“Nice job, Lydia!” I said, as the five-year-old vigorously kicked the horse. “Make him walk!”
Lydia Miller of Haverhill, MA, has ligament laxity,
a condition caused by a weakening of the ligaments in her joints. “As a
toddler, she fell a lot,” her mother, Darlene, explained. “She needs
physical therapy, and horseback riding is one of the best things she
can do to stretch out and strengthen those muscles.”
Lydia, who is a joy to teach, brings other
challenges to me, however. For she has been diagnosed with ADHD. And as
her teacher, I have found working with horses – large and strong
animals that take such extraordinary focus – augments a child's ability
to concentrate.
Working with horses is highly therapeutic. Health
care professionals should be aware of the value horses bring not only
to those with physical challenges, but also to those with conditions
like anxiety depression.
I discovered the value of riding in 1982 when my
wife took me for a birthday surprise, which turned out to be a trail
ride. I had never considered a horse's value beyond racing. At the
time, I was public school teaching, having accumulated one graduate
degree after the other.
Each day, I anxiously awaited the end of school,
sometimes changing into my boots and breeches at the end of the school
day to save time when I got home. I wanted to jump on my horse and ride
those trials. My mind cleared, often giving me the strength to face
another day at school, which taxed my mental attitude to the breaking
point each day by 2 p.m.
First, the enormous strength the horses have gave me
a heightened sense of awareness, helping me to refocus my energies away
from the difficulties of my work as a teacher. Horses are highly
sensitive creatures and a rider must always be alert to the possible
catastrophe waiting around the bend in the form of a dog, a biker, a
racoon, or a sudden gust of wind, which can send the horse into a
startle – and send you on your posterior or worse.
This heightened sense of awareness helps people
focus away from themselves. This is highly useful, for example, for
those who cannot seem to look beyond themselves.
Secondly, working with horses helps one develop
their intuitive side, for horses are highly responsive creatures whose
natures force us to carefully “read” them if we want to understand
them.
Horses read our moods, as well. The anxious
individual not only gives off physical signs of worry, but releases
hormones that horses detect. Those prone to anxiety who work with a
calm, well-trained horse, mimic the horses behavior. Those with anxiety
disorders, when paired with the correct horse, are able to reach a
heightened sense of calmness.
Riding, being highly individualistic, also helps
those who are uncomfortable in situations that are over-stimulating.
Someone who won't step into a mall, a supermarket, or arcade will
easily mix in the quiet serenity of a horse stable.
Mental health professionals, physical therapists,
and pediatricians should bear in mind the value of working with horses,
as they seek remedies for both physical and behavioral challenges.
Today, there are many equestrian centers, riding academies, and stables
offering some level of therapeutic work with their horses.
It's an opportunity not to be overlooked.
(A note regarding this article's title: Horses are frequently given
away free to good homes. If you look at its teeth a trained person can
tell the age. So, when given a free horse, don't look in the mouth. For
it might be much older than you were told. The idiom came to mean that
when given any gift, accept it graciously even if it isn't quite what
you want.)
Michael Veves, a former public school teacher – along with his wife
Marianne Dunsford – have given nearly 20,000 riding lessons at Pear
Tree Lane Stable in Haverhill, MA. They have worked with thousands of
children and adults with various challenges. They can be reached at
(978) 521-1505 or through their web site:
www.peartreelanestable.netfirms.com.
