Informative Essay On Riding Horses

More than 20 years ago, an ordinary middle-aged man working in the insurance industry, getting ready to retire from his job, was shopping at his local grocery store. In the grocery store parking lot, an unlikely encounter with a girl named Stacy changed his life. Stacy had cerebral palsy, making her unable to talk or hear. That's when Swimmer got the idea, "what might happen if I put her on a horse?" Stacey soon later visited Swimmer at his farm in outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where Stacy was able to ride a pony for the first time. "She lit up like a candle," said Swimmer, and that's when I knew what I wanted to do. Today Swimmer has helped over 800 kids with disabilities through his equine-assisted therapy program from his organization

On June 2013 SPC Montes’ unfailing dedication to his community volunteered 5,000 hours at the Therapeutic Horsemanship of El Paso (THEP). This nonprofit organization provides therapeutic riding sessions, serving children and adults with a wide range of special needs. These therapeutic riding sessions work toward building independence, self-confidence, strength, relaxation and social skills in children and adults. His involvement was prominent to the overall mission of the organization.

Walking into the sunlit barn hallway, the musky scent of hay and horse fur overwhelms my senses. I see a chestnut-colored horse stick his head over the wooden stall door to greet me. As I look around, I notice other volunteers getting horses saddled up and ready for the next lesson. Turning around I smile at a young student entering with her mom, ecstatic at the prospect of being able to ride a horse despite being in a wheelchair. Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy, located in Gretna, makes dreams possible. People of all ages have the opportunity to learn how to ride a horse despite their physical or mental disabilities. After volunteering at HETRA for five years, the organization has made significant impacts on my personality, interests, and maturity.

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” Adversity implies difficulties, trouble and misfortune as it tests the potential of man and strengthens his spirit of self confidence. In the novel Indian Horse written by Richard Wagamese there are many circumstances where the main character Saul is forced to overcome the adversity in which once shattered his human spirit and made him feel worthless. The ideas of adversity such as being beaten at residential schools and the racism he faced while playing hockey, demonstrates Saul’s constant inner struggle and his desire to become a

“The horse acts as the teacher and unlocks the client. The animal facilitates emotional breakthroughs, and the effect, therapists report, can be magical” (Hayley Sumner).

John Grady is not your average cowboy. All the Pretty Horses is not your typical coming-of-age story. This is an honest tale. Cormac McCarthy follows John Grady as he embarks on his journey of self-discovery across the border. Armed with a few pesos in his pocket, a strong horse and a friend at his side, John Grady thinks he’s ready to take on the Wild West of Mexico. At their final steps in America, a stranger, aged thirteen, joins our heroes. This unexpected variable named Blevins challenges John Grady, testing his character and pushing him to uncomfortable limits. The dynamic of their relationship reveals John Grady’s capacity to care for others as he shelters this kid from the hardships of reality and the

This paper will inform the parents, educators, and American society of the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding for people who have cognitive challenges or loss of limbs and other functions. Therapy can happen on the horse as well as off, depending on the condition of the rider. Not all therapy has to be done on a horse. It can be done on the ground as well, by padding the horse, brushing the horse, leading the horse. Knowing you can conquer being around and taking care of a big horse gives those with challenges a sense of satisfaction and self confidence. Therapeutic horseback riding is wonderful for young people as well as older people with disabilities. Even if they cannot sit up straight, therapy can make it so that any individual can

Do you think that rodeo is a sportsmanlike activity, also is fun, and interests, but is not to torture the animals and people that are doing it because I do? Rodeo first started on the ranches of the early 1700’s, when the Spanish ruled the West. The Spanish cattlemen are known as vaqueros,/ would influence the American cowboy with their clothing, language, traditions and equipment which would in turn influence the modern sport of rodeo. Duties on these early ranches included roping, horse breaking, riding, herding animals, branding, and much more. Rodeo public exhibition of the skill of cowboys in various activities. Events include riding broncos, riding steers, "bulldogging" steers, roping and tying steers and calves, the use of the lasso,

As of 2011, it has been reported that there are 650 million disabled people in the world (“Disabilities”). Though this number is high, it is greatly underestimated because disabled people are commonly isolated and stigmatized by their community (“Disabilities”). After hearing of this extremely high number of disabled people, I then ultimately decided I would write my research paper on ways to help the disabled. Therapeutic riding has been actively helping individuals with disabilities for decades, and can benefit these unfortunate people physically, mentally, and emotionally. “Therapeutic riding, which originated in Europe, has been actively helping individuals with disabilities since the 1950's” (Shepard). Through equine-orientated

