| “This program puts people on horses who probably would never have a chance to be on a horse. Being on horseback provides them both the therapy for their physical condition and improved self-esteem, and they just love it. It’s a chance for a person who has always been looked down on, particularly those in wheelchairs, to be higher than somebody for the first time in his or her life.”
That’s Melodee Hanson, 4-H Program Assistant for Chelan/Douglas counties, talking about the “Spurs and Spokes” program, which provides handicapped individuals a chance to ride horses and horse-drawn carriages.
Hanson says the therapy provided by this program is similar in some ways to the therapy provided to people by dogs or cats, that of loving an animal. But there’s also a type of therapy that happens with a horse that can’t be duplicated in any other way, says Hanson, “A horse has a natural movement that is similar to walking. Riding a horse uses muscles he or she normally wouldn’t use because they can’t walk.”
The local 4-H horse club decided they wanted to have a service project and went to the State 4-H Foundation with the idea of a therapeutic riding program. After securing this grant, they added one from the Dr. Scholl’s Foundation. They parlayed these two grants into additional funding from local service clubs and hold an annual “Ride-a-Thon” fundraiser where able-bodied riders get donations for the miles they ride. On an average this event raises about $5000, which is what it takes to run the program for one year. The program started out with a pilot group of 9 students and the next fall added 9 more. The following summer they expanded to add 18 more students and now have 36-40 riders in the summer program.
What are some of the results of the program for handicapped individuals? Hanson cites one that sticks in her mind. “Christy came to us when she was 13 years old. She has cerebral palsy. She had never walked. In her wheelchair, she had to be strapped up to hold her shoulders in the wheelchair, otherwise she just fell over. We put her on horseback and she rode the first night with the side walkers holding her upright. After 6 weeks of riding with 6 hours in the saddle, she was able to sit upright, both on the horse and in a wheelchair without a strap.” She told her mother, “I don’t need those straps anymore, I’ll sit up straight like I sit up on Bo (her horse).”
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