Therapeutic horseback riding

Andy and I spend our Saturdays at the barn with a group of fantastic volunteers doing therapeutic horse back riding. This adds a 6th day to our work week, but it is well worth it! Most of the time by the time we get to Friday afternoon, I am done. The thought of working another day just feels tough. But then I get to the barn and see the smiling faces of all our kids and their parents, leaping out of the car to come and ride. All these kids participate in therapies during the week, but none of the therapies compare to what they experience every Saturday at Shelland Place Farm. Every Saturday we have some kind of tiny miracle occuring.... This past Saturday, we had a couple. The first one was a little guy who struggles at school and home with ADHD and dyslexia. I am told that he has mood swings and tends to have a hard time emotionally; except on Saturdays. He jumped out of the car and ran to me with a picture in his hand. He had gone home the week before and drawn a picture of Jedi ( the horse he rides) on one side and Lenny (the giant Warmblood who is a gentle giant) on the other side. The mini miracle was that he had drawn himself with a HUGE grin and his hands in the air in a victorious show. He was so excited about this picture and how the horses made him feel. No medication made him feel like this -yet his Saturdays are his time to shine where there is no pressure to read or write, nothing to have to respond to, except the complete and absolute acceptance that a huge, majestic animal called a horse gives a seven year old who is struggling to find himself in the academic world. It is times like this that I know we have to keep doing therapeutic riding, because these Saturdays change lives.

Autism Awareness

Last week there were noticeably many spots on NBC news about ADHD/ADD , Autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities. I always find it interesting watching these spots as the reporters turn to the medical doctors for information regarding these diagnosis'. Of course that's where we all look as parents. But I have to say that I am always disappointed to see nothing on the therapies that are most effective for our kids. Occupational, speech and physical therapists are highly under rated in our media. In fact therapists are the professionals who understand the inner workings of many diagnosis' , not just the symptoms. I would love to see the media focus on therapists. We dedicate our lives to making changes in other peoples' lives, not with quick fixes but with ongoing training and education to find one more thing that can make life better for our clients. There is so much technology out there and yet the area in which we need the most education is not being highlighted!

Speak out about your therapists - they are special people in your families lives!