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(Describer) Beside four different-size different-color circles connected by lines, title: Career Connections. Surrounded by different color stripes, title: Fine Arts. Title: Equestrian Therapy.
(woman)
My name is Laurie Kimura.
I am the vocational services
manager,
barn manager,
therapeutic riding manager,
here at Sunshine
in Maumee, Ohio.
Therapeutic riding
is teaching horseback riding
to people with physical,
cognitive,
and emotional disabilities.
(Describer) She walks a horse ridden by a woman with her arms out.
I was introduced to horses
when I was young
by my mother,
who grew up on a farm.
I was lucky to spend time at
the barn and go to competitions
and became comfortable
around the horses.
I knew early on
that I wanted them in my life.
In high school, I was really
interested in sports
and got hurt a couple times,
so I started volunteering
in a physical therapy department
at a hospital.
Initially, I was going to be
a physical therapist.
But then when I discovered
therapeutic riding
and had such a strong
horse background,
I decided to take
that route instead.
It all has come together
in that we're doing hippotherapy
now in the barn.
I have physical therapists
and occupational therapists,
and I assist them by providing
a safe place, safe horses,
and I get to watch the riders
benefit from her therapy.
(Describer) Another therapist leads the rider through exercises.
The responsibilities of
a therapeutic riding instructor
are to engage the client,
engage the rider,
progress their skills.
Biomotor skills are increased
by therapeutic riding
when people
are tacking up horses,
fastening the buttons,
holding on to the reins.
Gross motor skills are involved,
climbing on the horses,
doing exercises on the horses.
The social interaction is huge
with our volunteers
and the instructors
and the horse.
We encourage the rider
to interact with that horse
and say,
"You're doing a great job."
Coordination is one of the
biggest benefits that I've seen
with more of our advanced riders
because they have to learn to
keep their feet in the stirrups.
They learn to hold the rein,
then use their legs and hands
as aids to turn the horses.
They listen to the instructor
at the same time,
so there's a lot going on that
works on their coordination.
When we assess
the rider's ability,
sometimes they need help
with stability,
so we have someone
on each side of the horse
that's called a side-walker.
They give as little
or as much support as needed.
Sometimes it's just walking
next to them to reassure them,
putting an arm on their thigh
to help them keep their balance.
There's a leader that will take
the horse around the arena,
lead the horse around.
Some people look forward
to their therapy.
That's the highlight
of their week.
When they walk in,
we've already made an impact
'cause they've got
this giant smile.
We have one rider
who is blind and deaf,
but his parents insisted
he would love horseback riding.
Our instructors were,
"What do I do?
I can't tell him to lift
his reins or make a circle."
But he can get other input
from that.
He can get the smell
of the barn, the horses,
the leather on the saddles.
He can have sensation
of touching the saddle,
touching the soft fur,
touching the leather,
touching the rubbery reins.
There's all sorts
of sensory input
that people can get
from therapeutic riding
that you don't really
think about on a daily basis.
(Describer) The young man touches the horse.
Our supportive employment
program has opportunity
for people with developmental
and intellectual disabilities
to come work in the barn
each week.
They have job coaches
that teach them barn skills--
cleaning the barn,
taking care of the animals,
learning about the animals.
They can come and be productive
and feel good about themselves.
It makes a huge difference
in their lives.
(Describer) A girl sweeps the barn.
Therapeutic riding
and hippotherapy
have been around
for many years,
probably at least 75
that I know of.
And it is definitely
a growing field.
There are more schools
offering programs
for people to be
trained to do it.
(Describer) Degrees in Equine Studies.
Courses that I think
would be beneficial
to lead to this career
would definitely be
some communications classes
because you have to communicate
with your riders,
with your parents.
Other courses
that would be helpful
would be your science
and your physiology.
You want to learn about parts
of the body,
parts of the brain,
and that'll help you understand
physical, cognitive,
emotional disabilities
down the road.
If you're not going
the college route
to get a degree
in equine studies,
you can go to clinics.
There's an organization
we belong to called P.A.T.H.
And they will perform clinics
throughout the year,
throughout the country,
different states,
and you can learn from them.
(Describer) www.sunshine.org/volunteer.
They have courses online
that you can take.
It's very easy to come to work
because of the amazing people
that we meet and work with
and watch all these miraculous
things happen on horseback.
And being able to combine
my love of physiology
and training the horses
and preparing the horses
for those riders
is so exciting for me.
It's just magical.
(Describer) More therapists lead horses and riders around the barn.
Funding to purchase and make
this educational production
(Describer) Titles:
For more information, visit OhioMeansJobs.com.
WGTE Public Media, copyright 2014.
Funding to purchase and make this educational program accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Contact the Department of Education by telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or online at www.ed.gov.
accessible was provided by the
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