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Horse Connections, Inc. A NonProfit Therapeutic Horsemanship & Riding Program at Rockin' Horse Farm, LLC "I just wanted to tell you that I am amazed at what riding lessons are doing for Kendal. She is so different when she is with the horses. Thank you! You have a great group of people working with you. They are so patient and kind." -Patty Wanker Our program is growing! New Class on Wednesday at 5 pm. Check back soon for more new classes.....Please call or email Amy for more info. Please note that there will be NO Horse Connections, Inc. classes during the week of June 22nd and the weeks of July 13th and 20th
Bonds grow in the saddle
A rider with special needs makes a happy connection through a pilot program.
By KELLIE DIXON, Times Staff Writer
Published September 11, 2007 [David Degner | Times]
Ricky Buckman, 16, rides Buttons at the Rockin' Horse Farm in New Port Richey as (from left) Adam Brusselback, 17, Allyssa Brusselback, 14, and Claire Milec, 15 steady him and the horse. Buckman is part of a pilot program for therapeutic riding that the Rockin' Horse farm is starting up.  [David Degner | Times]
Ricky Buckman pets Buttons after an hour of grooming and riding at the Rockin' Horse Farm.
Sports News Video
NEW PORT RICHEY -- For months, Ricky Buckman had joined his mom and little sister at Rockin' Horse Barn. He liked to watch, but only 10-year-old Katie got to ride.
Ricky enjoyed petting the horses. Katie's tales of trail rides were thrilling to him.
Patience, his mom said. Your time will come.
Thursday, the 16-year-old Gulf High School sophomore finally got his chance through the Rockin' Horse Barn's therapeutic riding pilot program called Horse Connections.
Ricky brushed the large but gentle quarter horse. He climbed carefully onto Buttons' saddle with the help of a purple step stool. He did many things Katie had done, only at his own pace because of his Down's syndrome. With each lap around the pen, his smile stretched wider.
The Horse Connections program caters to individuals with disabilities or special needs. The Rockin' Horse, situated on 17 acres in New Port Richey, has offered horseback riding since opening in January.
Owner Amy Baird said the therapeutic lessons will stay a pilot program for eight weeks while she secures its nonprofit status.
The program isn't the only one of its kind in Hernando or Pasco county, but it was important to Baird to offer.
The New Jersey native grew up with a love for animals and passion to share that. When she first moved to St. Petersburg about 20 years ago, she worked at the marine science center in Clearwater and completed some veterinarian tech courses at a junior college.
She couldn't help but smile after Ricky finished his first lesson Thursday.
"It's fantastic looking at him having that smile on his face," Baird said. "It makes you feel so good."
The point of the lessons is to help the riders make a connection with the animals. Ricky did just that. He had been too shy to raise his head much while grooming Buttons.
But by the time he climbed onto the horse's back, he was flashing a thumbs up as he rode around the pen. When Baird encouraged him to raise his arms to build his stability, that was no problem. He raised his arms like wings.
"He looks really happy" when he rides, said his sister, Katie.
Ricky doesn't have any pain from his disability, and he has great balance from participating in a variety of extracurricular activities like basketball and golf.
Horseback riding is a new challenge, but he's fearless.
When he climbed off Buttons, he petted her and offered her treats. Buttons gave him a kiss. He laughed.
This kind of love is something Melissa Sliwa, a riding instructor and resident trainer at Rockin' Horse, has seen from horses before. When she was 19 years old, Sliwa was riding her horse Jester at her parents' home in Fort Walton Beach. Jester was known for being shy. He let Sliwa touch him, but that was it.
That particular day, Sliwa was riding when her mentally handicapped older sister rushed toward the unpredictable horse with outstretched arms. Sliwa's stomach dropped slightly. She was amazed that Jester stayed put while her sister hugged and kissed the horse on his head.
"You could feel him relax," Sliwa recalled. "He sighed."
Sliwa, who went on to graduate from the equestrian college Meredith Manor in West Virginia, said it's neat to see the horses take on that nurturing role.
"The smaller the children are, the more the horses take care of them," she said.
Kellie Dixon can be reached at kdixon@sptimes.com or (352) 544-9480.
