employees’ – Lulu, Mongo Kai (a.k.a. ‘Chico’ to her closest friends!), Doogie, Temura, Sullivan, Tucker and Shiloh (not the Brangelina child, but nevertheless also a strikingly beautiful specimen!) No matter that these guys and gals weigh in at an average weight of 900 pounds apiece; you’d be hard pressed to find a gentler, more loyal group of horses and ponies working with children from the ages of five to twelve years of age.
In its sixth season, Carousel caters to children ages two to twelve. “The children who ride here come to us with a wide range of disabilities: autism, cerebral palsy and Downs’ syndrome”, Smith said. Currently, Carousel has forty students who attend riding classes once or twice per week who have learned about the stable either by word of mouth or physician referral. (Each riding class costs $33; most medical insurance companies do not cover the cost of therapeutic horseback lessons.) Smith, who was previously a high school mathematics teacher, turned her own love of riding into a full-time career when she received her certification as a registered therapeutic riding instructor after a two-year program. (It is not advisable to allow a child with disabilities to ride horseback with anyone other than a certified instructor.) “Our program currently has a two year waiting list, with most of the children coming to ride here when they are two or three years old, and staying until they are 12. We have very little turnover with students. We have a staff of over sixty volunteers who assist me with each and every student.” The volunteers are, for the most part, high school aged and older teenaged girls who share a love of riding with their young charges. Having so many volunteers offering their time, energy and commitment at no charge helps Smith keep down the costs of the lessons themselves. ‘Regular’ riding lessons at an established stable, at least in the Delaware Valley area, start at $55 – $60 per lesson.
What do these children do during their lessons? “We play a lot of riding games”, Smith said. “Our program is strictly recreational riding. The kids learn the parts of the horse, they learn how to hold the reins and the names of the equipment that each horse needs for riding. As they get older, they learn to trot and perhaps even canter a little bit, depending upon the individual child and their abilities. They love the challenges that riding offers them! I hold two riding sessions simultanteously. The students enjoy riding with each other, and two at a time seems to have worked out very well; I’m always in the riding or the barn with both of them all of the time. We have one ‘leader’, a volunteer who actually holds and leads each horse, plus three ro four ‘walkers’, volunteers who stand – like the leaders – for the entire lesson. The walkers help control the ponies, make sure that each child is safe, and most of all, offers verbal encouragement to the student. The kids just love hearing honest praise about how well they are doing during their lessons.”
And the benefits for these young riders? Basically, Smith said, she evaluates each child upon their entry into the program to determine their physical capacity and what they would like to achieve both physically and emotionally. “Of course, we also speak with the parents as well; parents do have to sign a waiver in order for their child to participate. We’ve never, ever had a problem with our students; we’ve been both very lucky and very careful. The most important goal is that each child have fun! Other benefits include muscle strengthening, stretching for better balance, improved physical coordination and a higher level of self-esteem.”
Since my daughters are volunteers at Carousel, I’ve had the privilege and opportunity to watch numerous lessons, speaking with both the children and their parents. 12 year old Kristen is in her last year of the Carousel program. “I like riding; it gives me a ‘free’ feeling. Also, it’s a lot better than sitting in a classroom! I really like all of the horses here, but Lulu is my special horse.” Marc, a nine year old who was born with cerebral palsy has been riding at Carousel since the age of four. “I like the stuff that we do, including trotting, but I really like all of the stuff we do. That includes the games; they’re fun, and Heidi gives us a prize at the end of every game! We do riding games, we name the parts of the horse and a lot of other fun stuff. Even though he wasn’t the first horse that I rode, I like Doogie the best. Doogie wanted to be a show pony, you know, but he was too small. He gives me kisses when we’re done after every class. Even though he’s kind of little, he’s faster than most of the other horses. Heidi works hard, and her having these lessons for kids like me is how she affords the farm.”
Therapeutic riding lessons for children with disabilities may not be an option for every one of them. It does, however, raise the question of how much these children can achieve on their own when given the opportunity. If you think your child might benefit from therapeutic riding, speak with your child’s doctor first before seeking a local therapeutic stable – and there are well over one hundred in the country. My first visit to Carousel Therapeutic Riding Stables left me with a mental impression that I’ll carry with me for years to come: the look of pure, absolutely unadulterated joy on the faces of the children perched atop their horses, as deservedly proud parents stood by the fence, videotaping their child’s accomplishments. For children who, through no fault of their own, are unable to accomplish some things in life that we too often take for granted, being on horseback was the thrill of a lifetime for them.
