Therapeutic Horses Volunteering

[disneyreporter 0]

Well, I don't have any pets (my relatives do though) so instead, I volunteer at a local farm in my town. This farm is used for therapeutic riding for people with handicaps and disabilities, though those people without any physical problems are more than welcome to take lessons. My younger brothers and I go at least once a week to groom each horse, pick their feet, feed them their grain and hay, clean out their stalls, and just play with them. Currently we have 10 horses: Honey (white), Indigo (black), Brewster (dark brown), Ben (light brown), Dante (white), Nic-Nac (a medium brown pony with white spots), Drew (dark brown), Sheriff (dark brown), Lexi (a huge light brown), and Denny (light brown and white). They are all so sweet to work with, and each one has a different personality. They really do get to know you, and each one has a favorite person they like to play with. Some of the horses we used to have include: Nutmeg (medium brown), Comet (a light brown pony), and Calvin (a huge claidsdale sp?). Anyhow, I love what the farm supports, and I don't mind spending many hours each week helping out. I'd recommend everyone else try it if they are given the opportunity.

[sheepdog 10]

What a great place to do volunteer work! You are lucky to live near such a place and have that oppertunity. I'm not much on volunteer work, always seems like there is not enough hours in the day to take care of my own personal problems, but if there was a place like that in our area, I think I would be there. It has got to be very rewarding, helping people and being around animals at the same time. I have seen a lot of TV coverage of the near miricals that horseback riding does for handicapped children. It would be ausome to be a part of something like that.

[bishoujo 0]

That's nice! I didn't know horses had therapeutic purposes. I thought only small domestic animals like dogs and cats had. I wish I could volunteer in a place like this too. I like horses and it would be meaningful to help people in need.

[disneyreporter 0]

Volunteering at the farm is extremely rewarding. It's a great time just being around the animals. I love seeing the enjoyment on the faces of the little kids getting to ride their favorite horse. The kids usually make horse noises when they're riding, and it is really cute. This past week, we got another horse whose name is Chester. I have yet to meet him, so I'll post the details when I see him tomorrow. If people want, I can post pictures of some of the horses for you if you're interested.

[sheepdog 10]

That's nice! I didn't know horses had therapeutic purposes. I thought only small domestic animals like dogs and cats had. I wish I could volunteer in a place like this too. I like horses and it would be meaningful to help people in need.

Oh, yes, horseback riding is extremely therapeutic especially for children with either physical or mental handicaps. Imagine children who cannot even walk on their own and have to be lifted in and out of their wheelchairs, beds, any and every where they want to go to have the oppertunity to feel the tremendous strength of the animal they are riding/controling. Even as a strong, healthy human, I can attest to the ego boost of jumping a straddle of an animal 10 times your size and being able to maintain control of that animal. There is no other feeling quite like it. For children that are emotionally scared and unsure of themselves, the power of riding can be one of the most effective ego boosts that there are. It's really a completely different thing than the warm, friendly, fuzzy feeling and the unconditional love one gets from a small animal pet. (which of course, is also very good) This is like a triple expresso power drink the early morning fuzzy headed dreamer gets.

[disneyreporter 0]

Just by sitting upon the horse as it walks, handicapped riders experience an enormous benefit. Because of the horse's up and down motion, riders get an extreme workout. Most often, you'll hurt in places where you never knew you had muscles. Horseback riding allows the physically disabled, who cannot build up muscle strength easily, the opportunity to get at least some exercise. I haven't yet seen it, but I've heard from some of the lesson instructors that horseback riding also helps with speech therapy. I'm not quite sure how that works, but I guess it does. The problem is, horses are expensive to purchase and maintain with all of the food they require to eat, horse shoes, and medical bills. A lot of places no longer offer therapeutic riding. My town's state hospital still provides this service but only because it does not have to pay for staff. Everything is strictly run by volunteers.

[sheepdog 10]

Most often, you'll hurt in places where you never knew you had muscles.

Oh boy, am I familiar with that one!

I could be wrong, but I would guess that the improvement in speaking comes from the added confidence they would get from riding. Have you ever noticed shy people, how they hang out at the edges of a crowd and don't say much? It's not that they can't speek, it's just that they are too shy to open their mouths.

Maintaining a horse is expensive, but purchasing one sure isn't anymore. Recently passed horse slaughter laws have absolutly destroyed the horse market. I know some folks that took some of their horsed to an acution recently and could not get at $15 bid on an older Arabian mare.

