Practicing horse therapy
Forward Stride, now located in Beaverton, shows great results when autistic kids are put on horseback
By Ann Terry Hill

Niels Johnson Laird / Times Newspapers
Proof that the therapeutic horse healing practiced at Forward
Stridein Beaverton really works is shown on the faces of the
numerous special children who come to ride the big animals.

Twins Michael and Daniel Ballard of Lake Oswego were diagnosed with autism when they were 18 months old. Their mother, Kathleen, and father, Steven, have followed all the bends in the road to break through to these children and give them a normal life. Forward Stride, the therapeutic horse healing organization, has brought them to new levels of accomplishment.

“Every time we come here, horseback riding is something they look forward to,” says Kathleen. “It’s exciting and unusual and is such a confidence builder for them. They are able to have control and they are learning new things and mastering other things. It is wonderful to see and I think the best part about it is those skills translate directly into their classroom experiences and their experiences out in the world.”

The boys have been coming once a week since June 2007, at the recommendation of the Education Service District where they were receiving early intervention therapy. One of their therapists recommended Forward Stride as a summer activity, and the parents decided to give it a try not knowing how the twins would react.

They called and talked to one of the horse therapists and were invited out for a visit.

The parents gave the boys some preparation prior to the visit, showing them pictures of horses and saying they were going to have the chance to ride.
On the first visit, Michael put his helmet on, walked straight into the ring and got on the horse and was ready to ride. His mother says a big smile came on his face. He was happy and excited, which was not typical at all. For the longest time he had been fearful, anxious and stressed about new environments and new people.

His confidence is built each and every lesson; little by little, he grows less fearful of new environments and meeting new people.
Since January, Forward Stride has been in its new location in Beaverton.

With three arenas (indoors and out), ample barn space and 63 acres to spread out on, it is ideal for what the organization is working to accomplish. Nationally accredited, it has 10 licensed, credentialed professional instructors on staff and serves about 150 clients a week.

Says Kathleen: “Before we tried Forward Stride, the educators were a little fearful about putting Michael in a blended classroom with neurotypical children and children of other varying capabilities. I’m convinced the time spent at Forward Stride has helped prepare him for the transition to a blended classroom.”

For Daniel, the experience was a little different. He was fearful, anxious and stressed, but head instructor Amber Henneck was so patient and skilled at breaking the experience down into little steps (necessary for an autistic child), she got him to accept.

It is essential that children on the spectrum see a large accomplishment in terms of small steps that are easy for them to understand and more comfortable for them to make. Amber was a master at getting Daniel to take these steps: “Daniel, why don’t you stand right here and you can help me give Blesi (the Icelandic horse) a pet and introduce yourself.”

By the end of the first lesson, Amber had him willing to lean his body weight against the horse for a count of 10. By the third lesson, she decided he was ready to get on the horse. At first he said, “No, Mommy – too high.”

Amber persisted and got him to hold the reins while one of the volunteers walked him around the arena, and told him you have to go one time, then you can get off. He went the one time and did not ask to get off and has never looked back.

“Not everything works for every child,” says Kathleen. “You have to keep looking and trying. When we found horseback riding therapy and the twins accepted it and enjoyed it, it was like finding the Holy Grail. That is what you are going for – it opens them up inside, opens up their emotional expression and the acceptance of friendship and a social connection with other people whether it is a student-teacher format or a friendship format.”

Trisha Thompson, executive director of Forward Stride, says, “It is extremely important to address these kids with autism at an early age. We’ve discovered there is a great impact with the sensory system – it has to do with their neuro-muscular system.

“Our goal is to increase our understanding of autism,” Thompson adds. “Autistic children are able to function at different levels, and we work with them to get them to function on higher levels and getting them to focus.

“One of the really rich pieces of this rehabilitation approach is that it combines the best of animal therapy with physical therapy,” she says. “It’s the combinations of a power house. The animals provide motivations in a way that a piece of equipment cannot and with mental help a therapist can create a relationship between client and horse and then transfer that into human relationships at a much faster rate.

“Mental health can be post-traumatic stress disorders and a huge range of other mental issues,” says Thompson. “Equine therapy needs to be indicated for the client because not everyone is indicated for that particular type of therapy. We have to make sure the horse is safe and the client is safe. Horses are like a huge biofeedback mechanism – horses immediately respond to an attitude in body language, a facial expression.”

The Ballard twins are just two examples of the success Forward Stride has experienced since it opened in Portland in 2003. It has also had much success with children with cerebral palsy. The healing is accomplished by putting children and adults in a relationship with horses and giving fragile bodies power.



Research has proved equine therapy is an effective method of increasing strength, balance, sensory integration and special awareness. It is endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Occupations Therapy Association.

Volunteer training is required for anyone who wants to get involved. This year the organization has added the mental health program in a substantial way. They are working with a therapist with involvement with horses and use their own building on the premises for privacy.

To contact Forward Stride, call 503-590-2959 or visit www.forwardstride.org.

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