FORT GORDON, Ga. (Oct. 3, 2014) - Fort Gordon Hilltop Riding Stables offers Special Assistance Riding, or more frequently termed equine therapy. The program is called "Making Dreams Possible."
"Making Dreams Possible" started in August, and is offered twice a month on Tuesdays. The program is open to the public and reservations are required. "We will offer the scheduled day twice a month through appointments and a letter of instruction or a phone call giving the staff at Hilltop a path to follow," said Heidi Mohr, manager of Hilltop Riding Stables. "The sessions last one hour, but they can be shorter depending on the instructions, we will be given by a licensed therapist."
Special assistance riding, equine or hippo therapy is available for children, adults and wounded service members, according to Mohr. "We can offer group activities and individual activities in this therapy setting," she said.
"We start with an individual rider assessment," she explained. "We determine if the person has experience with riding and handling horses. We have a special tack, if it is determined that the rider would benefit from its use. We are here to assist the doctors and the physical therapist in promoting optimum results for our riders. We will start at a level that their therapist would like them to begin at."
A licensed physical therapist may accompany guests and provide staff at Hilltop Riding Stables with instructions. "For example, a therapist may want a person to work on balance, memory issues, and socialization and trust," Mohr said.
Equine therapy has been successful in helping children with Rett Syndrome learn how to sit up on their own and has encouraged children with cerebral palsy to walk. In equine therapy, children, who have not developed skills in riding horses, are taught to ride horses. Riding helps develop muscle tone, balance, motor skills, focus and coordination.
Equine therapy involves establishing and nurturing a relationship with a horse. When a patient is busy grooming, feeding or exercising the horse, they are not focusing on their own problems. This gives the patient's mind a rest from difficult issues they face. In addition, a patient has to develop skills to care for a horse, and learning these skills increase self-confidence.
" Patients don't need to worry about rejection either, since horses are nonjudgmental," Mohr explained.
Although no one has used the special assistance riding program yet, a few patients from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center have taken trail rides with medical staff.
The physical therapist mentioned some of the service members had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and a few have not deployed. She takes them horseback riding, bowling, fishing, bike riding, to the movies, and on walks at the channel in Augusta on the weekends. The purpose of the outings is to help them see that they can do other things besides using drugs or alcohol to enjoy their leisure time.
The participants in the program understand that they are being given one chance to be rehabilitated and returned to active duty.
The recreation therapist remarked that as a result of the service members' experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of the patients experience depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and have trouble sleeping.
"Although no one has signed up or registered for the 'Making Dreams Possible' equine therapy, it is available twice a month, on Tuesdays," said Susan Craig, a Hilltop Riding Stables recreation aide. The one-hour session is available Oct. 14 and 28; Nov. 11 and 18; and Dec. 2 and 16, reservations are required.
"Call us and see what we have to offer you or your family member," Mohr said.
For more information about the "Making Dreams Possible" program, call (706) 791-4864, or visit www.fortgordon.com.
Social Sharing