2011 Therapeutic Riding Program

ESS is now offering therapeutic riding for special-needs children, with Marta Glover, NARHA-accredited instructor. Our clients include referrals from Casa de Corazon of Taos, starting the first week of May. We are also working on setting up a program through the Special Ed, Taos Public Schools.

There is a tremendous need for a therapeutic riding program in Taos County. Currently, there is no such program in this area. There are 496 learning disabled persons between the ages of three and 22 in the special education classes in the Taos School system. In addition, there are 55 special education kids that receive physical therapy and 60 that are receiving occupational therapy. We care about these kids and want to offer them something special that they cannot get through any other local program.

The benefits of working with horses are felt by children and adults with mental and emotional disturbances, behavioral disorders, development delays, learning disabilities, dysfunctions with neurological motor impairment, Down syndrome, to name just a few. Riding a horse has been said to exercise the spirit as well as the body. Therapeutic riding is recognized, well documented, and supported by medical doctors, psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists and teachers.

Patients that can benefit from therapeutic riding are children and adults with disorders such as:

Mental and Emotional Disturbances: autism, phobias, psychoses.

Behavioral Disorders: aggressiveness, nervousness, stress, shyness, insomnia, sedentary habits.

Development delays, learning disabilities, social problems.

Dysfunctions with neurological motor impairment: cerebral palsy, vascular-cerebral accidents, cerebral trauma.

Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome.

Sensory, visual, auditory and speech problems.

Orthopedic Problems: posture, equilibrium, joint degeneration, injuries, amputations, congenital defects.

Rheumatic Diseases: adult and child rheumatoid arthritis, gout.

Respiratory problems: asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, post-operational and/or post-traumatic.

Equine therapy is practiced in most countries in the world. Originally used to help people recover from traumatic injuries, it became widely used as a therapeutic tool for the physically handicapped. Most recently, equine therapy has become accepted as a useful tool in treating a wide variety of psychological and mental disorders.

We are proud of our wonderful horses that are serving as safe, dependable mounts for this program. Many of these horses were either rescues or unwanted horses who came to ESS. Rehabbing and training these horses can be very costly. Maintaining a safe, well equipped facility for the horses and for our programs for people also cost a lot. At ESS we have several different programs. Our biggest challenge is to budget accordingly, so that we can offer a variety of much needed services to the community for both people and equines.

Please help us provide these wonderful programs by making a contribution to Equine Spirit Sanctuary. Donations are tax deductible as per the Internal Revenue Service standards and regulations Your support helps us continue to improve the quality of life for people with special needs by giving them the chance to spend time with the ESS equines.

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