BY ADELLE LARMOUR

Horses don’t judge, lie, or care about physical or emotional limitations. That is fundamental at Slate Creek Riding Academy and Therapy Centre (SCRATCH) near New Liskeard.

The fledgling riding school and therapeutic centre offers equine assisted activities and personal development for people of all ages, genders and abilities.

Historically, horses served man primarily as a means of transportation. However, therapeutic riding received more recognition in England during World War I when it was used as a way to motivate and rehabilitate convalescing soldiers.

SCRATCH owner and 40-year equestrian veteran Jennifer Carl sees the benefits of horse therapy.

“I think horses are magic because they help so many people on so many different levels,” she said.

As a qualified riding instructor and equine specialist, Jennifer continually upgrades her skills by participating in courses and workshops on natural horsemanship and therapeutic riding. She is also a member of CanTRA, the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association, a registered charity that has promoted the benefits of therapeutic riding throughout Canada since 1980.

Operated by Jennifer’s, 20-year-old daughter, Amanda Carl, and volunteer Carrie Ward, the 100-acre horse farm provides riding lessons and recreational activity, as well as Equine Assisted Personal Development (EAPD) and related therapies.

EAPD helps people develop personal skills like increased concentration, motivation and improved learning skills, and promotes emotional healing, self-confidence and a sense of achievement.

“The horse’s respect, trust and focus can only be earned when individuals learn to collaborate, be balanced, focused and have a heightened self-awareness,” said Jennifer, who currently has 14 horses on the farm.

Two forms of equine assisted activities employed are touch and hippotherapy.

Touch therapy is the hands-on aspect of grooming or petting the horse to promote calmness and reduce stress. Their miniature horse named Shinanigans is also used for touch therapy off site when visiting seniors at nursing homes and young children at learning centres.

Hippotherapy is the use of the rhythmic movement of a horse to provide input to multiple systems in the body to effect therapeutic gains, according to a recent Washington University School of Medicine study on the benefits of equine therapy. More specifically, the benefits are improved head and trunk stability and upper extremity function.

At SCRATCH, Matthew Doupe rides his horse Sundae and reaps the benefits of hippotherapy. Doupe, who fell ill from an immunization booster in his first year of life, wasn’t expected to live beyond his second birthday. Now, at age 17, and after eight operations on his lower extremities, he wears braces and uses a walker for mobility. He enjoys riding the horse and said it helps his balance and upper body strength.

“Riding Sundae really helps to keep my legs stretched, so they are very flexible when I’m done riding her,” he said. “We do all sorts of activities while I’m riding. It feels good to be able to have some freedom to steer her around. I get lots of fresh air and physical activity when I ride.”

His doctor approved of the exercise Doupe receives from riding as it prevents his legs from tightening up, gives him a sense of freedom and is excellent for his morale.

Children with disabilities who lack muscle tone, slouch, and have breathing problems, learn to sit up and develop good posture from riding. This, in turn, expands their chest and improves respiration.

On a weekly basis, SCRATCH welcomes a life-skills group of adults, some of whom have Down's syndrome.

Ann Caine, founder and executive director of registered charity Sunrise Therapeutic Riding & Learning Centre in Puslinch, Ontario, has seen first hand the benefits riding has had on children who have physical, developmental and emotional disabilities.

“It is great for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder because they often don’t want people in their space, but they’ll accept animals and animals will accept them,” she said. “Generally, it doesn’t matter what type of disability the person has. Horses are accepting, so it really raises the child’s self-esteem and confidence.”

Caine, whose thriving business has a waiting list, sees a lot of children with emotional problems who come from marginalized families with limited finances and a history of abuse. “Those children are the more disabled,” she said, adding that a two-week camp has an amazing effect on children who are able to get away from stressful households.

Jennifer also has observed similar scenarios at her farm.

“I think a lot of able-bodied people are disabled in a lot of ways,” she said. As a survivor of an abusive relationship in her first marriage, horses helped heal her emotional wounds. In turn, she wants to use the centre to help women who may be suffering a similar fate.

Caine said horses have been used for therapy in Canada for about 40 years, but it appears to be developing momentum. During CanTRA’s 28 years, it has gained 100-member centres across Canada, an indication of its burgeoning popularity.

Caine also stressed the importance of using certified instructors through CanTRA. Last year, Sunrise Therapeutic Riding & Learning Centre became one of four accredited centres.

“In five year’s time, we hope to have every centre in Canada accredited.”

Meanwhile, SCRATCH is a dream come true for Jennifer as she provides a safe, non-judgemental environment for those seeking a reprieve from the sometimes harsh reality of life

“A horse lives in the moment,” she said. “People would learn so much if they could be aware of every moment of their lives.”

www.scratch-on.com
www.cantra.ca
www.sunrise-therapeutic.ca