Before we jump into the main question, let's jump back to where it all started. Horse therapy dates back to around 600 b.c when the greeks rode horses for therapy. Later, in around 1946 equine therapy then was introduced in Scandinavia. Which then led to the North Americans beginning the handicapped riding which started around 1969. They soon recognized that riding horses or just being

The art of breaking a horse, really just depends on the horse and rider. Before you ever ride, or tack up your horse, you always have to know if the horse is ready, willing, and responsive to you on the ground, then you can start. If he or she is not willing or responsive to you when you are on the ground, he or she will not respect you when you are riding. Make sure the horse knows the terms walk, trot, canter, and whoa, or any terms you use in replace of walk, trot, or woah, it will be a lot easier for you, and the horse will understand more. To make sure your horse is responsive to you on the ground is to make sure you spend a lot of time with your horse. Examples of what you should do is to groom your horse every day, walk him or

If you’ve ever owned an animal, you know that being around them can be extremely therapeutic. After a stressful day at work or school, it is always nice to come home to your pet and feel comforted by them. Many dog owners even claim that their dogs can feel their pain. However, if you speak to anyone who has been spent their life around horses, they’ll tell you that the connection between horse and rider is unlike any other. Norwegian researcher Anita Maurstad explains in a recent article, that over time horse and rider can become so attuned to each other that they develop a state of co-being. Maurstad also found, through research, that horses appear to learn to relate to humans in ways that provide them with a good quality of life. A recent study from Washington State university has concluded that kids who work with horses have significantly lower stress levels. In addition to these, there have been numerous other studies that show that working with horses decreases blood pressure, reduced feelings of anger, tension, and anxiety. Riding horses also allows you to gain feelings of self esteem, empowerment, patience, and trust. Because of the overwhelming positive effects that horses seem to have, horses are no longer being used just for recreational or agricultural

Developing good motor control is a fundamental element of developing necessary life skills. Horse therapy for autistic children allows the participants to use their muscles to control the movement of the horse. Some include grooming activities that improve fine motor skills as well. Communication is developed. The motivating nature of the activities makes them ideal for encouraging communication. The inability to communicate effectively can be extremely frustrating for people on the autism spectrum. Although people diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome may not exhibit problems with language, some significant difficulties with communication are apparent when you look at details about Aspergers closely. Equestrian programs for autistic children promote communication. The child is highly motivated to use language and signs to ask to ride, continue riding, and to interact with the animals. The nonverbal interaction between the child and the horse is a building block. The child learns how to control the movements of the horse and the animal provides feedback through its

Riding horses can help build strength in the body, but it can also be used as therapy. A few years ago, Haleigh volunteered at a therapeutic horseback riding business in Clinton, Iowa, called Bright Spot Inc. At Bright Spot, Haleigh and other volunteers, work with many children with different disabilities and help them overcome their problems. Their confidence is built when they ride the horses because they feel like they can do anything. Therapeutic horseback riding has been proven to really help out people with disabilities. Horseback riding can help disabled patients better than any other form of physical therapy. The physical benefits that can be improved form therapeutic horse riding is improved circulation, respiration, balance, body metabolism, and it can help the disabled rider gain agility and strength. Horse riding can also help with the movement of the riders legs and increase coordination in their muscle groups. In one study of therapeutic horseback riding, children with disabilities improve their posture, muscle tone, and weight-bearing abilities (Bliss). After trying therapeutic horseback riding, many patients become more outgoing. Beth Bliss once said that, “Studies show that autistic children often

Ever since I was a child I knew that I wanted to work with animals. Horses, in particular, have always fascinated me. After much begging, pleading, years of convincing, and always working hard to save up money, I convinced my parents to allow me to buy a horse. To me, Indie was the most beautiful quarter horse I could have ever dreamed of getting. Since our purchase of Indie, we have acquired another horse, Sherman, and a pony, Tucker. Although the horses have always been hard work, they were worth every sweaty hot summer evening of mucking out the stalls and frigid winter mornings of carrying water to the trough in order to avoid freezing our hoses. After all, I used to dream of being a veterinarian and helping all kinds of animals in some way.