The lore of riding in the saddle - authors write about it, poets memorialize it, cowboys live it, and now thanks to a riding program the handicapped can experience it, but in a way that goes beyond just a ride.
At the Sky High Arena just north east of Corvallis, Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding instructors, therapists, and riding volunteers create a team of support for children and adults with special needs allowing them to ride a horse. Having fun is a big priority and therapy is mixed in with the fun so they are doing the stretching, moving and balancing exercises they need willingly.
There is another connection that touches the hearts and inner workings of the riders.
"The magic that I've seen between the horses and riders is almost indescribable sometimes," said Ann Hardenberg, Equine Coordinator for the BRT. "Suddenly they can move, when they can't on the ground. They're moving on a big animal - they're controlling a big animal. When in a lot of areas of their lives they don't have a lot of control. Equine therapy is creating results that regular therapy cannot."
Jennifer Mitchell is the mother of two children that take Bitterroot Therapy Riding. Emma, 5, and Aksel, 4, have central nervous system sensory overload issues and autism.
"If you looked at the sun, wore an itchy wool sweater, heard a car backfire and sucked on a sour lemon all at the same time you'd experience the sensory overload they experience every moment of the day," says Mitchell. "Their normal existence is continual flight or fight mode."
Mitchell believes that riding the horses is therapy that calms them.
"It calms their nervous system down and they can function," she says. "It affects every aspect of their lives. Combing their hair, brushing their teeth, buckling them in to a car seat - every sensory thing we do together is better for a whole week after a session of riding therapy. They can laugh and smile and are able to enjoy childhood. And we can enjoy parenthood."
"[Winston Churchill] said ‘There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man', but it's nothing compared to what a horse can do to a mother's hope," added Mitchell.
The Mitchell family is just one example of the success of the Bitterroot Riding Therapy program. Brain injury sufferers, the Kids First program, and many physically or emotionally handicapped children and adults ride and do therapy.
Deciding she needed to "give something back" to society Linda Olson, Program Director and ranch owner, developed Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding.
"One day some people brought a three year old child over to ride and we placed her upon the horse and I knew - the look on her face told me what I was supposed to do," Olson said. "I saw the challenged child and the connection between this horse and she and began to wonder how I could create this for other individuals."
Providing access to horses that are gentle and sweet spirited was the answer.
"Out of twenty horses that I consider for our program I might be able to take one," said Olsen. "Horses don't normally accept someone on them that twitches with palsy or tics. It takes special - accepting horses."
Time with these great creatures creates an opportunity unlike any other.
"Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding is a medically coordinated program for adults and children," said Olson. "Our NARHA [North American Riding for the Handicapped Association] certified instructors teach stimulating classes focusing on rider specific goals. The team works closely with the medical community, parents, case workers, and volunteers to create a program for each student."
"I think it is a great, great organization," said Steve Benedict, past member of the Board of Directors of BTR. "It is so heartwarming to see a child that is so much in their shell that you can't even get them to talk or to focus or to look at you, yet on a horse and it seems that the cares of the world completely fall away. Something like that makes this whole program a miracle."
"We need it and we're lucky to have it in the Bitterroot Valley," said Mitchell. "There are a lot of therapies out there and this is the best of the best."
The Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding objective: "We are dedicated to providing a place unique in its ability to champion those who need a voice, a touch, and access to knowledge that will change how they experience their lives."
Horses and people are still a great combination.
For more information contact Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding, 599 Popham Lane, Corvallis. Call: (406) 961-2999, email: btr@bitterrootriding.org or website: http://www.bitterrootriding.org/
- Michelle McConnaha reporting from kpax.com