[CrashCore 0]

Oh I know all about that. I actually write for my campus newspaper, and I recently did an article on North Country Ride, which is the organization that offers thereputic horseback riding. They are currently trying to expand and need volunteers, so I would recommend it to anyone. You just walk along side of the horses to make sure the client doesn't fall off or hurt the horse, and you can also take care of horses. If you like horses, people, or both, this would be a great thing for you--especially if you need volunteer hours for school or church. Plus, volunteering always looks good on resumes. The story of where this method came from is also amazing, and happens to be the introduction to my story. Here it is for anyone interested: Liz Hartel was stricken with Polio when she was in her early twenties. At first paralyzed from head to toe, doctors told her she would eventually walk with canes, but would never again be able to do the one thing she loved?horseback riding. Hartel did eventually walk with two canes, but was determined to ride again. Falling off of her horse several times at first, she continued to ride. Over time, the horseback riding actually seemed to be making her stronger, and in 1952, Hartel proved it by winning the silver medal for Grand Prix Dressage at the Helsinki Olympics(http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ and http://www.pathintl.org/).Medical professionals took notice of Hartel's story, and soon centers for therapeutic riding sprang up in Europe. Canadians and Americans studied what was happening in Europe, and soon formed what is known today as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, according to http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ Country RIDE(NCR), located in Esko, Minn., is a non-profit corporation that offers horse-facilitated activities for children and adults who are challenged by a wide variety of special needs which include physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral issues,? said the North Country RIDE Web site, http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ who have participated in North Country RIDE programs have a variety of special needs. According to their Web site, they include but are not limited to: Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Brain Injury, Schizophrenia, Partial Paralysis, Language Delays, and Developmental Disabilities.?Through horseback riding activities,? said their Web site, ?riders strengthen and relax muscles and improve posture, core strength and balance. These activities also help increase coordination and joint mobility.?It may sound questionable or unconventional?horseback riding to help with disabilities?but it has proven to be very beneficial.?The improvement of the riders was amazing, from the first lesson to the last,? said instructor Lisa Witanen. ?Hearing kids verbalize, when they were previously non-verbal, was amazing. The confidence of the riders was also visible."Cindy Martins, board chair of NCR, said that there is definitely a benefit from the physical strengthening of the core muscles, but that there is also mental healing from the animal-human relationship. ?The children connect with the warmth of animals,? said former program director and instructor Maggie Salo. ?I feel that the warmth and movement of the horse is the closest the kids could get to being in the womb?the riders seemed to have a feeling of safety.?NCR is currently planning to expand the organization, and looking for more volunteers to help accomplish this.?Not enough people know what we do and how we do it,? said Martins, ?and volunteers are critical to the service we offer.?There are a variety of things to do as a volunteer, such as horse maintenance and lawn care, but the two main jobs for volunteers are ?leaders? and ?sidewalkers.? According to their Web site, leaders lead the horses and look out for its well-being, and sidewalkers walk along side the horse to look after the well-being of the client.According to the Web site, volunteers need to be comfortable around large animals, open to participating as a team member, and ready and willing to learn. Martin also said that volunteers can serve for one or several seasons, and can even work their way into a paid position. Volunteer orientation and hands-on training for the 2008 riding season is April 12th. If anyone is interested in volunteering for NCR, there is a ?volunteer? link on their Web site that gives contact information and additional details."I work with all ages--I love that.? said one volunteer on their Web site, who is also a rider. ?I love the atmosphere and all the people at NCR. I recommend it to anyone who wants to help others and wants to be around horses."

[EquiPow 0]

Volunteering in England

 

I volunteered at a similar riding school in England from when i was 10 to 15 years old. I was absolutely horse crazy and my mum finally allowed me to have horse riding lessons for my tenth birthday. I loved it and my cousin realised this and recommended North Warwickshire R.D.A (Riding for the disabled association) as they welcomed volunteers. The riding school offered boths lessons for abled and disabled adults and children, and was owned by a doctor who put a lot of money in himself but also donations and sponsors for the horses helped to keep the place going.

