Horses of Hope, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, serves a wide variety of clients, including persons with disabilities of all types, caregivers and their families, at-risk youth and able-bodied riders interested in recreational horse activities.
"Therapeutic riding does make a difference," claims one of the Horses of Hope brochures, "We have experienced people with autism who suddenly speak, people in wheelchairs who are made taller and people who can't walk are suddenly given legs and a sense of independence."
Those interested in riding or volunteering at Horses of Hope can contact Melinda
Keithley, program coordinator, at 345-5210. |
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My son Patrick, has Autism. Autism is a communication
disorder. Along with this disability, he has sensory issues, his fine motor skills are not developed for
his age level, and he has very poor balance. Since he has been riding at horses of hope, his balance has
improved greatly. He can now sit in a normal swing and swing with his brother. His fine motor skills have not
improved much, but we will be getting an Occupational Therapist soon and she will know what type of
exercises Patrick will need to do while riding, so we wait in anticipation. Patrick's sensory issues are
starting to be met every time he rides. He will now touch his horse and he has been venturing out to
touching other types of animals. Riding has triggered some speech from him. Patrick is non-verbal.
Horses of Hope has been so helpful in so many areas in Patrick's life. He is more energetic. I feel that
Horses of Hope has been such wonderful therapy for
Patrick because it targets areas that we have not been able to target in a conventional setting.
Sincerely,
Colinna Trout
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| Emily Oswald smiles widely as she walks down the ramp after her Horses of Hope riding session. Emily's cerebral palsy makes it difficult for her to control her muscles, but riding horses has greatly improved her strength and motivation.
At age 5, Emily Oswald already knows how to work the room. "You look
kind'a like a horse," she said to Nancy Drake. Drake, Emily's Oxford home health physical therapist, responded, "I'll take that as a compliment from you." |
Emily Oswald smiles widely as she walks down the ramp after her Horses of Hope riding session. Emily's cerebral palsy makes it difficult for her to control her muscles, but riding horses has greatly improved her strength and motivation.
"I love horses," Emily said with a smile. Emily was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects her ability to control her muscles. In Emily's words, "My muscles don't want to cooperate."
Emily's specific type of CP, spastic quadriplegia, causes all of her muscles to be tight and have problems relaxing.
Drake works with her on stretching and exercises such as lying on the floor, bending her knees, getting on her hands and knees, sitting in a chair and kicking one leg at a time. They also spend a lot of time walking up and down the ramp at Emily's house.
"Emily has made steady progress," Drake said about the five years of therapy. But that progress began to plateau. With the possibility of hip surgery looming ahead, Emily's doctor in St. Louis suggested they try something new - horses.
Hippotherapy, taking the Greek word "hippos," meaning horse, uses horses to supplement more traditional therapies.
"The horse's movement and rhythm provides sensory input that gives people a chance to experience something that they may never encounter in a normal day," said Mary Neil, a licensed occupational therapist and certified therapeutic riding instructor who provides
hippotherapy at Horses of Hope in Buffalo.
Emily began riding at Horses of Hope a month ago. "I thought she'd be scared to death," said Emily's mother Angelia, "but she didn't want to get off the horse."
The first day Emily went to Horses of Hope, she used her walker to walk down the ramp, with continual encouragement not to cross her feet. After she got off the horse, she was able to walk without the reminders.
"It is like a miracle," Drake said. "To have seen her so long and know what she is capable of - it is just a miracle."
According to Neil, the movement of a horse is similar to that of the human body. The motion one feels when riding a horse imitates the muscle movement one experiences while walking. When riding, a person can develop muscle tone like they would if they were walking. By having riders change positions, Neil can custom design a program to help each individual rider.
Therapeutic horses do not wear saddles, but have blankets, allowing riders to feel the muscle movement as well as the warmth coming from the horse's body.
Riders at Horses of Hope wear helmets and are surrounded by volunteers to ensure their safety. One volunteer leads the horse while two others serve as side walkers, walking on each side of the rider.
Horses are specially chosen for their size and personality. Different horses can provide different types of therapy for the riders. Emily recently switched horses - from Lily to Sonny - in order to do what she calls "trick riding." Sonny, who is wider than Lily, provides the opportunity for Emily to ride on her hands and knees, something that she never could have done when she began the program.
On her first ride, Emily needed special pillows to prop her into a sitting position. According to Drake, after that first ride Emily was able to sit on her own.
Drake said that the horse provides extra motivation for Emily. Previously, movement like sitting up or standing on her own provided no interest for Emily, since it is so hard. Now that she has the opportunity to "trick ride," however, Emily has more of a reason to master those difficult tasks during her regular physical therapy sessions.
Motivation also comes in the form of another Horses of Hope rider, a boy named Marcus. Emily has watched him ride on his hands and knees and while standing and wants to do what he does.
"We are doing exactly the same things in physical therapy, but after her seven visits to Horses of Hope, we have accomplished what would usually take a year," Drake said.
Previous to seeing Marcus, Emily was able to stay on her hands and knees for three seconds at the most, Drake said. Now, she has worked up to 28. Emily is already asking when she will be able to ride on a horse while standing up.
Emily ended her session on Wednesday, April 26 by thanking Sonny. "It was very nice of him to let me ride," she told her mother while they headed out of the arena. Even though Lily is her favorite horse, she admitted that Sonny was "pretty neat."
Emily will begin kindergarten next year with a teacher who also has CP. Drake is hopeful that seeing a "big person" who has been able to overcome the same obstacles Emily faces will be even more of a motivation. Emily already has big plans for the future, though. She currently wants to be a firefighter when she grows up. |
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