Equine therapy helps clients put their best hoof forward

Medicine isn't the cure for every ailment. Sometimes the solution has hoofs and a long nose.

Instructor Leigh Ann Statler helps Kimberly Keller, 13, mount Rose during a lesson May 6 at Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge. (Adam Vogler)

Equine assisted therapy helps children and adults better recover from or cope with health problems or social disorders through therapeutic riding. The exercise helps build physical strength and flexibility while working on communication skills.

At Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge, instructors and volunteers serve riders ages 4 and up. Their oldest rider is 73.

For those who have suffered a stroke, horseback riding helps improve balance and core strength. A 30-minute ride is equal to a 30-minute walk and exercises the same muscles, making it a great workout for people in wheelchairs, said instructor Leigh Ann Statler.

But each rider has different needs. Some have been diagnosed with autism or similar social and developmental disorders. As they attend sessions, Statler said the goal is to encourage them to speak by giving the horses commands and to help them connect with the horses.

"It offers a connection and control for someone that doesn't maybe have a lot of control in other aspects of their life," she said. "The riders form a bond with these animals."

Instructor Leigh Ann Statler, right, and volunteer Emily Callanan help Maggie Crowe, 6, mount Muchie during a lesson May 6 at Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge. Maggie, who is developmentally delayed, is using the therapy to improve her core strength, balance, speech and socialization skills. (Adam Vogler)

Equine therapy also boosts self-esteem, as riders gain more confidence in their abilities to control such a large animal.

Before the actual riding begins, an evaluation is conducted for each rider. The instructor goes through a series of questions to find out more about routines, medical conditions and ability to follow one-step directions, which determine whether the person can safely follow them in lessons. The evaluation also encourages riders or their families to set physical or cognitive goals that could be achieved by the therapy.

Most riders have little or no experience with horses before their first lesson, said Statler, and some need more ground work before they're ready to mount. To help them become more comfortable, the riders either step onto the mounting block or go up the mounting ramp, where they can get close to the horse to better prepare themselves for the next step.

Once they're in the saddle, riders are accompanied by three volunteers. On either side is a "side-walker" who helps the rider stay balanced, and to the front is a horse leader, focused solely on the animal. Instructors also participate in the lessons, either working one-on-one with individual riders or working with a small group.

The instructors and the facility are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, said program director Mary Ann Mann said. Safety and quality are priorities in each lesson.

Maggie Crowe, 6, rides Muchie with the help of volunteers Emily Callanan, Garrett Sprenger and Sara Flieg during a lesson May 6 at Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge. Maggie, who is developmentally delayed, is using the therapy to improve her core strength, balance, speech and socialization skills. (Adam Vogler)

"It's a great thing for the community to have available to them," she said.

Most new riders are directed to Mississippi Valley via word of mouth, but local medical facilities also refer patients who might benefit from the therapy.

"Some riders reach certain goals and go as far as they can, then move on to another therapy," Mann said. "But many of our riders have been with us for years and years."

Maggie Crowe, a 6-year-old rider from Jackson, has attended lessons for two years.

At one of her last lessons of the season, before the barn doors closed for a rest through the heat of summer, she mounted her horse to begin her stretches. Side-walkers held her steady while a third volunteer guided her horse in a circle as she performed the airplane, roller coaster and Superman stretches.

After the warm-up, the games began. Maggie had to lead her horse back and forth between two barrels, each with a small pail perched on top. Volunteers would lift up one pail filled with water as she stretched over to submerge a dry sponge; next, she had to ride to the second barrel to try to fill an empty pail with the water squeezed from the sponge.

Alex Shrimplin, 4, rides Lil Bit during a lesson May 6 at Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge. (Adam Vogler)

She also had to communicate with her horse throughout the game, giving him commands like "whoa" to stop at each barrel.

Although Maggie spent the whole time stretching both sides of her body and working muscles in her arms and legs, she never complained about the work.

"They're not even thinking about the physical work they're putting into it because they're playing a game," Mann said. "And that's what's amazing."

Maggie's mother, Jenny Crowe, watched her daughter through a large glass window in the parent viewing area. She said the therapy has been a great help to Maggie -- who was diagnosed with a developmental delay -- by strengthening her core and communication skills.

"It's improved her balance and really helped with her speech," Crowe said.

Alen and Connie Keller watch their daughter, Kimberly, ride Rose during a lesson May 6 at Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge. (Adam Vogler)

Crowe first heard about Mississippi Valley through a local rehabilitation center. It didn't take long before she was noticing the difference it made for Maggie.

"Even relatives and therapists are surprised at how much she's improved," she said.

The therapy also helped introduce Maggie to a new favorite hobby.

"I hope she's able to ride on her own someday," Crowe said. "She really, really loves horseback riding."

Those interested in learning more about Mississippi Valley may call 573-788-2100 or visit semohorsetherapy.org.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Kimberly Keller, 13, rides Rose during a lesson May 6 at Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Oak Ridge. (Adam Vogler)

15093 Route D, Oak Ridge, Mo.