 

As i was horse crazy this place was perfect for me, it was only 2 miles down the road so i was able to cycle there, and they never turned helpers away. There were between 10 and 30 helpers at the weekends and we all made great friendships. We started the day at 8am when we would choose our favourite ponies and fetch them from the field and into their stables. We would then groom them and tidy the yard. At around 9.00 we would tack them up and go for the helpers ride, which were given to the helpers if the day was not too busy and non of the ponies were ill, as they were rotated throughout the day so they did not get tired. After a short break we would take the ponies into the manege ready for the riders. Each lesson lasted for half an hour and there were four lessons in the morning, ten till twelve, and four in the afternoon, 1pm until 3pm. Usually there was an able bodied class followed by a disabled class, although this was cateorgrised on the ability to ride and the amount of helpers people needed. It would be unfair for people who could ride well to be in lesson with people who had helpers and could not go faster than a slow trot. Some of the riders would need someone to lead the pony, and sometimes they would need another helper on one or both sides of the pony to help stabilise them. Usually a helper would stay in the school incase the instructor needed anything and to collect the horse droppings, although both of the maneges (indoor and outdoor) were close to the yard and it was easy to shout over if necessary. After lessons had finished the ponies would be washed and rugged up if neccesary, and given their feed, before being taken back to the field.

 

There was usually 16 horses on the yard, sometimes more and sometimes less. The most permanent horses had there own stables, whereas newer horses were tied up until a horse went into lessons and it would take its stable. The permanent ponies were Cheeky (Bay), Pippen (Welsh A - Grey), Pride (Also Welsh A, Dark Brown, Pippens Daughter, also my favourite, but she was very grumpy so no one else wanted to look after her!!), Corky (Dark Brown), Stanni (Haflinger, very odd coloured) Kara (Also a haflinger - Chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail), Sainsbury (Previously Gatsby Sponsored by Sainsburys Supermarket - Bay), Rupert (Norwegian Fiord - Dun with dorsal stripe) Claus (Also Norwegian Fiord), Binky (Palomino - Reached the grand age of 35, may he RIP), and R.T (Fleabitten grey - Sponsored by round table). I visited recently (8 years after the last time i had been there) and sadly i did not see many faces i recognised. The lessons usually had not more than eight riders in, so the ponies could alternate and did not have to work too hard. The ponies ranged mostly from 11hh to 15hh with the average being around 12.2hh. Many of the riders we had needed helpers at the side and this made it easier to assist them as the ponies were small, although obviously a rider would not be placed on a pony that was not able to carry the riders weight.

 

During the weekdays most of the lessons would be booked by disabled groups which would all come together and specify individual requirements up front. Paid staff would usually work these days as the riders needed more care, although helpers still came in the summer holidays when the school had events on aimed at children e.g. pony days and 2 day camp. Late nights operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays and helpers were also invited then and the streets were still quite safe even during the winter nights for children to cycle home at 8pm.

 

All but a couple of riders i met at this school absolutely loved the horses and the lessons, and you would here comments from them and their assistants saying how happy it made them and what a difference it was making. Even if it does not have a theurapuetic benefit the riders enjoyed their lessons and got a break from their usual day which is beneficial on its own. As i was quite young when i helped there i did not appreiciate the riders although i hope a made a difference for them. I loved this riding school and would spend all weekend and all the school holidays there if my mum would let me, although she usually only let me go on Tuesdays and thursdays in the school holidays. It taught me a wealth of knowledge about ponies which lead to me getting my own at the age of fifteen and without helping at the riding school i would not have known how to look after him properly. It also encouraged me to go to agricultural college and study a National Diploma in Horse Management, which i also loved, and then i pursued a career in horses. Unfortunately i no longer work in this field and am now studying Zoology at University, maybe i finally grew out of them!! I still love horses, and I will always look back on the riding school with fond memories and remember the ponies and the friends i made there.

[Diffusr 0]

That is a great thing to do and very helpful to all involved. I wouldn't mind starting up my own therapuetic horse-contact centre in the near future. I train horses using the monty Roberts join up method and this is the only way to treat these magnificent beasts. There is no pain or restraint used on the animal so they gain complete and total trust in you. Even if the horse has been abused before, he or she can be healed very quickly of the painful memories associated with bad treatment.When the horse has only ever been treated in this way, they are really really magical creatures who will do anything you ask of them. They will even try to swim across an ocean for you because they trust you as one of the herd.I think a horse trained in this way would be very beneficial for the handicapped riders, many of whom actually have a natural affinity with the horses already. there are so many benefits to being aroung horses not just for handicapped people but for all people. in fact mst animals are really grounding when you are with them a lot. They remind us where we are and what we are part of, so all the other stupid concerns go flying out the window, like how am I going to buy that flat screen TV? Or which type of haircut shall I get to look cool to all my friends? None of that matters in the end because we are just here and living the same as everything else.