Buckboard Therapeutic Riding Academy

Therapeutic horseback riding for disabled persons first began in Europe over sixty years ago. It found its way to the United States in the 1940’s. There are two forms of horseback riding that can be utilized. The form that Buckboard uses, Therapeutic Riding, is the use of horses for any combination of recreation, education, and medical therapy for people with disabilities.

There are many different riding positions and activities that are used in therapy riding in an effort to help the rider reach maximum physical and mental rehabilitation. Some of the different positions include: riding sitting upright both forward and backward; laying down with the rider’s abdomen connecting with the horse’s back; and laying down with the rider’s arms and head on one side and legs on the other. These positions stimulate circulation throughout the body, assist in building muscle tone, relax tight muscles, and develop improved balance. Other activities include: several different arm positions while riding both frontward and backward, which helps balance and also stretches tight muscles; games using rings and balls, which improve hand/eye coordination, balance, and muscle tone, as well as stretching the different muscles; activities requiring the riders to follow instructions placing rings and balls in different boxes or on different colored poles improve concentration and promote improved memory.; and group games build social skills and sportsmanship. These are just a sampling of positions and activities that are utilized in Therapeutic Riding.

The riders enjoy benefits physically, psychologically, behaviorally, and cognitively. They develop increased social interaction, abstract learning, better self-awareness, improved functional mobility, posture, and balance. “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” This quote from President Ronald Reagan helps explain why therapy riding provides so many benefits. A horse’s muscular movements are similar to those of a person. This motion and the warmth of the horse connecting with the rider’s muscles are the building blocks to physical and mental rehabilitation. Horseback riding also has a calming affect, which helps the rider to relax. Often handicapped people are forced to look up at the non-handicapped; being on a horseback allows them to have the opportunity to look down. They develop a personal sense of satisfaction from being able to engage in an activity that very few handicapped people get the opportunity to do. Riding has been proven effective as recreational therapy in the treatment of the following:

A session at Buckboard begins with the riders developing a bond with the horse through brushing and talking to him, saddling their horse with a special therapy saddle, and going through the different therapy activities mentioned above. Each rider is required to wear a gate belt and a helmet for safety purposes. They mount their horse from the ground or with the assistance of a ramp or steps, depending on the specific disability. Each rider also has the assistance of three side walkers. One side walker leads the horse, while the other two position themselves on either side of the rider to assist them with their activities and with staying on the horse. The instructor, with the assistance of a therapist, develops a program to meet the needs of each rider and guides them through their activities during each session. The instructor must be aware of the condition of each rider during her or his session and recognize when the rider’s condition changes and adjust the program accordingly. At the end of each session, the rider unsaddles the horse, brushes him down, and gives him a treat. If they are able to so, they then put him back in his stall.

The horses used for therapy riding are usually older horses of medium size. They must be trained to stand beside a ramp or steps, to stand quietly if the rider screams, has a seizure, flails their arms or legs, or hits them. They must also learn the patterns used in therapy riding such as a figure-eight, weaving, circles, and zig-zags. They must tolerate the aforementioned activities with the different balls and rings. They must also be able to walk, trot, and canter at an even pace with the side-walkers.

Teachers, therapists, hospitals, social services, families, and friends refer clients to Buckboard. They may ride in a private session or in a group of no more than four riders. During the 2008 Riding Season, Buckboard Assisted 102 riders (including 11 new riders) with the assistance of 42 volunteers. Volunteer hours totaled nearly 4,920.

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