Community
Special People United To Ride
Therapeutic
Horseback
Riding for
Individuals
with
Disabilities
Written By:
Liz Haenchen
I can find a safe haven at the
ndividuals with disabilities
Sunnyside Equestrian Center,
home of the SPUR sponsored
therapeutic riding program,
where limitations are replaced by
the freedom of riding and handling a horse. Through equestrian activities, students work to
improve self-esteem, social skills,
balance, muscle tone, posture,
and much more.
Special People United to
Ride, the Monmouth County
Park System’s therapeutic horseback riding program, began in
the late 1970s with a modest
combination of borrowed horses
and enthusiastic volunteers. In
2011 SPUR will be celebrat-
ing 30 years in operation with
multiple program offerings, 16
specially trained therapy horses
and over 100 students.
Riding a horse provides a
variety of physical, emotional,
and psychological stimuli. The
movement of the horse’s pelvis
at the walk is similar to that of
a human, allowing a rider with
a physical limitation to experience normal pelvic movement
and trunk rotation. The psychological and emotional benefits
are often reflected in increased
self-esteem and improved social
skills. A student’s self-worth, selfconfidence, and self-image can
genuinely improve with just one
half-hour riding lesson.
Halie Palmer, diagnosed one
year ago with a brain tumor,
completed her first eight-week
session of SPUR private lessons
in February. During her 30
minute lessons Halie haslearned
to maintain her balance and steer
her horse. “She loves it! She talks
about horses all the time,” shared
her mother, Dana Palmer. “She
has come a long way. It has been
great core strengthening for her.
Even her therapists have noticed
the difference.”
“Halie doesn’t say too much.
She works hard during her lessons.” said her instructor, Alex
Kalman. “Although I am Halie’s
instructor, I have learned more
from her than I could ever hope
to teach her. I teach therapeutic
riding. Halie teaches courage and
the joy of living.”
In addition to private lessons,
the ARIES (Advanced Riders
Melanie Luebs with therapy horse ARIES.
The County Woman Magazine
and Independent Equestrians of
SPUR) program offers one hour
group lessons designed to benefit students whose main goal is
independent riding. “Group lessons offer some unique benefits
that the individual SPUR lessons
do not – they get to socialize/
interact with other riders on
horseback; they get to watch
each other, which can be incredibly helpful when learning a new
skill or position,” said instructor
Tara Dunford.
Siblings Scott and Melissa
VanClief ride together in the
ARIES class. They share a love
of horses and an appreciation
for the ability to be around
them and to ride them. “I like
to be around the horses and pet
them. It’s good that you can
ride and feel like you are free,”
said Melissa. Scott added, “It’s
good that you get to ride and
be responsible for your horse. I
like to take care of my horse, like
tacking and grooming, and make
sure he is okay.”
The newest program, SPUR
Horses for Heroes, provides
equine activities to active duty
or reserve military members
and veterans with disabilities.
The program works with a wide
range of special needs, including
but not limited to, amputations,
traumatic brain injury, and post
traumatic stress disorder. One
of the first participants, SGT
Kenny Sunada, shared, “I was
put into treatment for PTSD
and although my treatment is
going well, it requires several
different types of medication
and the side effects that go along
with them. I feel better around
Blue [the therapy horse] than
any amount of medication has
made me feel.”
In order to run these and
other programs over 100 specially trained volunteers help with
programs every year. Training
workshops are held throughout
the year for those ages 14 and
over with and without horse
experience.
Operated by the Monmouth
County Park System, Sunnyside
Equestrian Center is located on
Middletown-Lincroft Road in
Middletown, New Jersey. It is
part of the 135 acre Sunnyside
Recreation Area and features
an 18-stall stable, an outdoor
instructional ring, and an 80’ x
200’ indoor arena, and a waiting
area with large observation windows looking into the
indoor arena.
For more information about
SPUR and its programs or
volunteering please visit
www.spuronline.org or call
732-224-1367.
Left to Right: Cindy Ross, Instructor/Stable Manager, Specialist John
Jenkins, Therapy horse Blue, SGT Kenny Sunata, Liz Haenchen,
Head Instructor.
ARIES riders Left to Right: Scott VanClief on Blue, Melissa VanClief on Indy and Jessica Viverito on Halik.
57
March/April 2010