Saddle up, horse lovers, rodeo fans and advocates for those with disabilities.
The Healing Horses Therapeutic Riding Program is holding its 10th anniversary Fun Show and Fundraiser beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday at 140 Eagle Ridge Trail in Linn.
The horse riding program helps people ages 3 and older with disabilities face social, mental and physical challenges. It holds the annual fundraiser to help provide scholarships for families who require assistance to enter a child into therapy.
Children without disabilities, known as "able-bodied," also participate in Healing Horses. Twenty-three of the program's 54 students are able-bodied.
"We've steadily grown to 54 students over the past 10 years," said Executive Director Amy DeCramer, who started the program with her own horses through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. "We started with a couple volunteers, two therapeutic riding horses and two students who came to me, and we just slowly have grown over the years to 16 horses now."
During the fundraiser, about 30 students will participate in barrel, flag and obstacle course races in a friendly competition. The races are separated into a trotting class and a canter/galloping class for more proficient riders. A western pleasure class demonstration and egg and spoon race will also take place.
Raffle and silent auction items will include an original Joe Dudenhoeffer wood carving, Savage Axis .223 Rifle with Accutrigger and scope, a carved wood horse bench, an Expert charcoal grill, tickets to amusement parks, gift baskets, Bass Pro gift card and other items. Concessions sold during the event also will benefit the therapeutic riding program.
Horse riding treatments known as equine therapy help children with disabilities in many ways. Feeling the way the horse walks beneath children with physical issues helps them better establish their own gait and develop muscle tone and coordination as they balance atop the animal. Using verbal commands help students learn to communicate and confidently develop speech with a horse that won't judge or critique them. Interacting with the animals also helps those with emotional issues feel positive social interaction and enables those in wheelchairs to have fun in the outdoors.
"I think the biggest thing is that when they are on horses, you don't see their disability," DeCramer said. "They may have braces on their legs and things like that, but as far as when they are sitting on the horse and they're riding, they could be riding next to another child who doesn't have a disability, and you can't tell the difference."
Link:
Healing Horses Therapeutic Riding Program on Facebook