Health Education Internship Journal

2/02/01           Today was my introduction to the Strides Therapeutic Riding Program.  The ranch is beautiful and very spacious.  After a while, I almost forgot that I was in the middle of a bustling city.  Nora Fischbach, the program director, was very welcoming and she gave me a tour of the facility.  I was told that there are 10 horses that are used by Strides and all of them are very well trained.  I look forward to seeing them at “work”.  I have lived around horses for about 12 years, so I am comfortable with them.  However, I have never been so involved with them and I have a lot to learn.  The other interns were very busy, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to them. I was only there for a couple hours, so it is difficult for me to assess how I feel about my place of internship.  But, I am truly excited about the prospect of being outdoors, while fulfilling my required hours. 

I did a ton of side-walking today!  I helped with four lessons today and I also had to tack up three horses (I’m still trying to get the hang of this).  The riders I walked with today were Dina, Neil, Joel, and Sammy.  The interesting thing about these riders is that they all have some form of cerebral palsy, yet they are all very different.  Dina and Joel are very self-sufficient, whereas Neil and Sammy need a great deal of attention and care.  Dina is a woman who is very capable and independent, but who has trouble with anxiety while she’s on the horse.  She tends to get very scared when the horse does not listen to her and she is frequently asking for help from the side-walkers.  I think she is afraid of falling, which is understandable since she does not have full control over the bottom half of her body due to her disability.  It will be nice to observe her progress in the coming weeks.  Joel is a very fun-loving child and he adores riding.  Today he informed us that he is a Canadian Mounty, in his usual delightful way.  Joel has very poor vision, but he can make out most colors and shapes.  Fortunately, he doesn’t let this obstacle stop him from riding. He is an excellent turner and is even starting to post.  Neil and Sammy, on the other hand, can be very difficult.  They have trouble taking direction and get upset very easily.  Unfortunately, Neil has an allergic reaction when he gets too close to horse hair, so his eyes started turning a little red by the end of the lesson.  Sammy got very annoyed when he wasn’t allowed to do what he wanted and refused to do many of the things that were asked of him.  He started acting a bit better by the end when he figured out that he wasn’t going to be given a sticker if he didn’t do as Nora asked.
 Overall, today was exhausting, but a good experience. I’m sure I will get used to the schedule, but it does take a lot out of you. Thank goodness the weather is pretty good— cloudy.  I’m not looking forward to the heat.

2/12/01           No lessons at the ranch today—it was raining! Instead, I went to my preceptor’s home and worked on the Accreditation Standards for the program.  Basically, I went over the new accreditation information issued by NARHA and made the appropriate changes on the old information.  It wasn’t challenging, but it allowed me to become familiar with the program and the goings on behind the scenes. I had no idea how much work was involved in operating a therapeutic riding center.  Now I am aware of the many requirements that a program must meet in order to be accredited, which is very important if you want your program to be respected and appear credible. Nora has gone to great lengths to try and meet all of NARHA’s standards and takes pride in the high rating that Strides earned last year.  I hope to learn a lot about program planning, fundraising, etc. from this internship and I think I will.