Horses provide therapy for disabled kids

Josh Brown has been getting exercise in recent weeks in an unlikely place: on the back of a horse named Jack.

“I like being up high,” says the seven-year-old, who has become fast friends with his four-legged partner.

Brown, who has cerebral palsy, is one of 28 children currently registered in the Manitoba Riding for the Disabled Association’s therapeutic riding program.

The MRDA was founded in 1977, and offers programs for children with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities.

It may not be obvious to the untrained eye, but a horse’s movements while walking closely simulate the motions a human would make. Sitting on a moving horse stimulates the same joints people use to walk.

“We’ve had kids graduate from our program who are able to move a lot easier than before they came,” says MRDA executive director Peter Manastyrsky.

Each child teams up with three volunteers — a leader who handles the horse, and two sidewalkers who make sure the rider is secure — as they go through basic horsemanship training. Eventually the children can learn how to control the horses with their legs or the reins.

“As far as (the kids) know, they’re the ones leading the team,” says Graham Curnew, an instructor with MRDA for 17 years.

Curnew says his biggest thrills come from seeing the boost in confidence many of the kids experience.

“When they go to school, they say to the other kids, ‘I can ride a horse,’” he says.

Josh’s mom, Rena Lawrence-Brown, says the program was recommended to her by a physiotherapist who said horseback riding was one of the best ways for Josh to develop his core strength after undergoing surgery.

“He seems to be quite naturally fitted with it,” says Lawrence-Brown. “He looks forward to coming every week.”

Angela Romanyshyn is an occupational therapist who volunteers her time to work with MRDA. She says the program is highly successful because it doesn’t seem like therapy to the kids.

“They don’t realize how hard they’re working,” she says.

This spring’s session is the first for the MRDA at its new home, Copall Equestrian Centre, south of the city on Waverley Street.

Shawn Charriere, the manager of the centre, says his staff began selecting and training horses for the program well in advance.

“We worked with the horses to get them used to the different mounting system,” he says. “We’re not scared to do the extra work to make things easier for (MRDA).”

The MRDA runs two sessions each year — one in the spring and one in the fall — that consist of 10 Tuesday or Thursday nights on the horses. Children ranging from six to 12 years old can apply and, after an individual assessment, may end up on the waiting list for a spot in the program. Fifteen kids are currently on the list.

Participants can register for up to seven sessions, which each cost $200. This fee doesn’t come close to covering the costs associated with running the program, Manastyrsky says.

“We solely rely on fundraising and getting personal and corporate donations,” he says, adding that the organization would add another night to its schedule if it could secure government funding.

The organization will be holding a fundraiser at Assiniboia Downs on June 1. For more information on that event, or on MRDA’s programs, visit www.mrda.cc.