Healing From Horses

Frank Madden said recently of the horse, "They are mystical animals and they become so adaptive to whatever situation you put them in.  They spoil us and they allow us to become victims of their nobility - to the point where we take them for granted."  For me, being around horses daily for most of my life, they are a part of who I am like my hand or my face.  Sometimes it takes seeing them through someone else’s eyes to step back and see how they affect and transform me and others.

I was blessed to see horses anew once again through a young man named Kaiden who just turned thirteen January 27th.  Riding horses is one of Kaiden’s favorite pastimes and what propels him out of bed on Saturday mornings.  He started riding in Michigan years ago and has been able to start up again recently with Christina Mowry at Richmond Hill Farm in Conifer.  Christina holds two Bachelor Degrees in Equine Science and Agricultural Business from Colorado State University.   Her love for Therapeutic Riding began in 2000 when her and her mom Sharon heard about the Easter Seals Camp Horse Program in Empire needing some care.  Her mom used her fundraising know how and they raised the money to get the program into shape.  Once the horse program was set up, Christina worked as a volunteer for four years.  She then moved into the position of horse program director for four more years while in college.  Today Christina works for a local program that works with at risk kids, while she is building her own program for Therapeutic Riding in the mountain area called Trail Creek Ranch.  While some of her clients are private individuals, others are part of the Evergreen Park and Recreation District program.

Christina is a Certified Instructor with NARHA, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association which is the main governing body for Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies, EAAT.  EAAT includes Therapeutic Riding, Therapeutic Carriage Driving, Interactive Vaulting, Equine Facilitated Learning and Mental Health, Ground Work, Stable Management and NARHA Horses for Heroes (specifically to help war veterans and military personnel).  Christina’s favorite part of teaching is “the smile.  Once I was with the kids and I saw how the horses made their day - that is what I do it for.  I just love to make them smile.  That means a lot to me.”

Kaiden’s lesson on this day was taken on Diamond, an eighteen year old Quarter Horse.  The lesson was made up of an hour of exercises and games from horseback, which included a maze, weaving through cones, roping, carrying rings to other parts of the arena on Diamond’s ears or Kaiden’s toes, playing some ball, walking, trotting, and backing.  Kaiden’s smile and enjoyment was absolutely infectious and I can see why that smile can make Christina’s job so rewarding.  Being around horses and riding has so many benefits for people with or without special needs.   Some of those benefits include improving balance, core strength, relaxation, muscle strength, flexibility, non-verbal communication, self-esteem and self-confidence.  One client of Christina’s with muscle tension and tightness caused by Cerebral Palsy said she had never been so loose than after being on a horse.  The rhythm of the horse also gives people who are not able to be out of a wheelchair the opportunity to feel what it is like to have legs and to feel a rhythmic gate similar to that of a person.  

In 2009, NARHA had 782 center members, 3,516 Certified Instructors and 6,305 equines that serve over 40,300 children and adults.  A sample of the special needs served include Autism, learning disabilities, Down’s Syndrome, brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis, ADD, amputee, spinal cord injury, weight disorders, emotional or behavioral Disorders, substance abuse, etc.  Health Professionals that work with NARHA Centers include Social Workers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Medical Doctors and Registered Nurses.

Therapeutic Riding is just one type of Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy that is tapping into the horses complex well of healing waters.  In our penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, prisoners have a program to start Mustangs under saddle to later be sold to adoptive homes.  The addition of horses to prison settings appears to improve behavior of inmates and help reduce recidivism after they leave.  Interestingly, recent studies using heart monitors show that the heart beat of a human around a horse, will align with that of the horse. 

We all have our own ‘special needs’ and if we allow, can be transformed for the better by becoming ‘victims’ of the horses nobility. 

“The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.”
- Arabian proverb

For more information go to www.narha.org or contact Christina at 720-289-6026 or trailkreekranch@gmail.com.

Copyright 2011 Heather McWilliams.  Questions or Comments?  Let me hear from you!  Do you know someone or something in our horse community you want to know more about?  Give me your suggestions at heather@coloradocorral.com.  To learn more about our local horse community go to www.coloradocorral.com.