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Rode to RecoveryEquine therapy center in Wilsonville helps adults and children with physical and mental disabilities
WILSONVILLE -- On the back of a horse is the one place where 56-year-old Dina Morse feels normal. When she’s riding she can do the things that many people take for granted—she can walk and run. Sometimes, Morse even forgets she has a disability. It has been nearly 20 years since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that confines her to a motorized scooter. But twice a week she is able to leave her scooter on the sidelines and climb on the back of Dancer, a 14-year-old Tennessee Walker gelding. Morse’s legs are too weak to control the horse, so she carries a crop and uses her body weight to guide the horse around the ring. “I don’t need help when I’m on a horse,” Morse said. “I feel normal. I tend to forget something is wrong with me. When you’re in a scooter people perceive you differently, and they treat you differently too. But when people see me ride they can’t tell I have MS.” Twice a week Morse takes hour-long riding classes at the center, joining adults who are dealing with disabilities or recovering from various injuries, including a brain injury and a broken back. The center offers classes for all ages, but Executive Director Trisha Thompson said clients are grouped in different ways—by age and disability. “It depends on several factors, but the main focus is always on maximum therapeutic benefit,” Thompson said. Forward Stride provides programs for people who face disabilities like cerebral palsy, autism and multiple sclerosis or those who face medical challenges such as cancer, brain injury, and Alzheimer’s disease. “The therapy is important because the focus of attention is shifted from the scary illness to the horse,” she said. Thompson said they serve about 160 clients a week; the youngest is 2 and the oldest just celebrated her 95th birthday. “Adults have different needs than children and we take that into account,” she said. “For some reason our adult clientele has increased dramatically over the last year.” The center has two licensed occupational therapists and one physical therapist that conducts hippotherapy, a term based on the Greek word “hippo,” meaning horse. These physical therapy sessions work on sensory integration and neurological rehabilitation. There are six instructors and about 200 volunteers that keep the center going. “We always put what’s best for our client first and everything else just falls into place,” Instructor Kris McCarthy said. In addition to hippotherapy, the center offers sport riding, vaulting and equine growth and learning classes. Sport riding is geared toward students with a variety of acute and chronic medical issues. Vaulting, acrobatic and dance routines on horseback, is for more advanced riders. And the equine growth and learning class, which is taught by mental health professionals, educators and horse clinicians, is for all students. Classes are held in an outdoor ring and an indoor arena, which allow the center to offer classes year round. The 26 horses of all breeds and ages are acquired to fill specific needs. Thompson said the therapists and instructors choose horses that are conducive to therapeutic riding, depending on their gait and disposition. Morse started with hippotherapy classes and is now participating in sport riding classes. Prior to riding she tried swimming, but she said that the therapy she receives at Forward Stride has drastically improved her condition. “My balance is so much better,” Morse said. “When the horse walks it mimics the movements our hips make. This is a much more natural movement for my body than other types of therapy. When you lose the ability to walk you tend to look down because you can’t trust your feet, you want to keep an eye on them. Now I can stand up with my eyes closed and not fall over. It may not seem like much but that is an Olympic feat for me.” But it’s not just the physical benefit that draws clients. Many of them develop relationships with the horses, their instructors and classmates, so the center serves as a social and emotional outlet for clients as well. “I love it here,” Morse said. “It’s very calming. When I leave here I take away a feeling that last for days. I feel more centered.” Copyright 2007 Spokesman. All Rights Reserved. Return to Foward
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