STRIDES Therapeutic Riding: Therapeutic riding for the disabled.

Bridgett 's Diary Page 4

3/22/01 We were very busy today, but luckily Harvey and Kathy (volunteers) were helping out. Both of these individuals are great people. Harvey volunteers almost every Friday and Kathy comes by at least one day per week, usually Friday also. Harvey works really well with the horses, so he leads the horses during many of the lessons. We can always count on Kathy to bring some pretzels, chips and salsa, or cookies to Working on balance brighten our day. These volunteers mean a lot to Strides because they cannot afford to have paid employees. They rely on people volunteering their time for a worthy cause. Without them, there would be no Strides. Nora and Nichole greatly appreciate their volunteers and always make them feel welcome. They know that it is not always easy for people to donate their time and sometimes the extremely hot conditions make it pretty miserable.

3/26/01 Today was a very relaxed day. We had a couple cancellations, so we got to relax and enjoy the peacefulness of the ranch. The horses were put into the turn-outs and were groomed. We also played a horse-related board game with one of the riders because she was too tired to ride. It was a lot of fun.

3/27/01 It was busy, busy, busy today. We had riders from the beginning of the day until the end. I had to eat my lunch on the run because I was constantly side-walking or leading during a lesson. Whew! But, it was actually nice that it was so busy because the day flew by. I think it also seemed crazier because there were only two volunteers and two instructors. Usually, when there are a couple more volunteers, we can rest for a little while because we are taking turns. It’s OK, though. I need the

3/30/01 It was a pretty typical day at the ranch. I side-walked with David, Ezra, and Nikki today. David, who is 5 years old, did very well with listening today and really enjoyed riding Cinnamon Maneuvering the jumps

with his new cowboy boots. Ezra, however, was having problems sitting up straight. We have been working on this a lot and he has been improving greatly, but today was a lazy day for him. He still manages to crack me up, though. Nikki, who has ADD was also having a bad day and was not listening to the instructor or the side-walkers. She failed to stop and start her horse when asked and had trouble making eye contact with the person speaking to her. Nikki repeatedly asked if she could color the horse with chalk and continued to ask despite being told “no”. I think she may have been acting this way because her grandfather was there. Toward the end of the lesson, Nikki’s behavior was improving and she managed to successfully dismount from her horse without incident.

3/31/01 Today was an interesting day because it was the first Saturday that I have worked at the ranch. There were many more volunteers and many more riders. It was fun to see how multiple riders were given a lesson at the same time. The techniques used in these lessons were a bit different from those used in the one-rider lessons. I think the participants enjoyed working together and sometimes competing against each other. Since they were pre-occupied with winning, they didn’t notice that they were actually learning and receiving therapy in the process. I suppose that that is one of the great advantages to equine-assisted therapy.
Ezra came with his mom today and it was nice to watch her reaction to his great improvement. Usually his nanny, Julie, brings him, so this is the first time I have seen his mother. He is sitting up very well and he is able to keep his head still a lot longer while trotting. His mom was very impressed and was thrilled with his progress. Ezra still has problems remembering to swallow, but as we informed by Julie, he is reminded when you put your finger to your chin. This worked well and I think he appreciated that we were not verbally telling him to swallow, which prevented embarrassment.

4/2/01 Another intern and I started the day by cleaning out the tack rooms and volunteer area. They had been neglected far too long and looked much better and more organized when we were through. After doing a little spring cleaning, I side-walked with Nikki, who is doing much better. She was able to stay seated with her back fairly straight the majority of the time. Nikki was also having a great time—she was smiling and laughing! No tears like last week. I also helped with Dina’s lesson. She is still working on balancing her weight on the horse and keeping her back straight while turning and halting. She improved a little by the end of the lesson, but she will have to practice these skills much more in the following lessons.

4/3/01 Lessons with Sophie and Kim today. Both did an excellent job, although Sophie had to be reminded that she was not in charge. She likes standing on the horse and sometimes starts to go into the standing position without telling anyone. Sophie also likes to ride without her reins, but she is getting better at holding them when she is asked.
Kim is doing much better. We put a tennis ball on her right rein to prevent her hand from slipping. She doesn’t need one on the left rein because that side wasn’t affected by the brain tumor that was removed. Kim has a lot of courage and is definitely up for the challenge. She is turning the horse well and we are pleased with her progress. I cannot wait to see what her status is in a few months.

4/6/01 Dina and Ally had lessons today and I side-walked on both. Dina is doing much better, especially when there are no side-walkers with her. The instructors and I have noticed that she rides much better when there is no one with her because she is forced to do everything herself. I think she is more comfortable with the horse and she doesn’t panic as much when the horse tries to eat grass.
Ally was being very difficult today. I was in charge of her most of the time because Nichole has a broken ankle and cannot walk next to Ally for the whole lesson. So, Nichole would tell me how to instruct Ally as we walked around the arena. Needless to say, Ally took advantage of the fact that the usual authority figure was not around. She did not want to take directions from me and would keep repeating her desire to “color” the horse. I am a little disappointed in how the lesson transpired, but I am looking forward to the chance to try it again. I am willing to be patient with her in future lessons. I hope I will make a difference in her life.