FAST FACTS:
Local programs
Rockin' Horse Farm owner Amy Baird hopes eventually to get the therapeutic riding program accredited by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. According to the NARHA Web site, two area facilities have been accredited:
Legacy Oaks Riding Stable
16047 Psenka Drive
Brooksville, FL 34604
(352) 796-9702
The ARC Nature Coast
NARHA Premier Accredited Center
5283 Neff Lake Road
Brooksville, FL 34601
(352) 544-2322
thearc-naturecoast.org
[Last modified September 10, 2007, 19:13:53]
Horse Connections Therapeutic Riding Lessons are held on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and in the near future on weekends. Our lessons are for children and adults, and can incorporate riding time but a major focus is time for each student to bond with the horses through grooming and petting. We will have a horse walker, and side walkers available for each rider as needed. Our instructor will develop a lesson plan for each rider individually. We can accommodate small groups of up to 4 students at a time, giving each student time alone with “their” horse. The charge is $20 per person per lesson, and we offer a sliding scale based upon need. We are pleased to offer this therapy riding program and feel that it will be a great service to the community. In time we hope to become a certified NARHA Therapeutic Riding Center.  Please call today to get your rider on the list. Volunteer training is ongoing. Call Amy to begin. 727 534-8612
| Please print the appropriate forms below: Riders Forms Volunteer Forms WARNING Under Florida law, an equine activity sponsor or equine professional is not liable for an injury to, or the death of, a participant in equine activities resulting from the inherent risks of equine activities. This page was last modified on Sunday, June 08, 2008 08:48:30 PM | HORSE CONNECTIONS
According to the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association "Because horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider's body in a manner similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength." "For individuals with mental or emotional disabilities, the unique relationship formed with the horse can lead to increased confidence, patience and self-esteem." Glossary of Terms
Therapeutic Riding Lessons - Considered a sport, a trained team of horse and volunteers under the guidance of the Instructor take the rider through an individually planned lesson
Hippotherapy - A therapy session using a horse (hippo is Greek for horse) where the client is under the direction of their therapist (physical, occupational, speech, etc.) and the Instructor and volunteers act as the support team
Equine- Facilitated Psychotherapy - A mental health therapy session where the client is under the direction of their mental health practitioner and the Instructor and volunteers act as the support team
Our Program Plans
We will start small and grow. Our program will include only Therapeutic Riding Lessons and will run on an ongoing basis, we have a limited number of student spaces available.
We will analyze each rider individually for suitability in participating in the pilot program - we, at this time, do not have the ability to accommodate riders in wheelchairs, but we have an order in for a ramp. We hope to expand beyond just offering therapeutic riding lessons and into partnering with professionals to offer both Hippotherapy and Equine- Facilitated Psychotherapy. During the pilot program phase we will be running the program by using the horses and facility here at Rockin’ Horse Farm, LLC, we are a non-profit entity which will help to facilitate fundraising, allowing us to establish a scholarship program and to purchase the additional tack, equipment and upgrades to the facility that will be needed to attain our goal of becoming a premiere accredited NARHA center.
NARHA (North American riding for the Handicapped Association) oversees Instructor training and certification and oversees the center becoming a member center and eventually a premiere accredited center. This process may take several years. A therapeutic riding center’s participation in NARHA oversight is voluntary, but is the industry standard.
Volunteer Opportunities
Time Scheduled Volunteer Jobs
Horse Leaders - must have horse experience
Side Walkers - just caring individuals, no horse experience necessary
Horse Groom and Tack Up - horse experience required
At your Leisure
Fundraising
Tack cleaners and inspectors
Facilities maintenance /handyman
Animal care Bookkeeping and appointment scheduling
Professional Volunteers
Physical or Occupational therapists to act as a consultant assisting our Instructor with their technical knowledge for our therapeutic riding lessons (does not provide direct treatment in this role)
Other needed consultants are: speech /language therapists, clinical psychologist, recreational therapist, physician, as well as others
We will need one or more NARHA instructors to take the approved NARHA cert. course or go through the instructor in training program.
In the near future we hope to team up with qualified therapists to offer: Hippotherapy sessions - licensed physical, speech or occupational therapists direct their own therapy sessions with the support of our horses and our therapeutic riding team lead by our Instructor
Equine -Facilitated Psychotherapy sessions- licensed psychotherapists direct their own therapy sessions with the use of our horses and our therapeutic riding team lead by our Instructor
Because this is a work in progress, we would appreciate input from the community as we develop our program. Please share with us so that we can make this the best therapeutic riding program we can!
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