Riding for a Reason: Sharing the Benefits and the Joy by Justin Cerra
For just about seven years, in a small town just south of Missoula, a little organization with a big heart has been improving the lives of handicapped adults and children with great success.
Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding in Corvallis, Mont, a non-profit organization headed by Linda Olson, is a member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, and currently has 50 students enrolled and riding, said Olson.
The operating motto of Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding is, “Sharing the Benefits and the Joy,” which encapsulates the goals of the program.
The first focus of the staff at Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding is for the students to have fun. Not only does this allow the students to have the desire to return for their hour-long riding sessions as often as possible, but it adds the extra benefits of the therapy taking place without the student knowing.
When riding, a horse’s muscle movement mimics those movements of a human while they are walking, said Joan Scheffer, trainer at Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding. This motion, when a handicapped person is riding a horse, then allows them to work muscles that they cannot work due to their specific handicap. Thus, therapeutic riding can be beneficial for those suffering from such physical handicaps as; Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, Brain Injuries, Spinal Cord Injuries, Amputations, and Cardiovascular accidents or Strokes among other ailments, she said.
An additional benefit students receive at Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding is close and personal connections they can make with the staff, volunteers and the horses. By developing such bonds with new people and animals, therapeutic riding can help those with such disabilities as; Down Syndrome, Mental Retardation, Autism, Emotional Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Attention Deficit Disorder among other ailments, said Sheffer.
Sequoia Fitzpatrick, who has been riding for four months now and is autistic, received immediate benefits after her very first ride, said her Mother, Jennifer Fitzpatrick.
“She took a two-hour nap after her first ride, the riding motion helps to calm her down. She had never taken a nap before that first day,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve also noticed that she sleeps much better the night after her riding.”
For just a little over a year, Joan Sheffer has been the trainer on staff at Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding. She used to be in the medical field as an RN Instructor and has lots of experience with people with disabilities.
“Autistic kids do really well interacting with the animals. The kids will talk about riding when they’re not here, and the riding really calms them down,” said Sheffer.
McKell Craft was diagnosed as moderately to severely autistic at a very young age. Her mother Irene Craft believes that her daughter is now highly functioning in part because of her three-years riding experience at Bitterroot Therapeutic Riding.
“Her self-confidence went through the roof,” said Irene Craft. “It is something unique and scary, and the kids realize they can do it. After two lessons she just stopped and relaxed. It was the first time she really started talking to me. It’s physical therapy without them realizing it.”