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April 24, 2001
By Janelle Holden Transforming lives through the simple movement of a horse and the loving hand of a child is part of the mission of a new Cortez not-for-profit corporation. Starting May 5, the Medicine Horse Center, formerly known as Cadence Cortez, plans to offer therapeutic riding and equine rehabilitation for the disabled, youth at risk, and even horses in need of a little tender loving care. "We’re still working with handicapped children and adults in therapeutic riding. But we’re also working with local organizations to develop a program for youth at risk," explained Lynn Howarth, the assistant program director for the center. Participants in the center’s four, five-week sessions learn to ride on the center’s trained horses with certified trainers and dedicated volunteers at their side. "Our horses are extremely calm," explained Howarth. "That’s what is needed, because things happen. They’re live animals." New participants are evaluated by a therapist before starting the sessions. Susan Dees, the program director, is certified through the North American Riding for Handicapped Instruction Association. Howarth, who formerly worked at a therapeutic-riding center in California, described an autistic child she worked with who rarely smiled. But after one particularly good riding session, she smiled and gave her horse a hug — bringing tears to her parents’ eyes. "This was a very serious child with some serious emotional complications that just had this momentary breakthrough that was amazing for that family, and if that’s the only breakthrough she had for the next number of years, it was enough for them to hang on to," said Howarth. "It’s one of the typical breakthroughs that can be made, whether it’s a physical breakthrough or an emotional breakthrough. The horses are right there doing it time and time again," she said. Volunteers can serve in a variety of ways. The center needs side-walkers and leaders for the horses, stable managers, fundraisers, transporters, horse exercisers, and others. Interested volunteers should attend a training session on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the center’s home: 24000 County Road L, Cortez. Please call Susan Dees at 565-7588 for further details, or Lynn Howarth at 882-4081. The center is offering sessions on Saturdays for five weeks beginning May 5. Some scholarships are available for riders. |
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
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